We all know that Hanley Ramirez won the batting title, the first Marlin do so, and with it comes a with a really nifty plaque. But it seems Hanley is going to get more than that.
Returning last month from Pittsburgh where he delivered the championship rings every NHLer craves, Miran Armutlu fielded a call from Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.
"One of his players (Hanley Ramirez) won the league batting championship so he wants to make him something special," said Armutlu, a fifth-generation Armenian jeweler who founded and owns Calgary-based Intergold.
Oh, and it will be special.
The last time Loria, one of the world's biggest art dealers, ordered bling from Armutlu it came in the form of a 2003 World Series ring that featured 250 diamonds, 150 grams of gold and was the weight of a baseball.
"He also collects watches so he wanted me to make a couple dozen for him that flipped open to reveal a clock," smiled Armutlu, holding the ornate flip-top bauble.
"No one had ever tried that before. So we did."
Whatever Loria gives Hanley, I just hope he can wear it in public. Loria, while generous, on occasion, has about the gaudiest taste in the world.
(All of this is from Photi via Fish Chunks.)