Auction house withdraws $1M bounty on Bonds' 756th homer ball

By: Associated Press - | Monday, June 11, 2007 11:16 PM PDT ∞

The prospect of a melee in the stands prompted a prominent auction house on Monday to withdraw a $1 million bounty on Barry Bonds' career-record homer baseball.

Bonds is approaching Hank Aaron's home run record this season, and sports memorabilia experts have speculated that the San Francisco Giants slugger's 756th homer ball would command six figures at auction. Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries upped the ante last month, offering $1 million to purchase the ball.

But after a Heritage auctioneer met with a security official at AT&T Park, the company rescinded the offer.

"We didn't hear of any way to prevent possible public safety problems, and we don't want a fan or a child injured or killed," said Greg Rohan, president of Heritage Auction Galleries, the world's largest collectibles auction house which last year auctioned Babe Ruth's 1933 All-Star jersey for $657,250.

The highest price ever paid for baseball memorabilia was set in 1999 when comic artist Todd McFarlane snagged Mark McGwire's record single-season home run ball for $3 million.

Uribe pays off

A farmer who accused Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe of shooting him during an altercation last year received a payment from the major leaguer as part of a settlement ending legal action against him in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a lawyer for Uribe said.

"The complainant dropped the charges and recognized that Juan was not involved in the incident," lawyer Maria Luisa Guzman told The Associated Press.

She did not reveal the amount of the payment but another person involved in the case said Uribe paid $25,500. That person, an associate of the victim, spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to discuss that detail.

Change the draft

Clemson coach Jack Leggett would like Major League Baseball to consider moving its draft so players aren't distracted from preparing for their next opponents in the postseason.

"It's something I think personally should be changed," Leggett said after the Tigers were defeated by Mississippi State over the weekend. "It's like having the NBA draft the morning of the Elite Eight or Final Four, or the NFL draft on New Year's Day when all the bowl games are going on. It just doesn't make any sense at all."

The Tigers had 11 current players and eight signees taken during the two-day draft last week. Opening-game starting pitcher Daniel Moskos was the No. 4 overall pick, taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Et cetera

Red Sox: P Jon Lester, whose 2006 season was cut short because of lymphoma, will remain at Triple-A for now. The Boston left-hander was optioned to Pawtucket after being activated from the disabled list. He felt a muscle cramp in his left forearm on May 2 and began a rehabilitation assignment on May 19.

Devil Rays: Recalled RHP Jason Hammel from Triple-A Durham and said that RHP Jae Seo accepted an assignment to the minor league affiliate. Hammel, 0-6 with a 7.77 ERA in nine starts for the Devil Rays last season, fills one of two openings created when Tampa Bay optioned relievers Chad Orvella and Tim Corcoran to Durham after Sunday's game against Florida Marlins.

Mariners: Placed RHP Chris Reitsma on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his elbow and recalled LHP Jake Woods from Triple-A Tacoma before Monday night's game against Cleveland.

Cubs: 3B Aramis Ramirez was put on the 15-day disabled list and Chicago reinstated OF Cliff Floyd from the bereavement list. Ramirez, batting .299 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs, has tendinitis in his left knee. He was hurt running to first base in a game at Milwaukee on June 6 and was placed on the DL retroactive to June 7.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.