Bonds 714 Baseball

[Eric]

A milestone is celebrated, but not the man
TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Columnist
OAKLAND, Calif. - They stood in celebration of the moment, if not the man.

Cheers replaced the boos, but not for long. The fans at the Coliseum seemed as puzzled as the rest of baseball on what to do about Barry Bonds.

Hard to blame them, because on Saturday the usual rules of etiquette didn't apply.

What are you supposed to do when an alleged cheater catches a legend?

If you're Tyler Snyder, you get out fast. The 19-year-old caught No. 714 in the right field stands and quickly left the park, most likely in search of a financial planner.

But not before he ruined Bonds' theory that he was glad to tie Babe Ruth in the Bay Area because everyone here loves him.

"I hate that guy," Snyder said.

[Eric]

Bonds quote on 714 fan from AP story...

The ball was caught on the fly by 19-year-old Tyler Snyder of nearby Pleasanton, who was cheered by fans around him and quickly left the Coliseum with his souvenir. When Bonds was told Snyder is an A's fan, he quipped: "I, um, forgive you. If he doesn't like me, give me the ball."

[Eric]

Other quotes by the fan who caught 714
From San Francisco Chronicle...


Tyler Snyder, 19, of Pleasanton, caught the home run on the fly with a left-hander's glove from his vantage point behind the aisle between Sections 145 and 146 in right field. When he was asked by a medioid minutes later if would give the ball to Bonds, he encapsulated America's bilious ambivalence toward this achievement in a two-sentence retort:

"Hell, no. I hate that guy."

Then Snyder was asked (as though he hadn't been definitive enough the first time) if he wanted to meet Bonds, and he said, "Maybe, but I really don't care for the guy." Then he said he plans to sell the ball, quite a humanitarian concession in his mind, no doubt. He was then taken away by MLB security and later left the park, thus making this the most metaphor-laden accomplishment in recent sports history. Making money celebrating the achievements of a guy you loathe -- that's so the American way in the new century.

[Eric]

More on the 714 fan. Sorry if this is overkill, but I think it's so interesting to see where we are as a society....



Pleasanton man snags historic home run ball
By Linda Davis and Betsy Mason
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Tyler Snyder of Pleasanton was in the right place at the right time Saturday afternoon.

The 19-year old Las Positas College student reached up and snagged Barry Bonds' 714th home run ball as it sailed into the right field bleachers at McAffee Coliseum in Oakland.

"I was in a good position to catch the ball," Snyder said in an interview from his home a few hours after the game. He said he had wanted to stay at the game but security personnel quickly hustled him out of the stands as soon as he caught the ball. In fact, he said when they saw the direction that the ball was going, they were already waiting to hustle him out of the stadium..

"Police were there so quick and they grabbed me," Snyder said.

He plans to sell the souvenir.

"I'll probably buy a house. This is so awesome," Snyder said. "I called my boss (at Dreyer's Ice Cream) and told him I'll be at work on Monday. The money is not going to change me. I'm going to save some of it and keep my same car. I'll be the same guy."

As Snyder and his friends played basketball outside his house, cars kept driving by with the drivers yelling out "Awesome! You're the man!" and other congratulations.

His cell phone was also ringing with calls from friends and family.

"Tyler, just like always, stuck his glove up and it went right into it," said Snyder's brother, Tom Snyder, 21, who also attended the game. The two said they have put the ball "in a very safe place." Tom said somebody in the stands had offered him $50,000 and a trip to Cooperstown for the ball.

Collecting baseballs has become a kind of hobby for Tyler Snyder.

"We have been going to games for 12 years and Tyler has retrieved 291 baseballs (from games and batting practice)," said his father, Mark Snyder.

Other fans who attended Saturday's game said even though they didn't get the souvenir ball they still appreciated the moment.

"Just forget about the controversy, forget about steroids," said Thomas Lee of Emeryville. "It's rare that you get to witness such an historic event. Today is the day he was in a slump and he broke it."

Even die-hard A's fans found something to celebrate.

"I knew it was going to happen regardless, so I am glad I was here to boo (Bonds) all the way around the bases," said A's fan Paul Dyer of Pleasanton, a lifelong A's fan with a tattoo on his ankle to prove it.

"I hate (Bonds)," he said. "It's a big asterisk on his record. With Babe Ruth everything was pure."

Giants fans, though, were quick to defend their star.

"It's kind of ironic, A's fans complaining about steroids when this (the Coliseum) is practically the birthplace of steroid use with (Jose) Canseco, (Jason) Giambi and (Mark McGwire," said Todd Kelly of Antioch. "It's like to pot calling the kettle black."

[allstarsplus]

Bonds quote on 714 fan from AP story...

When Bonds was told Snyder is an A's fan, he quipped: "I, um, forgive you. If he doesn't like me, give me the ball."

From Bonds quote on the #714 ball to a quote on the #715:

Mr. Bonds recently told reporters he has no interest in the ball he hits to surpass Babe Ruth on baseball's career home-run list.

I guess he will take #714 but has no interest in #715?????

[mr.miracle]

There was just a piece on ESPN's outside the lines this morning about the value of the Bond's 714 ball. Todd McFarland who paid 3 million for the McGwire ball said he way overpaid for that ball and if he were to throw a bid in for the Bonds ball would not pay of 70,000.00 This seems to give an indication of just where this market is. Everything I am hearing is around 50-100k for the ball tops. I would be shocked if it brought more than that but then again, all you need is some very wealthy Barry or Giants fan who is willing to overpay and who knows where the market will go.

