HOLLYWOOD - Hip-hop mogul Marc Ecko spent $750,000 on baseball star Barry Bonds' most prized possession: his record-breaking 756th home run ball.
But Ecko will not be keeping the sports memorabilia for himself, opting to allow his fans to decide what he'll do with the piece of baseball history--in an online vote.
The ball itself is surrounded by controversy--Bonds is involved in an ongoing steroids scandal, even though the San Francisco Giants slugger insists he never broke any drug-taking rules.
Ecko says, "We all have opinions about this ball. Some feel it is a piece of history that belongs in the Hall of Fame. Others believe it is the embodiment of a cheating culture--not just in baseball, but in professional sports generally.
"I had hoped to keep the ball, but when I determined that was not the best strategy at this stage of my life, this definitely was the right decision.
"I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it and allow the public to decide."
Bonds beat Hank Aaron's home run record by blasting his 756th home run in August.
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