Lost Bosox title ring returned by Yankees fan
NEW YORK— A lost Red Sox World Series ring is back on the finger of its owner, thanks to a nifty pickup by an ardent New York Yankees fan.
Manhattan restaurant owner Luigi Militello could hardly believe it when he found the shiny 2013 championship ring on a sink at his Luke’s Bar and Grill on Thursday night.
It was the real thing, with diamonds and sapphires and rubies, set in 14- carat white gold, with the Red Sox emblem, a Boston Strong logo and an image of the team’s bearded players.
“I was like, geez, it’s big. Who would leave this here?” Militello said. “I’m a big Yankee fan. What are the chances of this happening?”
Drew Weber had dined at the restaurant earlier. He’s a New York businessman and also owns the Lowell (Mass.) Spinners, a Class-A affiliate of the Red Sox.
Big-league teams often reward ex- ecutives throughout their organization with World Series rings. The Red Sox haven’t put a value on these pieces of jewelry — the rings they presented for winning the 2004 crown were worth about $30,000. “I went looking around my apartment and started having palpitations. Sweat was pouring off my forehead,” Weber said. “I’m looking at my finger and it’s not there.” Hoping against hope, he called Luke’s after midnight. Militello answered and said, yep, he had the ring. “But this being Yankees-Red Sox, I started razzing him. I told him he wasn’t getting it so easily. I was playing with him, a lot,” Militello said.
They quickly put aside their rooting interests and met the next day at the restaurant, where Militello returned the ring.
Militello was insistent he wouldn’t accept any money. Instead, Weber and the Red Sox invited Militello to make his first trip to Fenway Park for the regular-season finale on Sept. 28. That’s also slated to be the final game for retiring Yankees star Derek Jeter.
“Going for his send-off, that’s pretty great,” Militello said.