Todd McFarlane got off much cheaper this time.
The man who paid $3.2 million for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999, bought the one Barry Bonds' hit for his record 73rd at an auction Wednesday for $450,000.
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The ball was ordered sold after a two-week trial to determine its ownership. Alex Popov, a Berkeley, Calif., restaurateur caught the ball and lost it in a scrum. Patrick Hayashi, a graduate student, was at the bottom of the pile of people and picked it up after it fell from Popov's glove.
The ensuing court battle cost both men hundreds of thousands in attorney fees and the sale might wind up being a loss for them.
What a waste of time and effort. SI.com has the story here.