Insurance can sometimes be a wild and wooly business, where the risks range from longhorn cattle on the loose to exploding baseballs, National Underwriter's annual look at the far side of specialty market underwriting revealed. This year's casual survey of unusual risks among readers and other insurance professionals turned up stories that ranged from coverage of taste buds to model aircraft.
Let us begin with the much-ballyhooed baseball explosion–a risk that Prime Insurance, a surplus lines carrier in Chicago, took on a few years back.
The horsehide in question became a target for destruction after it came to symbolize the bad luck of the Chicago Cubs. On Oct. 14, 2003–with the club a few outs away from its first National League pennant since 1945–a fan, Steve Bartman, reached over and deflected a foul pop before leftfielder Moises Alou could make the catch. After that the Cubs let eight runs get by, lost that game and eventually the playoff series.
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