Not even close - that would be Matt White, the relief pitcher in the Dodger organization who found out that he owned land that contains a billion dollars worth of mica schist. That doesn't count the cost of getting it out, of course, but he could sell the land right now for more money than Igawa got.
You can't say that until he gets traded to another team and then starts putting up respectable numbers.
He isn't making it up, but to be fair Matt White doesn't actually have that money in his pocket but the rock breaks down to like 24 dollars a ton and there is something like 100,00 tons of it on his property. He bought the land from his great aunt to build a house on and he used to walk the land and one day was curious about the rock so paid a geologist to tell him what it was and found out it was this valuble rock. They use it to make like patios and things of that nature. As of right now Matt's father and his buddy are running the quarry while Matt concentrates on baseball. But with alot less pressure Matt has actually turned into a quality relief pitcher for Las Vegas.
Matt White - Estimates have placed the low estimate of the find at 24 million tons. At current prices (he has been selling the stone for over $100/ton), it is estimated to be worth around $2.5 billion, sans extraction costs.
hmy: This guy just became that lotto commercial where the dude playing third just purchased the team.
He'll have no choice but to sell the land. The operation to get it out of the ground would cost someone with no experience as much as it was worth.
He could. Of course the other issue is being allowed to do it. I don't know where this land is but I can't remember the last time somebody got a permit to open a new mine anywhere without about 20 years of legal fighting. That would cost him millions. Maybe he's rich. One thing for sure is every "green" group in the world would be in line to fight him on it no matter where it is. And they are rich.
As crazy as it is, he could afford the Yankees. THAT'S some serious cash. See, if it were me, I'd purchase the Red Sox. Then I'd trade Manny and Ortiz to the Yankees for Colter Bean, then Beckett and Papelbon for Miguel Cairo. Next I'd tear down the outfield walls, and push them back 300 feet. Then I'd sell the team, even at a loss, and purchase a lifetime of season tickets to the Yankees behind home plate.
Doing what? Mining it or picking up the loose crap on the surface? Oh, the land is in mass too. No chance he'll get a mining permit there. You said he's doing it now?...lol "Could it possibly be TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? Of course it could. The story, once it gets ripped from its provocative headline, is that, when it comes to actually capitalizing on the $2B worth of rock, there's a little problem: getting it out. Apparently, when the costs involved in extracting and shipping the stone are factored in, the fortune takes a big swing and a miss. Dr. Peter Pannish, an adjunct professor in the department of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, surveyed the property several months ago... "As far as hundreds of millions, I doubt if that's possible because of all the expenses that would have to be considered," Pannish said. Before we start feeling too badly for White, Pannish does say that he thinks that White could make some money - maybe "several million dollars or more." Meanwhile, Matt White has his father breaking rock while he tries to break into the bigs. "I plan to play baseball until I can't play anymore. My goal is to play in the big leagues, regardless of what happens with the rock quarry." http://pinkslipblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/matt-white-baseball-not-quite.html
The land is in the mountains of New Hampshire, the guy who lives on the other side of the mountain already runs a quarry. The funny thing is the neighbor never tried to buy the land on the other side of the mountain and nobody from the outside tried to but it either. There is no issue with him mining the rock because it's already being done.
