What Would it Take to Part with the 756 Ball?
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Everyone knows that record-breaking baseballs are worth something, and most fans will go to any lengths to get their hands on one.
Because, as Richard Sandmour wrote in a recent New York Times article, it's a "lottery-like prize coming at you." The only question, it would seem, is just how much the lottery prize is worth.
There are some interesting precedents on the subject, which Sandmour laid out. The biggest winner of all time would seem to be Phil Ozersky, who was lucky enough to retrieve and pocket $2.7 million for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball, back at a time when Big Mac was still a hero.
Of course we all remember the bitter quarrel between Patrick Hayashi and Alex Popov, each of whom thought they could claim ownership to Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball in 2001. In the end, the court ordered the pair to split the proceeds, which ended up totaling $450,000. Half of that should just cover a year's worth of legal fees.
Going back a little further, Sal Durante collected $5,000 for Roger Maris's 61st home run ball, but that was in 1961. Five thousand dollars went a lot further, but people were also not yet fanatical about sports memorabilia.
Fast forward 46 years, and 21-year-old Matt Murphy is the one with the decision to make. A New York Mets fan who was in San Francisco on his way to Australia, Murphy found himself at the bottom of the pile in right-center field after Bonds' 756th.
Based upon his statements so far, it would seem that Murphy is going to auction off the baseball to the highest bidder, and he claims that he will be sharing 49% of the proceeds with a friend. Respectable, if you ask me.
Suppose for a minute, though, that it was you. You've got the ball in your possession, and offers for tickets, money, vacations, guest appearances on TV coming at you from every direction. What do you ask in return for the ball?
How much is enough?
This article is also posted at All on the Field sports blog.
