*

The baseball that Barry Bonds--late of the San Francisco Giants--hit to break Hammerin' Hank Aaron's all-time home run record was bought (for $752,467.00) by fashion designer, Mark Ecko. (Bonds referred to Ecko as a "fucking idiot" for paying so much for the horsehide-covered sphereoid.)

After over ten million votes were cast, Ecko is marking the ball with an asterisk and donating it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, NY, where it will be displayed.

This raises three interesting points:

First, I wish that I had thought of this...and that I had a spare $752,468.00 tucked in my mattress.

Second, regardless of what one thinks of Barry Bonds, he is an amazing athlete and a great hitter, with superlative timing, unbelievable hand/eye coordination, and a tremendous amount of natural ability. Sure, he may be an asshat; and, he certainly was on the juice; however, no amount of steroid use makes him better. Stronger, yes. Better, no. In order to hit a baseball, you have to do a million things right. None of those things are improved by steroids.

Finally, what other enhanced items will be donated to the BBHOF? Pete Rose's betting slips? Wade Boggs' Hair Club For Men membership form? Butch Hobson's FedEx envelope?

Beautiful, fucking beautiful.