'Yankees hater' wins $9,000 ball

BUFFALO, N.Y., April 7 (UPI) -- A self-described "Yankees hater" in New York state won an auction for a baseball signed by the 1946 members of the team, including Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra.

The Buffalo man, who asked to be identified only as Bob, said he did not expect his $9,000 bid for the ball, which features the signatures of Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto alongside their teammates, to be enough to win at Lodge Auction House, The Buffalo News reported Wednesday.

"I didn't think it would go this low," he said.

"The funny thing about it is, I'm a Yankee hater," Bob said. However, he said his son "is a desperate Yankee fan."

Bob said he plans to hang on to the ball for a while and may eventually donate it to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ronald Hoier, 76, of West Seneca, N.Y., said he received the ball from the team during a visit to Yankee Stadium when he was 13 years old. He said he has kept the ball in a plastic cover for decades to keep it looking brand new. Hoier was on hand for the auction Tuesday and congratulated the winner.