Mets Fan Pa$$ing Through Snags No. 756

Aug. 8, 2007 — -- Sour grapes left sour faces around McCovey Cove as the ball Barry Bonds hit to make him baseball's home run king went to a guy in the stands from Queens … and a Mets fan, to boot.

Matt Murphy, 22 and decked out in a New York Mets shirt and cap, emerged from a brutal scrum in the right-center field bleachers and hoisted the prized No. 756 baseball in the air — a tough pill to swallow for the thousands of San Francisco Giants fans who have been the only vocal supporters of Bonds' chase for history.

According to The Associated Press, "His [Murphy's] face was bloodied and his clothes stretched and torn from his battle in the bleachers."

Though battered and bruised, Murphy was also wide-eyed, high-fiving and smiling as ballpark security and police shepherded him from the stands as YouTube directors rolled tape.

It was a hero's send-off for the unlikely fan, who had just become part of history. And, oh yeah, he's also about to be a lot richer.

While some believe the balls hit to set major records should remain in the hands of players, Bonds shrugged off the baseball, the value of which memorabilia experts have pegged at as much as $400,000 to $500,000.

"I don't want the ball," Bonds said flatly after Tuesday night's milestone, adding that he hoped Murphy didn't get hurt during the ruckus. "I've never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it's his."

All that's left for Murphy is to find a buyer.

Within 90 minutes of the historic home run, ballpark officials said that Murphy had left the AT&T park and was declining interviews.

The Giants announced that Murphy, wearing Bermuda shorts — the back pocket of which was the first new home for the high-priced souvenir — and a friend were on their way to Australia. They had purchased tickets on a whim before the game during a one-day San Francisco stopover.

Murphy's travel partner was decked out in New York Yankees gear and the two received requisite jeers from Giants fans lucky enough to witness a storied baseball record fall to a hometown guy known outside the Bay for a much more infamous reputation.