Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 by Matt Felser
Marc Ecko Can Push Barry Bonds’ Buttons
Eccentric fashion designer Marc Ecko has purchased Barry Bonds’ record breaking homerun ball and has some special plans. Ecko, who can easily afford to spend $750,000 for a baseball and a little publicity, has launched a website Vote756.com to allow the nation to vote on the ball’s fate. Anyone with an internet connection can vote until September 25th to either “bestow” the ball to the hall of fame, “brand” it with an asterisk, or “banish” it to the depths of space.
Bonds, not one to keep quiet on an issue, has announced his distaste with Ecko’s decision: “He’s stupid. He’s an idiot. He spent $750,000 on the ball and that’s what he’s doing with it? What he’s doing is stupid.” Bonds went on to say that the public’s decision carries no weight and that his record would stand, regardless of the result.
Ecko, who once published a video of himself tagging Air Force One to gain publicity against new graffiti laws (it turned out to be fake), was quick to retort that he would make a special shirt for Bonds declaring “Marc Ecko paid $752,467 for my ball, and all I got was this ’stupid’ T-shirt.” Ecko has already appeared on Today, and I doubt he will be leaving our TV sets any time soon.
A recap of an incredible NFL-themed episode of Deal or No Deal to come later tonight.
1 Comment
September 26th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
September 26, 2007
MARK ECKO NUT BALL
The Commissioner of Baseball must step in to stop what will be a huge mistake in American race relations and an ugly black eye for the sport. “Branding” was something done to African slaves. African-Americans could boycott the Hall of Fame or even Baseball itself. How could Ecko be so dumb?
Mark Ecko will brand Barry Bonds’ record home run ball and send it on to Cooperstown? It’s time for the Commissioner to put his foot down on this one. If he doesn’t, he makes an enormous mistake in public relations and in race relations in the United States. This is one of the most irresponsible things I’ve seen done in sports in a long time. Let’s hope the Commissioner is responsible.
The obvious facts are that Barry Bonds has never tested positive for steroids or found legally liable for steroid use or possession. In the United States we are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. So to start with, this wacko fashion designer is ignoring the democratic ideals of his nation. And he has a track record of goofiness and irresponsibility in other areas. To allow this fiasco to proceed is basically a validation of the nutso dealings of an eccentric (a polite word for crazy) millionaire. The public good is being hijacked by a nut ball.
And there are present and historical public goods here. Baseball, like much of American culture, has a very ugly history of racism. A stunt like this reminds people that for the first half of the history of the sport, people of color were not allowed to play. The word “Branded” is an ugly reminder of slavery, as slaves were branded with a hot iron when they were auctioned. Prospective bidders could hear them scream.
Also, the United States is STILL dealing with harsh race issues and a prevailing undercurrent of racism. We’re getting better. And starting to heal. But when Mark Ecko does something like this, it opens old wounds and sets back race relations a decade. I don’t think Mr. Ecko realizes just how evil his actions are. Most crazy people don’t. Or is he just plain stupid and uneducated? He needs a lesson in history. Perhaps with a red-hot iron as a visual aid. Being wealthy doesn’t guarantee intelligence or proper education or a rational mind. Mark Ecko is proof of that. Mark Ecko will trot out his lackies and call in markers to prove he has African-American friends. “I’m not a racist; some of my best friends are Black.” Sure, we’ve heard that one before.
If the Commissioner allows this baseball into the Hall of Fame, Cooperstown will be branded as racist. Baseball will be branded as racist, and I certainly hope the players will put their personal animosities aside and close ranks around this in the interest of national unity and racial harmony. We could end up with an African-American boycott of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It’s the natural result, and it’s probably the proper result. As Blacks will point out, none of Mark McGuire’s stuff is branded. Because it was the ancestors of white people that branded black people, not the reverse. Whites were not branded and then sent out to pick cotton in the hot sun. Whites, such as Mark Ecko, did the branding.
If the ball is refused entry into Cooperstown, a disgraced Mark Ecko can put it in his office and stand there staring at it while chanting “I am not a racist.” If he chants it enough, he might continue to believe it.
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