Ecko sets up Web site, allowing public to vote on fate of 756 ball

 

Associated Press

 

SAN FRANCISCO -- The fate of Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball is now in the public's hands after its buyer announced Monday he was taking votes on whether to give the ball to the Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk or blast it into space.

 

#756

 

This ball is either headed for the Hall of Fame (as is or with an asterisk) or to outer space.

 

Fashion designer Marc Ecko revealed himself as Saturday's winning bidder in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit last month to break Hank Aaron's all-time home-run record of 755. The final selling price for No. 756 was $752,467, well above most predictions.

 

Ecko had not even taken possession of the ball before posting a Web site that lets visitors vote on which of the three outcomes they think the ball most deserves. He said he plans to announce the final tally after voting ends Sept. 25.

 

"I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it," Ecko wrote on the Web site. "The idea that some of the best athletes in the country are forced to decide between being competitive and staying natural is troubling."

 

Ecko, 35, is known for his pop culture pranks, including an infamous Internet video that showed him apparently infiltrating an airport tarmac and spray-painting graffiti on Air Force One. The incident turned out to be a hoax.

 

But the auction house which handled the sale confirmed that Ecko is indeed the ball's buyer.

 

"This transaction is happening and is going to be done by the end of the day," David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions, said Monday.

 

Kohler called Ecko's decision "brilliant" and said he had already visited the Web site and voted to send the ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

 

Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle with the ball on Aug. 7. He decided to sell it, he said, because he couldn't afford the tax bill that would result from holding onto the ball.

 

"This either makes him a lunatic or a genius, one of those two," Murphy said when told of Ecko's stunt. "I'm leaning toward genius."

 

Murphy said he planned to vote to send the ball to Cooperstown.

 

Ecko himself said he voted to brand the ball with an asterisk, a reference to the belief of some Bonds detractors that the Giants slugger's record is tainted by his alleged use of performance enhancing substances. Bonds has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

 

But Ecko said what really interests him is seeing what happens when an "American Idol" approach comes together with a serious public debate over drugs in sports.

 

"My vote really doesn't matter," said Ecko, who identifies himself as a New York Yankees fan. "The American public will tell us what to do with it."

 

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

Here's the website to vote: http://www.vote756.com/marcecko/

 

Now, personally, love or hate Bonds, whatever, 756 IS history. If you bought it with the intent to destroy it, that's just sick. I think that this guy is a real tool if he blows it up or defaces it, just enjoy the 15 minutes of hype and then sell it to the next highest bidder.

 

Would anyone like a sharpie taken to Starry Night or to allow burnings of controversial manuscripts?

I need more details on what exactly "blasting it into space" means.

 

If it were put on some deep space voyager similar to Voyager I/II and the Golden Record, I'd be for it.

Wow, I was one of the Anti-Bonds guys when the chase what going down, and I still don't like it, but don't ruin the ball. That's just retarded.

ruining the ball is crazy, but i would have held out for a least a million (after taxes)

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

So by that standard we should shred the Declaration of Independence since the Constitution outlines it all and came later, right?

 

History is history.

This is an example of when you have more money then you know what to do with.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

No way. Not even close.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

No way. Not even close.

After a few years, nobody cared about Aaron's HR #715. The one that mattered was 755.

 

I'm sure the same will happen, although worse, with #756.

 

The exact same thing happened with McGwire's HR #70. Todd McFarlane paid $3 mil for it, but after Bonds got to 76, it was worth a fraction of that. It's not important anymore, as it is the #2 most HRs in a season. Nobody talks about that one anymore, because it's not the record.

 

I have a feeling that all of this debate will be rendered moot when one of the younger stars like A-Rod, Pujols, or maybe even Miguel Cabrera passes Bonds.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

So by that standard we should shred the Declaration of Independence since the Constitution outlines it all and came later, right?

 

History is history.

thats a ridiculous argument...two totally different documents

When a fashion designer wins the bidding on a historic HR ball, only bad things can happen.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

So by that standard we should shred the Declaration of Independence since the Constitution outlines it all and came later, right?

 

History is history.

thats a ridiculous argument...two totally different documents

Yes, that's one the most ignorant things I've heard in a while. The correct comparison would have been the Articles of Confederation and The Constitution.

 

Do they not teach this stuff?

i wouldve done a lottery for the ball. set the price at 1,5, or 10 and see how many people would buy a ticket(s). you cant tell me that if the price was at 10 bucks less than 200,000 people wouldnt care to even try. and the way millionaries are im sure they wouldve invested thousands in tickets. i would just be curious to see if that would get more than 750,000 or whatever it was.

