Perfect for the die-hard fan

PHILADELPHIA — In the heat of passion, many crazed baseball fans have said they would die for a championship. But are they willing to take that devotion to the grave?

With a new venture that will put Major League Baseball team logos on urns and caskets, the league and a company that makes funeral products will find out just how many fans want to be decked out in their team colors and logos for eternity.

Starting next season, fans of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will be able to have their ashes put in an urn or head six feet under in a casket emblazoned with their team colors and insignia.

Major League Baseball has entered into a licensing agreement with Eternal Image, which hopes to eventually make urns and caskets with for all 30 teams. The company also hopes to have similar agreements with NASCAR, the NHL and the NFL, but baseball was the first to sign on.

The $11 billion a year funeral industry has moved to add more personal touches for the deceased, from Harley Davidson-themed caskets to ones featuring the cartoon character Betty Boop.

Kurt Soffe, a spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said the baseball products are part of a trend of trying to capture “the life and the passions of the person that has passed away.”

“More and more families are wanting to have something that respects the personalities,” Soffe said.

Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Eternal Image, which also makes a line of Vatican-themed products, “wanted to break into a sports venue of some kind,” said Clint Mytych, the company’s CEO. “It is the all-American sport.”

He said he has gotten at least 1,000 inquiries since June.

Susan Goodenow, an MLB spokeswoman, said the league and clubs have received requests for several years for urns and caskets with team logos.

“Passionate fans express their love of their team in a number of different ways,” Goodenow said.

The National Funeral Directors Association is meeting in Philadelphia this week and giving its members a sneak peak of what the Major League Baseball urns will look like. Eternal Image says urns for the six teams should be available by Opening Day 2007, and caskets should be ready later in the year.

The products have not been made yet and the exact cost has not been set.