Padres Fan Catches Bonds' Home Run Ball

Adam Hughes Says He's "Pretty Ecstatic" About Ending Up With Record-Tying Ball

(AP)  A self-proclaimed San Diego Padres fan scooped up Barry Bonds' record-tying home run ball by standing behind the scrum of fans diving for a piece of history.

"I'm pretty ecstatic," said Adam Hughes, a 33-year-old plumber from suburban La Jolla. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Did he ever.

Bonds hit No. 755 Saturday night, tying him with Hank Aaron as baseball's most prolific home run hitter. He sent a fastball from San Diego's Clay Hensley the opposite way into the lower left-field seats at Petco Park to lead off the second inning.

"I was kind of rooting for it," Hughes said. "As Barry Bonds said, records are made to be broken. It was quite an accomplishment."

The ball clanged off an advertising sign attached to the upper deck and fell into the seats below.

"I saw it hit above me and came down on the ground," a still dazed Hughes said. "I was at the back of the pile. I pretty much jumped up and said, 'I got it!"'

The ball traveled an estimated 382 feet in the direction of Hughes, who was in the front row with his cousin Justin Marquardt. They got the tickets through Hughes' mother, who bought them from a friend.

The specially marked ball was immediately authenticated by major league officials.

Bonds and Hughes didn't speak when they crossed paths at a post-game news conference.

"He's probably anxious to go out and celebrate with his family," Hughes said.

And Hughes' plans?

"Just go home and lay awake for hours thinking, 'Why me? How did I get so lucky?"'

Bonds' homer drew a mixed reaction from the San Diego crowd. Several fans held up asterisk signs — believing Bonds' record should be considered conditional — and the San Francisco slugger was booed as he headed to left field at the end of the inning.

Speaking about his own performance, the San Francisco slugger said, "The hard part is over right now."

"This is the hardest thing I've had to do in my entire career," he said. "I had rashes on my head, I felt like I was getting sick at times."

High above the field in a private box, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was a reluctant witness to history. Choosing to overlook the steroid allegations that have dogged Bonds, Selig watched with hands stuffed in pockets and nary a cheer on his lips.

"No matter what anybody thinks of the controversy surrounding this event, Mr. Bonds' achievement is noteworthy and remarkable," Selig said in a statement.

Hank Aaron was not in attendance. The Hall of Famer is not following the chase in person.

Booooooooooooo!

waste of the fans time...

cheaters are just that!

[candojj1]

this article su*ck%S*H0i^t. Who cares about all this without giving an estimate og the value of the mothe F*o*c*kEr p*eacea k$r^p

[premo68]

Way to go Barry you derserve it. Congradulation, you are the greatest of all time. You Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson

[fuzzhead61]

Just think of the giant steriod turds he must defficate.

[hypnotoad72]

To make that ball truly official, pump it full of steroids too.

[shanev137]

No big deal.

[thisandthat1]

I'd like to see someone give this guy a million dollars to destroy the ball in public. Maybe fans could each send in a dollar. That would be a fitting memorial to Bonds so-called record.

[vastr-wcon]

****************************************************
*****************STEROIDS***************************
****************************************************
********************JUICED-UP FRAUD*****************
****************************************************
*******************CHEMICAL CHEAT*******************
****************************************************
******************DISGRACE**************************
****************************************************
****************************************************
****************************************************

[ablesch]

Why does he even get to keep the ball? What a stupid policy.. Gameballs should be MLB's property. Any proceeds from famous baseballs should go to charity.
Thisandthat1: Bonds was a great player in the 90's before he started using steroids.

[arohanui-2009]

sad man
sad sad little man

[stezzer]

"I had rashes on my head, I felt like I was getting sick at times." Barry Bonds.

I wonder why? I must have been something he ate.

[howdy258]

"I had rashes on my head, I felt like I was getting sick at times." Barry Bonds.

I wonder why? I must have been something he ate.
Posted by Stezzer at 06:57 PM : Aug 05, 2007

or something he injected?

It's just a shame what this whole steroid thing has done to the name of the game! What a crying shame.....

[ovation56]

It is all Bush's fault that Bonds tied Ruth's record. If he hadn't sent our troops into a trumped up war in Iraq, then Bonds wouldn't have taken steriods. (can you see the sarcasm!?)

[agnim]

Posted by VastR-WCon at 05:40 PM : Aug 05, 2007

LOL
You poor guy.
Must be sad that Babe Ruth of the 'white league' got left in the dust, yes? LO

[doctordonut-2009]

http://www.theweeklydonut.org/index.php/category/barry-bonds/

[hungry1968]

Who the hell was Babe Ruth (with his racist record) once Aaron passed his total?

Ruth racist record is not an American record; it is a white supremacist record.
Posted by Agnim at 09:31 PM : Aug 05, 2007


Babe Ruth set the record through his batting ability.

Henry Aaron's batting ability was a little bit better, allowing him to break the record.

Bonds was able to break the record, (he wasn't a bad hitter early in his career), but to make sure he broke the record he turned to "illicit substances".

Whether it was within the rules or not - there is no doubt that he used "performance enhancing substances" to break the record. Even if it's not against the rules, it clearly is a violation of moral standards. (Which means republicans probably won't have a problem with it.)