That is an interesting point from Allstar, because Bonds just was quoted as saying he has no interest in 715. Now he wants 714. Apparently he cannot really make up his mind. I bet if the fan who catches 715 offers it to Bonds he would not take it. Sure Barry we believe that.

[indyred]

Hello, my first post as I just found this site....Great info here and hope to contribute......Anybody know if the ball has been certified......I know MLB said they wern't gong to celebrate or doing anything special with Bonds passing Aaron........are these ball at least marked with a hidden uv type mark....Does MLB authentication hologram it.........I know tristar was offering 25 k for this one and 50 k for the next one.....I think 714 ball is 30-40 K ball and 715 goes closer to 100k.....If I was this guy, I'd sell it asap and hope it takes Barry a little while to hit 715.....everyone is going to forget about this ball pretty quick once he passes RUTH......

[both-teams-played-hard]

[San Francisco Chronicle]" Then he said he plans to sell the ball, quite a humanitarian concession in his mind, no doubt. He was then taken away by MLB security and later left the park, thus making this the most metaphor-laden accomplishment in recent sports history. Making money celebrating the achievements of a guy you loathe -- that's so the American way in the new century."



I am not sure who this hack wanna-be writer is for the SF Fishwrap. His comments sound like he works for free. Dear Hack, Please pry yourself out of Barry's jock-strap...you hack, you.

[bigtime59]

YOU HAVE TO SELL THAT BALL...
unless you're quite well to do...
YOU HAVE TO SELL THAT BALL!
Would you want to have it lying around, unless you were able to a) insure it for what it's worth, or b) make enough to have the tax deduction for donating it to Cooperstown be worth your while?
I'll say it again...
YOU HAVE TO SELL THAT BALL...
unless you're quite well to do...
YOU HAVE TO SELL THAT BALL!

[mr.miracle]

Unless of course you are the biggest Barry Bonds fan in the entire world, but we know that their is only one of them and that is Barry himself. Yeah, no doubt whether it brings 25k or 100k you must sell the ball.

[Eric]

Bonds 715th Home Run Ball Expected to Underwhelm at Auction


http://a.abclocal.go.com/graphics/v3/global/stockgraphics/icons/ap_byline.gif

May 21, 2006 - It's a piece of baseball history that should have auctioneers and speculators salivating.
But after Barry Bonds matched Babe Ruth's home run mark Saturday, even the savviest collectors are shrugging at the value of the ball that will vault the San Francisco slugger into second place behind Hank Aaron with No. 715.
Mixed feelings about Bonds, the subject of steroids speculation for years and now the target of a federal perjury investigation, likely will lower the price to levels far below other high-profile hits.
//http://oascentral.abclocal.go.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_lx.ads/KFSN/NEWS/STATE/4192531/704463382/x80/ABC/KFSN_SpecificMEDIA_Apr06R_300/255710/34303063373430383434373332373830? "There is obviously a black cloud over this historic home run," said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions in Laguna Hills, Calif., which specializes in sports memorabilia. "People are not scrambling after Barry Bonds jerseys and balls. Normally, with a historic event like this, we would see a lot more demand."
And Major League Baseball originally wasn't even going to authenticate Bonds' home run balls with the traditional hologram reserved for historic hits, before reversing course to help avoid having multiple claims of ownership of the ball.
There was no doubt who grabbed No. 714. Bonds' homer Saturday in Oakland was caught on the fly by 19-year-old Tyler Snyder of Pleasanton. He quickly left the Coliseum with his souvenir -- but not before giving his opinion of Bonds.
"I hate that guy," Snyder told reporters before he was whisked away. "I don't really care for the guy."
The No. 715 ball is expected to fetch around $100,000 at auction -- if it goes that rout -- far less than the $500,000 some experts say it could have commanded without the controversy surrounding Bonds.
The estimate is based on the sale of Bonds' 700th home run ball, which went for just over $100,000, coupled with the temerity of some collectors concerned their investment will lose value if Bonds is proven to have used steroids, auctioneers said.
The recently released book "Game of Shadows" details steroid allegations against Bonds, and a grand jury is investigating whether he lied under oath when he said he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.
Comic book icon Todd McFarlane, who paid $3 million for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999 and just over $500,000 for Bonds' 73rd home run ball of the 2001 season, said he'll probably bid on No. 715, but he's lukewarm about the milestone.
McFarlane said the most he'd pay would be $70,000.
"Most of the stuff that I chase, I want number one," McFarlane said. "What happens when I walk into a room and say I have the second-best ball? The first question is, 'Well, where's the best one?"'
It's not all about Bonds' stats.
His brusque attitude also could weigh against the sale price, said Michael Heffner, president of the Lelands auction house.
"Collectors haven't written him off, but he's not on the same level as Babe Ruth," Heffner said. "Babe Ruth has already gone down in the history books as this lovable character. The perception of Barry Bonds is much different. The public views him as a bad guy who's not nice to his fans."
But a patient collector could make money if Bonds is not indicted and the ball spikes in value, said Doug Allen, president of Mastronet.com, an online sports auction site.
"Once the dust settles, people are going to realize he's one of the best to ever play the game," Allen said. "I truly believe that. This accomplishment will be incredible, but I don't think people can see that clearly right now."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.