Barlett steals a base, a taco and saves Ryan Howard

Good job by this reporter, remembering that Ryan Howard's Subway ads probably don't allow him to participate in Taco Bell's "steal a base, steal a taco" World Series promotion. I'll let him explain it to you, but if Howard had stolen second, it might only make a bad situation for him.

Jason Bartlett, on the other hand, stole the first base of this year's World Series, and he's Taco Bell's spokesperson, at least for the immediate future.

So how exactly do negotiations take place when seconds after Bartlett steals the base, he is being linked to the promotion in an in-game ad? I called Bartlett's agent Ryan Ware to see exactly how it went down.

Ware told me that before the game the MLB Players Association had called the agents of the players involved in the game, making sure that they were aware of the situation and were willing to be part of the promotion if their player stole the base.

After Bartlett stole the base--minutes after Howard didn't--Ware, who was sitting next to Bartlett's parents and wife at the game, got on his phone and found out what the deal would be. Part of it, he said, would include Jason saying a couple words about Taco Bell in the locker room after the game. So he sent a text message to Bartlett not to leave the clubhouse before doing this quick voiceover that the company could use in a commercial.

"Making the deal was worth it," Ware said. "I'm thinking that only Rickey Henderson has made more from stealing a base."