 

anyway if you blast it to space, does it come back down, i sure would like to see where it would end up.

i wouldve done a lottery for the ball. set the price at 1,5, or 10 and see how many people would buy a ticket(s). you cant tell me that if the price was at 10 bucks less than 200,000 people wouldnt care to even try. and the way millionaries are im sure they wouldve invested thousands in tickets. i would just be curious to see if that would get more than 750,000 or whatever it was.

 

anyway if you blast it to space, does it come back down, i sure would like to see where it would end up.

 

hehe

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

No way. Not even close.

After a few years, nobody cared about Aaron's HR #715. The one that mattered was 755.

 

I'm sure the same will happen, although worse, with #756.

 

The exact same thing happened with McGwire's HR #70. Todd McFarlane paid $3 mil for it, but after Bonds got to 76, it was worth a fraction of that. It's not important anymore, as it is the #2 most HRs in a season. Nobody talks about that one anymore, because it's not the record.

 

I have a feeling that all of this debate will be rendered moot when one of the younger stars like A-Rod, Pujols, or maybe even Miguel Cabrera passes Bonds.

 

Quick, how many times have you seen the footage of 715?

 

How many times have you seen the footage of 755?

 

Do you remember who gave up 715?

 

Do you remember who gave up 755?

 

I'm guessing the average baseball fan, even the diehards (including me) have seen very little footage of 755 and can't name the pitcher that gave it up.

 

Yet I can tell you Al Downing gave up 715 to Aaron in Atlanta. I know the Atlanta call and Vin Scully's call by heart. I have never heard the calls for 755.

 

The record breakers are always remembered more than the final tallies. The final ball may fetch more $$$ at auction, but don't give me that crap that nobody cared about it after a few years.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

So by that standard we should shred the Declaration of Independence since the Constitution outlines it all and came later, right?

 

History is history.

thats a ridiculous argument...two totally different documents

Yes, that's one the most ignorant things I've heard in a while. The correct comparison would have been the Articles of Confederation and The Constitution.

 

Do they not teach this stuff?

 

Actually, it's a completely relevant comparison. The Declaration of Independence asserted the goals of a formation of a new country, the Constitution outlined the government that this new country would adopt (after the failed AoC).

 

It's actually more foolish to use the AoC as the document of consequence when talking about the relevance of this original discussion. Clearly, the AoC have no value since they were discarded and replaced by the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence still stands as a valuable document, much in the way 756 will still stand after 8-whatever is hit.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

No way. Not even close.

After a few years, nobody cared about Aaron's HR #715. The one that mattered was 755.

 

I'm sure the same will happen, although worse, with #756.

 

The exact same thing happened with McGwire's HR #70. Todd McFarlane paid $3 mil for it, but after Bonds got to 76, it was worth a fraction of that. It's not important anymore, as it is the #2 most HRs in a season. Nobody talks about that one anymore, because it's not the record.

 

I have a feeling that all of this debate will be rendered moot when one of the younger stars like A-Rod, Pujols, or maybe even Miguel Cabrera passes Bonds.

 

Quick, how many times have you seen the footage of 715?

 

How many times have you seen the footage of 755?

 

Do you remember who gave up 715?

 

Do you remember who gave up 755?

 

I'm guessing the average baseball fan, even the diehards (including me) have seen very little footage of 755 and can't name the pitcher that gave it up.

 

Yet I can tell you Al Downing gave up 715 to Aaron in Atlanta. I know the Atlanta call and Vin Scully's call by heart. I have never heard the calls for 755.

 

The record breakers are always remembered more than the final tallies. The final ball may fetch more $$ at auction, but don't give me that crap that nobody cared about it after a few years.

 

 

 

Arent the last hits/homeruns...the record?

 

Without 755 there would have been no significance to 756. Now without 800 or so on...there would be no record.

 

The new record is worth more. When A-Rod hits it, we wont talk about 756, we will talk about 801 and what he passed to get it, which will be Bonds' final homerun, not the run to get by the old homerun king.

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

No way. Not even close.

After a few years, nobody cared about Aaron's HR #715. The one that mattered was 755.

 

I'm sure the same will happen, although worse, with #756.

 

The exact same thing happened with McGwire's HR #70. Todd McFarlane paid $3 mil for it, but after Bonds got to 76, it was worth a fraction of that. It's not important anymore, as it is the #2 most HRs in a season. Nobody talks about that one anymore, because it's not the record.

 

I have a feeling that all of this debate will be rendered moot when one of the younger stars like A-Rod, Pujols, or maybe even Miguel Cabrera passes Bonds.

 

Quick, how many times have you seen the footage of 715?

