Barry Bonds' 755th and 756th home run balls will be destroyed.
Or not. You help decide.
Fashion designer Marc Ecko has revealed himself to the world -- as Saturday's winning bidder in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit last month to break Hank Aaron's record. The final selling price for No. 756 was $752,467, plus a 20 percent buyer's fee.
The 35-year-old Ecko had not even taken possession of the ball before he announced that he's set up a Website called Vote 756 that will let you, or anyone else, decide which of the three outcomes they think the ball most deserves: Give it to Cooperstown, brand it with an asterisk and then send it to the Hall of Fame, or blow it up. He plans to announce the final tally after voting ends Sept. 25.
"I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it," Ecko wrote on the Web site about the "Bestow, Brand or Brandish" choices. "The idea that some of the best athletes in the country are forced to decide between being competitive and staying natural is troubling."
"This either makes him a lunatic or a genius, one of those two," Matt Murphy, the 21-year-old from New York who emerged with the 756th ball at San Francisco's AT&T Park, said when told of Ecko's actions. "I'm leaning toward genius."
Ecko, who has already appeared on NBC's "Today" show to announce his plan, said he voted to brand the ball with an asterisk, but "my vote really doesn't matter. The American public will tell us what to do with it."
That's one way to look at it.
Meanwhile, beginning Wednesday at 7:55 a.m. EST (4:55 a.m. our time), the public will also be allowed to cast a vote on the fate of the 755th ball, thanks to Ben Padnos and "a group of ordinary sports fans" who have set up a website EndTheDebate.com.
"EndTheDebate believes that there is only one way to answer this question: by having a legitimate and fully open vote," reads the front page of the Website as it stands.
"Aaron hit 755 home runs. If he is the true home run king, there can be only one 755 ball in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If Bonds's record is legitimate, his 755th ball should sit alongside Aaron's in Cooperstown." And the site says it will donate it to the Hall.
If it's voted down, they will "DESTROY the ball by literally blowing it up with explosives," they say.
The difference between the two sites: The 755 site will let people vote once a day, and there will be a running scoreboard. There is no time or date given as to when the decision will come on the ball's fate.
"But there's more," the site continues. "Soon we intend to announce an exciting contest where one lucky winner will be selected for an unforgetable prize. We can't announce the details yet, but we promise it will be worth the wait. Please check back soon for details!"
Of course, the site is trying to draw attention to itself -- and help pay for the price of the ball, which went for $186,750 according to Sotheby's SCP Auctions.
"We also think it's important to give many businesses access to the tens of millions of people interested in this discussion," said Padnos in a press release. As a result, the site will offer 7,550 ad squares at $200 per square.
"Finally, we think it's only right to have a charitable element to this," Padnos concluded. "Seven point five five percent of our profits are going to charity."