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Newark Bears Hold Liquidation Sale, Auction At Riverfront Stadium

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For any fan of the Newark Bears wanting to own a piece of the team, Riverfront Stadium was the place to be Saturday.

From the mascot heads to team jackets -- just about everything was up for sale, CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported.

Portable batting cages and equipment used to maintain fields were on the auction block, right along with the team bus. The minimum bid was $200,000 and it didn't sell.

"I feel like today is like a funeral, I mean, there is such a rich tradition and history and culture of baseball in Newark," said Steve Boland, who was the team announcer for seven years.

From 1926 to 1949 the Bears were the top farm team for the New York Yankees.

Yogi Berra was just one Yankees star whose path to stardom in the Bronx ran right through Newark.

Nearly 50 years after leaving, the Bears returned to a modern $34 million ballpark.

Hopes were high, but the team never caught on.

The Bears finally hung up their jerseys last fall.

On Saturday, fans could buy something to hang on their walls, but that's not the only reason they came.

"I wanted to see the stadium one last time. I wanted to remember the things I did, the fun I had here. I'm sad to see them go," Boland said.

The City of Newark, as well as Essex County will be paying the bill for the stadium until 2029, so they will likely be looking for another tenant.

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