We need this crap AGAIN??

[Guest Smues]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1890226

 

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants fan who caught Barry Bonds' 700th homer is being sued by another man who says he was the rightful owner of the prized ball, which he maintains was stolen from him during a mad scramble.

 

 

 

According to a restraining order to be filed in state court Tuesday, Timothy Murphy said Steve Williams stole the historic blast from him during a melee in the left-center bleachers at SBC Park on Sept. 17.

 

 

 

"Immediately after the 700 home run ball fell to the area of plaintiff's feet, plaintiff established possession, dominion and control over the ball by sitting on it and securing it with his right leg," according to the suit.

 

 

 

Williams said in an interview that he did not steal the ball but found it at the bottom of the heap of people.

 

 

 

"We all got in this pile. There were people everywhere," the 26-year-old Pacifica man said. He said he did not kick, punch or accost anybody to obtain the baseball.

 

 

 

"I didn't do any of that," he said.

 

 

 

Murphy could not be immediately located for comment. A message left with his San Jose attorneys Monday night was not immediately returned.

 

 

 

Bonds became the first new member of the 700 club in 31 years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. He now has 703 career home runs and is closing in on the mark's held by Ruth (714) and Aaron (755).

 

 

 

It's not the first time fans headed to court over the fate of a Bonds homer. In October, 2001, Bonds' record-setting 73rd homer of the season sparked litigation that ended when a judge ordered both men to split the $450,000 the ball fetched.

 

 

 

That case included experts in baseball and ownership discussing the rightful owner of baseballs hit into the stands.

 

 

 

With no legal precedent to determine the outcome, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Kevin McCarthy said that both Alex Popov and Patrick Hayashi each have a legitimate claim and neither should get the ball outright.

 

 

 

Both sides agreed a videotape showed the ball in Popov's glove. They couldn't agree on what defines possession -- Popov's split-second catch or Hayashi's final grab.

 

 

 

Comic book icon Todd McFarlane paid $3.2 million for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999.

 

Greed is good my ass. This would be where I rant and rave and bitch and call these people various names, but I'm going to bed. I hope like the last one they pay more for lawyers then they make in profit.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I think I remember reading where the two people that claimed the 73 ball ended up splitting the worth, and after all the legal costs neither walked away with much from it.

 

The same situation will happen with this situation. Especially since I doubt #700 will fetch as much as future Bonds milestone HRs.

[Guest Staravenger]

Simple solution: The man in possession of the ball now gives the other guy a fake, but first sells the ball to some rich guy in Europe.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

"Immediately after the 700 home run ball fell to the area of plaintiff's feet, plaintiff established possession, dominion and control over the ball by sitting on it and securing it with his right leg," according to the suit.

 

Unlike Popov, this fan can't even claim that he caught the ball. It seems like a real stretch to say that by touching the ball with your leg, you've established ownership. I can't see it happening, especially since I doubt there is sufficient videotape proof. The cameras caught Popov's glove. I'm not sure they would have caught thism minute detail.

 

But while we're at it, Jake Peavy should sue for the ball as well. "It slipped out of my hand."

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I think I remember reading where the two people that claimed the 73 ball ended up splitting the worth, and after all the legal costs neither walked away with much from it.

Neither man walked away with anything -- they ended up owing money to their lawyers.

 

When Bonds hits HR 756 (or whatever that milestone will be) people will probably be running AWAY from the ball when it lands in the bleachers...

[Guest Smues]

....................FUCK

 

http://sports.excite.com/news/09292004/v7616.html

 

By DAVID KRAVETS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A judge delayed until Friday a hearing on who the rightful owner of Barry Bonds' 700th home run ball is, giving lawyers on both sides time to make their cases.

 

Steve Williams, the Giants fan who ended up with the prized ball during a melee in the left-center field bleachers at SBC Park on Sept. 17, promised San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ronald Quidachay that he would not sell the ball before Quidachay rules on who it belongs to. The president of a Chicago-based auction company has said the ball's value is in the "six figures."

 

Halting the sale of the ball allows a lawsuit brought by Timothy Murphy, who claims Williams stole the ball from him, to proceed.

 

If the judge ultimately declines to block the ball from being auctioned, Williams likely would be able to sell the ball immediately and the case would be over.

 

But, before that, it took a twist.

 

 

Minutes before the hearing, another man, Alex Patino, said that he was the rightful owner of the ball and is also planning on suing Williams.

 

"I just rolled on it and trapped it," he said, adding that Murphy "muffed" the catch.

 

His attorney, Nikita Scope, said Patino is the rightful owner because Williams snatched it from him - the same claim Murphy is making.

 

"He sat on it and had possession," Scope said of Patino.

 

Murphy sued Williams on Tuesday, claiming he pinned the ball underneath his leg during a scrum after the baseball struck Murphy's chin. Murphy claims he is the ball's owner because Williams stole it from him while he was in a pile of fans.

 

"We are confident that once evidence is presented in court in the form of both witnesses and videotape, it will be clear that Mr. Murphy had lawful possession of the ball and is the rightful owner," Murphy's attorney, Joseph Scanlan Jr., said.

 

Williams' attorney, Daniel Horowitz, said the suit was "frivolous" and an attempt "to extract money even when it is not justified."

 

Bonds became the first new member of the 700-homer club in 31 years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. He now has 703 career home runs and is closing in on Ruth (714) and Aaron (755).

 

It is not the first time fans headed to court over the fate of a Bonds' home run ball. In October 2001, Bonds' record-setting 73rd homer of the season sparked litigation that ended when a judge ordered both men to split the $450,000 the ball fetched.

 

Just what we need. A THIRD FUCKING PERSON. I hope everyone involved in this is shot and killed tommorow.

[Guest Staravenger]

Wait...how do we know this third guy was even there? Pfft...this is so fucking gay it makes me want to string myself up by the balls.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

And we say that the owners and players are greedy.

 

Everybody involved in this fiasco deserves what's coming to them...

[Dr. Tom 0]

I hope, after a few months in court, that all three of them have to split the money the sale of the ball brings in. I also hope that's barely in the six figures, since collectors are so sick of all this lame litigation over a goddamn baseball, and I further hope that each of these sad motherfuckers goes bankrupt over their legal fees.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

I don't see why people here are so hostile towards the guy who got the ball. I mean, it's not his fault he's getting sued.

 

Though I do hope when Bonds passes Ruth and then Aaron both HRs bounce back onto the field so he can have them and none of this crap gets repeated.

[Guest Smues]

I'm hoping before this is settled that Bonds gets to 715 and 700 is devalued. Not that I want Bonds to hit 715, but we all know he will.

[Ced 0]

Though I do hope when Bonds passes Ruth and then Aaron both HRs bounce back onto the field so he can have them and none of this crap gets repeated.

Even if that happens, you know somebody out there is still dumb enough to jump out into the outfield and beat up the player/batboy/fellow rail jumping idiot that tries to get possession of the ball.

[Guest Staravenger]

I hope he does it at home, and hits the ball into the water. Oh what fun it will be to see a bunch of idiots trying to drown each other.

[Dr. Tom 0]

I hope it's an inside-the-park HR. That way, if Greedy McGreederson runs out onto the field to get the ball, he can have the shit beat out of him by a bunch of ballplayers.

[Guest Smues]

I keep waiting for one of bonds' homeruns into the cove to hit one of the guys out on cannoes in the head causing them to fall off and drown.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

This is basically the fallout from the Papov suit. The judge failed to establish a precident, so the next time it happened, it turned into a free-for-all. Honestly, I would be surprised if this lawsuit got very far, on either case. Papov at least had the video of the ball hitting his glove. Is there any such video of the plantiff here? He is the one who has to establish proof.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

SAN FRANCISCO -- A judge on Friday declared Steve Williams -- the man who ended up with Barry Bonds' 700th home run ball -- the lawful owner, freeing him to sell it immediately.

 

 

San Francisco County Superior Court judge Ronald Quidachay's decision came after a 90-minute hearing, which included six lawyers repeatedly replaying footage of the home run and the 80-second melee at SBC Park for the ball, valued by analysts at more than $100,000.

 

 

 

Steve Williams has no intention of holding onto Barry Bonds' 700th home run ball.

 

 

"I'm going to sell it as soon as possible," Williams, a 26-year-old mortgage broker assistant from Pacifica, told reporters after the hearing.

 

 

Timothy Murphy, a 40-year-old from San Mateo, sued Williams this week, saying he rightfully owned the ball because he had it locked behind his knees while at the bottom of a scrum before Williams swiped it.

 

 

Murphy declined comment afterward.

 

 

"You just haven't had sufficient evidence," the judge said.

 

 

Murphy was trying to get the judge to block Williams from selling the ball. That would allow a trial in a bid by Murphy to win the ball outright and sell it himself.

 

 

Although the judge said he didn't think there was enough evidence for Murphy to prevail at trial, Murphy's attorney, David Kornbluh, said he may still continue with the lawsuit and sue Williams for the ball's proceeds.

 

 

"This doesn't conclude the litigation," Kornbluh said after the hearing.

 

 

On Sept. 17, Bonds became the first new member of the 700-homer club in 31 years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. He now has 703 home runs and is closing in on Ruth (714) and Aaron (755).

 

 

Williams' attorney, Daniel Horowitz, said he and three other lawyers were representing Williams for free. As they stood by an army of news cameras outside the courtroom, Horowitz quipped, "We call ourselves the pro bono all-stars."

 

 

It's not the first time fans headed to court over the fate of a Bonds home run ball. In October 2001, Bonds' record-setting 73rd homer of the season sparked litigation that ended when a judge ordered two men to split the $450,000 the ball fetched, a year after the homer.

 

 

That case included experts in baseball and ownership rights regarding balls hit into the stands.

 

 

A second man who said he was the rightful owner of Bonds' No. 700, Alex Patino, 37, of San Francisco, said Wednesday he was going to sue Williams as well. No such suit has been filed.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1893210

 

Murphy claims he'll try civil litigation, but again, he has no real case.