Bonds Homer Reaction

[EurekaDave]

Watching Barry Bonds' 756, then watching Hank Aaron's on-screen response was a "collectible" moment. Aaron showed the humility for which I have loved him for years. And Barry showing love for his late father--a human reaction from a usually distant person. Great all the way around. I'd love your reaction.

And by the way--I have an Aaron signed ball that I would not trade away for anything--not even Bonds' long ball.

[geoff]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

I am not the biggest Bonds fan but I have to admit that watching the Homerun live on tv was great.
Congrats to Barry until AROD breaks the record.

[dcrules01]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

I have no problem a great moment all the way around..

[MichaelofSF]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

I was there, pretty cool moment, high fives around. Growing up you always see the clip on Aaron hitting it and then running around the bases. Tonight I was part of history (until ARod breaks it), which is pretty cool, even if I think Barry is a jerk.

[sfgiants452]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

It was very exciting. When the ball went up into the air I woke up the whole house screaming and yelling in excitement of the homer. Great moment for me, Bonds, the Giants, and major league baseball.

[calgrad1999]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I was there tonight. Didn't have the greatest seat, but saw him hit the ball and saw it sail out of the park. I was pleased with Aaron's message, he's definitely the better man. A great man who is truly to this day underappreciated.

btw, after barry hit it, half the fans left when he was taken out of the game!

[aeneas01]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

very memorable and exciting moment - very happy for the guy, his family, giants' fans and those that were there to enjoy it. one heck of a career bonds!

[allstarsplus]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

Some of you may not know this trivia but Mike Bacsik who gave up the HR 756 is connected to Hank Aaron also. Mike's dad pitched to Hank Aaron in a game after Aaron hit 755. Aaron went homerless in the game against Mike's dad going 1-2. Of course if Aaron homered in the game against Mike's dad, it would have been HR 756.

Now for the opinions, I have a Bonds 2007 BP bat signed by Barry with all of the holograms. Should I get Mike Bacsik to sign and inscribe the bat? I am a Nationals season ticket holder so I can get it done at the ballpark.

What do you think?

Thanks. Andrew

[joecoco]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

If I were lucky enough to have a bonds gamer from this year, I would leave it alone and not have it dually signed. It makes the bat look "busy", like a Jackson Pollack painting In the end it is up to you though- whatever makes you happy - Joe (the guy always looking for royals mientkiewicz bats)

[cohibasmoker]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

Andrew, hard question. Personally, I would have the pitcher sign the bat.

As for the moment, the people who were cheering were/are true basseball fans. They were cheering for the part of history they were witnessing and certainly NOT the person who happened to hit 756.

Aaron is still "da man".

Jim

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

As a Nats fan, I stayed up late and watched the game. I decided to delay a quick smoke break when Bonds was coming to the plate and that's when he hit 756.

I think the biggest hero of the night has to be Mike Bascik. If anyone saw his on air interview immediately after the at bat and his press conference after the game, you would have been truly impressed with his 100% professional demeanor. He was so happy you'd have thought that he hit the homer himself. He stood head and shoulders above what anyone expected of a pitcher in that situation.

Kudos also to my Nats for not letting the moment take them out of the game, as they pulled out a 4 run rally and won 8-6.

GO NATS!

[godwulf]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

I consider myself to be a huge Baseball fan - as opposed to folks like all of those "ballpark attendees" who left after the Bonds homer - but the career home run stat has ceased to have much importance for me now. It will always be tainted, regardless of what excuses people toss up to say that it isn't.

Bonds' "accomplishment" does nothing positive for Baseball, and - in my opinion - fan reaction to it of a positive nature only opens The Game, its history and traditions and those who love it, up to additional ridicule.

Last night, at about the time of the debacle in San Francisco, I was watching a 19-year-old rookie named Justin Upton, playing in his fifth Major League game, come within a single of hitting for the cycle. As exciting as it was to watch, and as wonderful for the kid as it would have been if he'd pulled it off, I'm glad, in a way, that his last at-bat, in the ninth inning, resulted in an out. It would have been a shame if he'd had to share the night, and the anniversary of it, with...that other thing.

[allstarsplus]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

Haha!

Chris - Now that baseball card is creative!

I just watched some ESPN Sportscenter. Besides the Hank Aaron tribute which was a surprise, Barry said after the game in an ESPN interview that Bud Selig called him to congratulate him. They showed a clip of Giants owner Peter Magowan who was crying in the stands after the Home Run. I don't know Magowan, but he seemed the only one crying.

Here is an updated article from ESPN about the HR baseball. Brandon Steiner's idea of paying $500 in a 2,000 ticket lottery is a great idea.

Many factors will determine value of No. 756

By Amy K. Nelson
ESPN.com
(Archive)


Updated: August 7, 2007


The value of milestone baseballs has decreased significantly since Mark McGwire's single-season record 70th home run ball in 1998 fetched a whopping $3 million. The man who purchased that ball was Spawn comic book creator Todd McFarlane. Three years after his big investment, McFarlane saw Barry Bonds one-up McGwire and hit a record 73 homers. McFarlane bid $517,500 for No. 73, but the damage was done: McGwire's ball had been significantly devalued.

Matt Murphy, 22, of Queens, N.Y., came away with the ball Bonds struck for No. 756 on Tuesday night, and now has a chance to use it like a lottery ticket. Though whether Murphy will be able to fetch as much as McFarlane did for Bonds' No. 73, is unclear. "I think it's worth somewhere between $350,000-$500,000," says Brandon Steiner, founder and owner of Steiner Sports memorabilia, the most well-known collector of current-day sports memorabilia.


AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler
Todd McFarlane and his $3 million baby, Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball.




Brian Marren, vice president of acquisitions for Mastro Auctions, the country's largest sports auction house, estimates the ball's worth around $500,000. Mastro sold the Steve Bartman ball a few years ago for $150,000, and doesn't see why Bonds eclipsing Hank Aaron's all-time mark shouldn't go for at least a half-million dollars.


"And Bartman was a foul ball," Marren says.


Mike Heffner, president of Leland's auction house that sold Bonds' No. 73 ball to McFarlane in 2003, thinks the ball could fetch $500,000, or more.

"There's no way of really telling what it's worth," Heffner says. "And with the steroid allegations, it certainly doesn't help."


There are many factors that will contribute to the worth of the ball. Here are a few for Murphy to consider:

Where the ball lands

Most auction houses would have been out of luck if the ball had landed in the bullpen instead of the bleachers, since a fellow player most likely would return the ball to Bonds. Or there was the scenario Padres closer Trevor Hoffman suggested: If he had caught the ball, he would have auctioned it off and given the proceeds to San Diego bullpen catcher Mark Merila, who's battling brain cancer. McFarlane said Bonds' No. 72 in 2001 hit off the top of the outfield wall and bounced back onto the field. "After I bought the ball, I reminded Barry that if he had stopped there he'd have his record ball all to himself," McFarlane says. "I tell him maybe I'll bring it to the ballpark now and then and let you take a look at it."

Where the seller chooses to go

Unlike auction houses, which work with the owner of the ball and take a cut of the earnings, Steiner's company would cut a check directly to Murphy. Steiner says he'll likely then sell 2,000 lottery tickets, somewhere in the neighborhood of $400-$500 each, with one lottery winner taking home 756. The remaining 1,999 entrants are each promised a signed ball by a current MLB star. If instead Murphy goes to an auction house, then the house will auction it publicly and take a cut of the sale, most likely a small one since the publicity for the ball will generate income. "We get aggressive too," Marren says. "These names are not private; they're usually in the paper the next day." In other words, Murphy should expect a call if he doesn't call them.

When the seller chooses to put the ball on the market

Nearly all the experts agreed the sooner the better, since the memorabilia market has a short-term memory. "It's all about being en vogue," Steiner says. "That's the risk you take holding onto the baseball. You might miss your opportunity to sell when it's a hot item." All the experts pointed to the case of Walter Kowalczyk, who caught Alex Rodriguez's 500th home run, and who's still debating what to do with it. "The best advice is don't wait too long," Heffner says. "The odds of the value going down are greater."

Whether investors believe A-Rod will eclipse Bonds

As premature as it may sound, Rodriguez's 500th homer on Saturday may have made potential buyers hesitate. Simply put, investors don't want to be labeled the next Todd McFarlane. "[Rodriguez] is a factor in people's minds," Heffner says. "Could this record be broken?" For the serious investor, this might make a huge difference.

Whether the record-breaker is a nice person

Heffner was the lone expert who brought up Bonds' personality as a factor into the ball's worth. "It's one of the most historic balls in baseball history," Heffner says, "It's of great value but would be even greater if it were someone who wasn't perceived as a steroid user, and if he was a nicer person." Heffner felt that those two factors led to the devaluing of the ball. "It should be a million-dollar baseball," he says.

What the values are of the buyer

Both auction house experts agreed that the value of the ball could increase significantly if a bidding war broke out between two companies. The impetus of a company purchasing the ball would most likely be for public relations purposes. Big companies could use it as a promotional tool, for work retreats or other ways of generating interest or buzz for the given company. Or, as both Marren and Heffner point out, the negative value placed on the ball by virtue of Bonds' alleged steroid use could be turned into a marketing tool. "If a company wanted to take advantage of the negative connotation," Marren says, "to make a statement like: We don't agree with steroids. That could bring the value up."

Whether Bonds ever hits another home run again

The experts also were in unison that the most valuable ball is the last one Bonds hits. Barring an injury shortly after he hits 756, the entire league intentionally walking him, or an indictment on federal perjury charges, Bonds will likely hit more than 756. If so, then the final ball he hits out of the park will be the true record, the one which every other player will have to overcome. "I look at [756] very simply," Steiner says. "It will be of good value. It's the last homer of his career that will be worth the most. What's going to happen next year to him?"


No one can answer that question. Bonds' future is uncertain, and while he has publicly said he wants to play next season, Giants owner Peter Magowan has not exactly endorsed his return.


For McFarlane, the man who knows a bit about valuing milestone baseballs, it's pretty simple.


"I don't think it's the ball," McFarlane says. "The ball is the one where he says, I quit, and the last homer he hit is the ball. Plus, what if he [had hit] 756 and 757 in the same game? Say the guy who caught 756 [was] sitting next to the guy who caught 757. He's not the guy with the best ball anymore."


McFarlane says he'll bid a decent amount for No. 756, but he'll bow out once it gets out of his range. But for the final home run of Bonds' career?

"I'll go all-in on that one," McFarlane says.

Buyers beware.


Amy K. Nelson is a staff writer for ESPN.com.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

It makes the bat look "busy", like a Jackson Pollack painting

Excuse me while I hijack this Barry lovefest..But, who the f**k is Jackson Pollack?

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Bonds Homer Reaction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock