Now this is fantasy baseball. Randy Newsom is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound, submarining, relief-pitcher prospect for the Cleveland Indians. He is selling 4 percent of his future, major-league earnings -- if there are any -- for $50,000. You don't have to put up the whole 50K, however. You can buy shares in Randy at $20 per pop, as brokered by Real Sports Investments, his company. Each share is worth 0.0016 percent of his future, major-league earnings. So say he turns into something like Dan Quisenberry, earns an average of $4 million a year and works for 10 years. The 4 percent stake held by investors would be worth $1.6 million, and your little, $20 venture would pay $640 over the course of his career.

Last year Newsom played for the Akron Aeros, Cleveland's AA farm team, and had four wins, one loss, 18 saves and a 3.12 ERA, according to Real Sports Investments.

"The key now for him is to become more consistent and show he can continue to pitch in pressure situations," says the Cleveland Indians Minor League Insider blog. "Newsom does not have a blazing fastball, wipeout slider, or a knee-buckling curveball, but he is extremely intelligent, has moxie, commands his pitches well, has great makeup, and goes right after hitters. He should start the season in the Buffalo bullpen and could make his professional debut with the Indians sometime in 2008."

And if he does, the Randy Newsom intial public offering will start paying off. He needs to make $1.25 million for investors to break even. Newsom shares are similar to the David Bowie bonds sold a decade ago. The rock singer got $55 million up front from Prudential Insurance, and the bonds were secured and funded by royalty streams from Bowie albums up to 1990. But Bowie bonds weren't available to the public. And rather than just loaning money to Newsom, as with a bond, you would become his equity partner, sharing in all of his upside. If he washes out and never makes the bigs, however, he keeps the $50,000. And you've struck out. I think I’d rather invest in his Real Sports Investments company, which is trying to sell pieces of other minor leaguers, than his pitching career.
HT: Marginal Revolution