Closer's Canine Eats Historic Baseball

The mystery location of the ball that served the final out of the 2007 World Series has been solved—it's all over Jonathan Papelbon's house, ESPN reports. "My dog ate it," said the Red Sox closer of the ball used to strike out Colorado's Seth Smith. "He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He tore that thing to pieces."

Catcher Jason Varitek gave the Papelbon the ball after the Game 4 victory, though the pitcher's agent originally denied he had it. The story gets murkier: Though Papelbon now says, "I'll keep what's left of it," he was quoted last month as saying, "It's in the garbage in Florida somewhere." The Sox, whose 2004 Series winner rests in Cooperstown, didn't seem too torn up about its whereabouts. "It's a non-issue as far as the club's concerned." (More Boston Red Sox stories.)