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New Yorker ends up with home run ball

The Associated PressVail, CO

SAN FRANCISCO With the crack of the bat a brief stillness settled over the right-center field bleachers at AT&T Park as Barry Bonds record-breaking homer rocketed toward the crowd.Then the scrum was on.As the specially marked baseball landed a few rows up, dozens of fans wrestled for it and the promise of riches it carried. Suddenly, the metal bleachers vibrated with energy. Grunts, cheers and the cries of frightened children broke the silence as parents sought to shield their youngsters from the chaos.In the middle of it all was 22-year-old New Yorker Matt Murphy, who emerged from beneath the pile holding the ball Bonds hit for career home run No. 756. His face was bloodied and his clothes stretched and torn from his battle in the bleachers.A team of San Francisco police officers moved in, extracted Murphy from the crowd, and quickly led him through a tunnel and into a secure room.As he high-fived other fans, Murphy, wearing a New York Mets jersey and cap, slid the ball into the back pocket of his plaid Bermuda shorts.Reporters screamed out questions, but all he managed to say was, Im Matt Murphy from Queens, N.Y.Murphy and a friend were en route to Australia and in San Francisco for a one-day layover, a Giants spokesman said. They purchased tickets just before the game.He and the friend, dressed in New York Yankees regalia, were razzed by nearby Giants fans. Hey, this isnt New York!, one shouted. Murphy and his friend just laughed it off before settling into their seats.Murphy declined to make himself available to the media.Baseball memorabilia experts have pegged the balls value at $400,000 to $500,000. Thats well below the $3 million fetched by the ball Mark McGwire hit to break Roger Maris single-season home run record in 1998, but still a hefty sum.


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