Chocolate "Deflategate" Football Brings In $20,000
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Sarris Candies of Canonsburg is known for Super Bowl specialties. But then, owner Bill Sarris put a photo of a deflated chocolate football on the web.
"In a matter of minutes we started getting responses, and they kept going and coming," the owner said.
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He decided to auction it off, to raise money for the Dollar Energy Fund. Talk show host Marty Griffin put the football up for bid on KDKA Radio. But the auction ended almost before it began.
"He said five, I say five," said his guest, North Hills car dealer Richard Bazzy.
His "inflated" offer quickly multiplied.
"Your $5,000, Sarris's $5,000, that's $10,000," Griffin answered. "Then, the utilities matched that. This becomes $20,000."
Sarris spokesman Norm Candelore says customers called the store, hoping to buy Bill Sarris's one-of-a-kind sculpture.
"So we had a situation where we had this ball, and he said, 'We should have an auction.' And I said the person to call is Marty."
"Actually, what Marty said is 'Come on in,'" Bazzy responded. "'I think about $500, you would win the bid.' Of course, when Bill Sarris said $5,000, I wanted to kill him!"
So what does one do with a $20,000 chocolate football? Do you freeze it and put it in a trophy case, perhaps?
"The hardest thing for me is not to eat it," Bazzy laughed. "Because I am a 'sweetaholic.'"
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