Steve Williams went to the ballpark on September 17, and seated himself in the left center field bleachers. Little did he dream that 11 days later he would be the subject of a suit by one of his fellow bleacher bums, Timothy Murphy.

At issue: the 700th homerun of one Barry Bonds, which was in Williams' possession following a melee, but which Murphy claims is rightfully his.

The first thing that comes to mind here is the thought that the attitudes of the multimillionaire ballplayers seem to be contagious, spilling over into the cheap seats. With no thought of the game being played, fans are now clamoring for souvenirs for their monetary, rather than sentimental value, and this has been a substantial component in the ruining of a great game. When I try to envision myself as the possessor of a ball of similar importance, say a ball from RJ's no hitter, I just don't see dollar signs in my eyes, but rather a possession that, once properly autographed, will grace a prominent place in the home of some family year many years after I've shaken this mortal coil.

A similar battle ensued over the single season record breaking homerun ball of a few years ago, and the judge issued a Solomon like decision, ordering the ball to be sold and the proceeds split. The result of this decision is, neither man deserved to possess the ball, as both were happy with the judge's decision, as a $7 bleacher seat was quickly turned into a $225,000 paycheck for each, minus attorney's fees and taxes.

Is it just me who sees this as insane?