What would you do with Barry Bonds record breaking 756th homerun ball? Mark Ecko, a fashion designer who paid $750,000 for the ball in a recent auction, is leaving it up to the fans to decide what to do with it. “I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it,” Ecko wrote on the Web site. “The idea that some of the best athletes in the country are forced to decide between being competitive and staying natural is troubling.”

Ecko wants to brand a giant asterisks into the side of it. Not a bad idea, that way this ball will be permanently marked and we’ll always be reminded of the steroid allegations. Others think the ball should be given as is to the Hall of Fame, where it rightfully belongs.

I don’t really care with this guy does with that ball. Sure this ball is the one that broke the record, but it won’t be the record setting ball. We won’t know that ball # until Barry retires. And even then who really cares. I say we are better off by ignoring the situation and not giving more press to Barroids.

On second though, just blow the danm thing up.

Rick Ankiel had a MONSTER game last night, including 2 homeruns and 7 RBIs. The boy once plagued by a wild arm and no control, finally found his place in baseball. A slugging outfielder. Can you imagine all the hard work and dedication it must have taken for a former pitcher to gain the strength and speed needed to mash homeruns on a consistent basis. Hours and hours in the weight room and in the batting cage. At least that’s what it would take for a normal player.

ESPN is reporting that Rick Ankiel is linked to the HGH case in Florida. Uh oh…

It’s rumored that dozens of prominent athletes are linked to the Signature Pharmacy in Orlando. The same place that was raided by federal agents several months ago. Ankiel ‘allegedly’ placed orders for HGH and had them shipped to his house in 2004. I guess when you hit rock bottom, covering your tracks is really the last thing on your mind.

Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty said: “This is the first I’ve heard of this. If it’s true, obviously it would be very tragic, along with everything else we’ve had happen to us this year.” If found guilty, Ankiel would face a 50 game suspension that will extend into next season.

Just when you think we have the best feel good story of the year, the truth comes out. Join me in saying “Make the world a better place. Punch Rick Ankiel in the face.”

Tuesday night, Alex Rodriguez gimped his ankle when he collided with Seattle third baseman Andrian Beltre. The injury looked bogus to me. I couldn’t see anything on the replay that would have caused A-Rod the injury his ankle. Nonetheless, he limped into Yankee Stadium last night ready to play.

“I knew I felt good enough to play, and I came with the mind-set ready to play,” Alex said.

Espn.com reports that “The two-time MVP walked and popped out in his first two plate appearances against Jarrod Washburn (9-13). Then, with the Yankees trailing 2-1, Rodriguez hit a 3-2 fastball into Monument Park in left-center leading off the seventh. Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada’s bases-loaded walk off Sean Green put the Yankees ahead, and New York padded the margin on Johnny Damon’s run-scoring grounder, Melky Cabrera’s RBI single and Derek Jeter’s two-run double.

Rodriguez then drove a 2-1 pitch from Brandon Morrow into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. He rounded the bases, received congratulations in the dugout and emerged for his second curtain call of the inning.”

Not a bad game for a man with a bad ankle.

So the Moose is struggling a bit this year. He’s 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA and only 73 strikeouts. Not an exact replica of 1992 is it? A slight drop off with age is expected, but to yank (no pun intended) one of your workhorses this late in the season for some minor league call-up is not a smart move.

The Yankees have the playoffs on the line. Do you really want the ball in the hands of Ian Kennedy instead of a guy with nearly 250 career wins and a couple rings on his finger? Apparently Joe Torre does. And this may just be another reason why Yankees fans want Torre gone.

“He was disappointed, naturally. This was very difficult for me,” manager Joe Torre said. “We have relied on him every year since he’s been here.” No shit… he was just replaced by a rook who began this season in single A. My advice to Mussina is to get very pissed off. Trash the dugout. Takl to the media. Do whatever he can to get that steam pot ready to burst. Head out on his next start and light it up for 8 innings and 0 runs allowed.

After last night’s 30-3 Rangers beat down on the Orioles, Bud should consider implementing the Little League 10 run rule. Really, do teams not sure mercy anymore in sports? Do managers not replace starters when their teams are winning by 10 runs, let alone 20 or even 30!

“This is something freaky. You won’t see anything like this again for a long, long time. I am glad I was on this end of it,” said Marlon Byrd, who hit one of two Texas grand slams.

And the thing is, the Rangers went scoreless in the first 3 innings. So it’s not like they were mashing all game. They scored 30 runs on 29 hits in only 6 innings. What does that say for Baltimore’s relief pitching problem? The Baltimore Ravens who play across the street haven’t given up 30 points in 2 years!

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

The Chicago Cubs are back on top. They scored 5 runs in the 9th inning last night to propel themselves over the Giants and back into first place in the NL Central. Technically, they are tied with the Brewers, but with more wins then Milwaukee … they are placed on top in the standings.

The Cubs have a 3 game homestand against the Brew Crew next week, and from there on out…they have a pretty easy schedule through the end of the season. They have to go away to St. Louis for a series and that’s about it. All the rest are winnable.

With the Red Sox and White Sox both winning World Series in the past few years, it only makes sense that the Cubs break the curse this year and finally win a WS.

According the the Mugdish Poll of the Week, readers voted 7-6 against the Yankees making the playoffs this season. Currently, the Yankees are 4 games out of the East behind Boston and only .5 a game behind Seattle for the Wild Card.

I doubt the Yankees will catch the Red Sox for the division title, although I do think they can pull to within 1 game of them by the end of September. I do, however, believe the Yankees will win the Wild Card race. I’m not a Yankee fan by any means, but they just have too much talent on that team to miss the playoffs.

Attention all New York Media: get your A-Rod dirt somewhere else. Chipper Jones is taking a vow of silence to all New York reporters. In response to the way New York newspapers twisted Chipper’s quotes into something badmouthing A-Rod, Chip had this to say “It’s a joke. But what more do you expect from people who follow high-profile guys around with camera phones so they can get them in trouble.”

“There’s been a lot of validation to some of the things that Jose Canseco has said over the years,” Jones told the AP on Wednesday. “… Unfortunately, this cloud is following probably two of the best players of the century,” Bonds and Rodriguez.

“… I’m playing in the steroid era. Everything that I do is going to be judged. It’s the same with a lot of good ballplayers that have put up a lot of good numbers in this era that did it the right way.”

I’ll take a shot at judging Chipper. How about that NL MVP season he had in 1999. He hit 45 homeruns (he hadn’t hit 40 before ‘99 and hasn’t hit 40 since) when all the rest of his stats stayed the same. Hits, runs, RBIs, and batting average were all online with his career averages. Only his homerun totals were out of whack. Coincidently, that’s the year following the McGwire / Sosa derby.

So you’re right Chipper. You will get judged along with every other player from this era, and rightfully so. The only thing Chipper can pray for is Jose not finding any dirt on him.