Marc Ecko and vote756, Giving the Power to the People

Did you vote yet? Did you let your voice be heard? You know the old truism, if you don't vote, you can't complain. I'm referring, of course, to the vote to decide the fate of the (in)famous 756th home run ball.

Fashion designer Marc Ecko bought the ball in an online auction. His winning bid was $752,467. Ecko would like the world to decide the ball's ultimate fate. It's a chance for us little people to let Major League Baseball know how we really feel about Bonds and the steroids scandal.

While Bonds still holds to his claim that he never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs, the boos, jeers and derisive signs suggest that few baseball fans really believe him. The question is, do we care enough to show it? Should Bonds be used as an example of how steroids has negatively affected the game, or should he be an example of the positive effect of steroids (and if you don't think steroids helped at least a little bit, I submit the late 80s as exhibit "A").

So what can we do? According to vote756.com, we have three choices. We can have the ball enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as is, end of story. We can vote to have the ball branded with an asterisk and then sent to Cooperstown. Or we can vote to have the ball shot into space, never to be heard from again.

What's it going to be? You have until September 25 to cast your vote, to let your voice be heard. I'll share what I voted for in just a bit.

First, what does Barry Bonds think about the whole thing? I wish I could say he was gracious about it, but then again, when has Barry ever been gracious?

According to Yahoo Sports, Bonds called Ecko an "idiot."

"He's stupid. He's an idiot," Bonds said. "He spent $750,000 on the ball and that's what he's doing with it? What he's doing is stupid."

Ecko, and many fans, would disagree. We finally have a chance to do something about it. The problem fans have (and will always have) is the helplessness they feel about their team, their sport, their passion. They can watch and cheer and support, but in the end they still have little to no say in what happens. Now we do. We can decide what the outcome is. It's not up to an opposing pitcher, an incompetent manager or any other issue that drives us to the phone boards of our local radio show.

So go vote. Feel empowered. Even if you vote to send the ball to Cooperstown on a silver platter. Show your support one was or another. And for the record, I voted to have it branded. Better to have a lasting symbol of the mistakes to help guide us toward fixing them than putting it out of sight.