 

How many times have you seen the footage of 755?

 

Do you remember who gave up 715?

 

Do you remember who gave up 755?

 

I'm guessing the average baseball fan, even the diehards (including me) have seen very little footage of 755 and can't name the pitcher that gave it up.

 

Yet I can tell you Al Downing gave up 715 to Aaron in Atlanta. I know the Atlanta call and Vin Scully's call by heart. I have never heard the calls for 755.

 

The record breakers are always remembered more than the final tallies. The final ball may fetch more $$ at auction, but don't give me that crap that nobody cared about it after a few years.

 

 

 

Arent the last hits/homeruns...the record?

 

Without 755 there would have been no significance to 756. Now without 800 or so on...there would be no record.

 

The new record is worth more. When A-Rod hits it, we wont talk about 756, we will talk about 801 and what he passed to get it, which will be Bonds' final homerun, not the run to get by the old homerun king.

 

Ok???

 

You missed my point entirely.

http://vote756marcecko.com/

Please blow it up. It's not even going to be that valuable anymore, not after Bonds hits his final career HR. That's the one that will be worth more.

 

So by that standard we should shred the Declaration of Independence since the Constitution outlines it all and came later, right?

 

History is history.

thats a ridiculous argument...two totally different documents

Yes, that's one the most ignorant things I've heard in a while. The correct comparison would have been the Articles of Confederation and The Constitution.

 

Do they not teach this stuff?

 

Actually, it's a completely relevant comparison. The Declaration of Independence asserted the goals of a formation of a new country, the Constitution outlined the government that this new country would adopt (after the failed AoC).

 

It's actually more foolish to use the AoC as the document of consequence when talking about the relevance of this original discussion. Clearly, the AoC have no value since they were discarded and replaced by the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence still stands as a valuable document, much in the way 756 will still stand after 8-whatever is hit.

Good answer. For the record, the AoC wasn't discarded, it is still kept in the national archives. Now that I really think of it, you might be right, but both comparisons are foolish. While the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are two different documents, 756 and 811(that's my prediction) are the same thing, the Home Run record. While 756 will be remembered more as far as the moment, 811 will be more important, as it will be the benchmark for the next goal. Neither of the comparisons with the Constitution really work.

some people on this forum need to get laid.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3036756

 

NEW YORK -- The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and Wednesday announced the decision to brand it won out over the other options -- sending it to Cooperstown unblemished or launching it into space.

 

Ecko said he believed the vote to brand the ball showed people thought "this was shrouded in a chapter of baseball history that wasn't necessarily the clearest it could be."

 

Ecko, whom Bonds called "an idiot'' last week, had the winning bid Sept. 15 in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit Aug. 7 to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions that assumed Bonds' status as a lightning rod for the steroids debate in baseball would depress the value.

 

Marc Ecko on Barry Bonds

 

On Tuesday, designer Marc Ecko stopped by SportsNation to chat about his purchase of Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball and his decision to let fans vote on the Internet on what he should do with it.

 

The asterisk suggests that Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Fans brought signs with asterisks on them to ballparks as he neared Aaron's hallowed mark.

 

Bonds publicist Rachael Vizcarra did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent early Wednesday seeking comment about the ball's fate.

 

Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said accepting the ball did not mean the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., endorses the viewpoint that Barry Bonds used drugs.

 

"This ball wouldn't be coming to Cooperstown if Marc hadn't bought it from the fan who caught it and then let the fans have their say," Petroskey told The Associated Press. "We're delighted to have the ball. It's a historic piece of baseball history."

 

Hall of Fame officials and Ecko are discussing how to affix the asterisk on the ball. It's not yet known when the ball will go on display.

 

We're happy to get it. We're a nonprofit history museum, so this ball wouldn't be coming to Cooperstown without Marc Ecko buying it from the fan who caught it.

 

The San Francisco Giants announced Friday they will part with Bonds after this season, the seven-time NL MVP's 15th in San Francisco and 22nd in the majors.

 

Ecko, known for his pop culture pranks, said he bought the ball and arranged to let the public decide its future online as a way to hold a conversation about a classic American sport in the digital world.

 

"This is obviously something that struck a chord with fans," Ecko said Wednesday in a phone interview with the AP.

 

Bonds broke the home run record with a shot into the right-center field seats off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

 

Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle holding the ball. He said he decided to sell it because he couldn't afford to pay the taxes required to keep it.

 

 

You can merge this with the other topic, I don't care.

Ghey.

Bad. Ass.

 

I'm glad he actually went through with it.

I think Cooperstown is wrong in accepting the ball with an asterisk on it