ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Bill Veeck had Eddie Gaedel, the midget who pinch hit for the St. Louis Browns in a major league game in 1951.
Now, Mike Veeck, son of Bill and president of the St. Paul Saints, has Mac Turndorf, the eBay bidder who'll get to bat in a Northern League exhibition game on May 14.
"There's always a man or woman in the stands who says 'I can hit that,' " Saints spokesman Dave Wright told ESPN.com. Monday, "and now, I guess we'll find out if he or she can."
Of the 73 hes and shes who bid Monday night on eBay, it was Turndorf, a 35-year-old video-game producer from Los Angeles, who placed the highest value on finding out whether he could indeed hit a baseball pitched by a professional for 60 feet, 6 inches.
For the $5,601.01 that will go to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Nash Avery Search for Hope, which aids muscular dystrophy research, Turndorf is guaranteed one at-bat in a game against Sioux Falls.
"I have watched baseball all my life and at many a game have heard a fan declare, 'You know what? I could hit that' (I may even have uttered words to that effect.)," Turndorf told the Pioneer Press via e-mail. "While I do not pretend to be able to hit professional pitching, I wanted the opportunity to try … and with the proceeds going to very worthy charities, how could I say no?"
Turndorf will have to pass a physical before he's signed to a two-day contract with the independent league team. He'll join workouts for a day to prepare, and to give manager George Tsamis a chance to look him over. Tsamis will decide where Turndorf will bat and how long he stays in the game.
Gaedel walked in one at-bat and was removed for a pinch runner.