756*. That is how Barry Bonds' record-setting home run ball will be displayed in Cooperstown. Literally. Wednesday morning, Marc Ecko, fashion designer and owner of Bonds' historical ball, announced that the public had spoken. Ecko set up a website, vote756.com, where fans could decide the fate of the questionable souvenir. They were given three options: launch the ball into space, return it to the Hall of Fame as is or brand it with an asterisk first and then ship it to Cooperstown. Baseball fans chose the latter. In fact, many agreed the ball's legitimacy (and the record it represented) should forever remain uncertain: 47 percent voted to brand it, 34 percent wanted to keep the ball as it was when it was hit, and just 19 percent were in favor of making the ball a true "moon shot." Did Ecko do the right thing by letting fans decide what to do with Bonds' 756th? Absolutely. When I first heard of his idea, I loved it. I raced right to his site to vote and told my friends to do the same. What did I vote for? Keep reading and you'll find out. Baseball is played for the fans. Fans are the ones who flock to ballparks day in and day out, rain or shine, to support their teams. Without fans, no one would be there to care when a historic record falls. What better way to get fans into the game than allow them to decide a piece of baseball history? None of us watching at home will ever get the chance to pitch against Bonds, so in a way, this is kind of like striking him out. OK, maybe not, but just pretend. Bonds doesn't think Ecko is as much of a genius as I do, apparently. When Ecko announced his plans to leave the ball's destiny up to a public vote, Barry called Ecko "stupid" and "an idiot." Bonds was critical of why someone would pay $750,000, which was more than experts predicted the ball would sell for, simply to get rid of it. But the Home Run King tried to pretend he didn't care about the controversy surrounding the ball, saying to ESPN.com, "In baseball, that number [756] stands." That number may stand in the minds of fans too, but with a big question mark (or asterisk) for many. I was among the 47 percent that said an asterisk would look nice on the ball. While no one can say for sure whether Bonds has taken performance-enhancing drugs, I have my doubts about him. I am clearly not alone, either, when I question the validity of Barry's achievement. In this day and age, when so many other players are found with illegal steroids and human growth hormones, why should Bonds be any different from the rest of them? He's not. He's just better at not getting caught than the Jason Giambis and Rick Ankiels of the league. The whole debate of what to do with the ball raises an even bigger question: How will future records be viewed? The fact that so many people are doubtful of Bonds' legitimacy proves fans will be skeptical of almost any baseball record from here on out. If someone breaks Joltin' Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, eyebrows will be raised, and so will questions. Same goes for Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak. If another player manages to play 2,633 in a row, most will wonder: Is he on the juice? There are some records in sports that will never be doubted, and the majority of them happen to be in sports other than baseball. Just last weekend, Brett Favre tied Dan Marino's record for most career touchdown passes. The week before, he became the winningest quarterback in NFL history. Hardly anyone is suspicious of Favre's accomplishments. He has proven himself a true and tough competitor over his career. His performances haven't been aided with performance-enhancing drugs; they've been all-natural. When Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, or when Wayne Gretzky notched 215 points in one season, they were called heroes. When Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record, he was called a cheater. Cooperstown has agreed to display the record ball, even with the asterisk on it. Officials at the Hall of Fame have said the ball still has meaning, branded or not, as a historical achievement in baseball. Try telling that to the millions of fans, myself included, who voted otherwise. Tyler Mason is a junior majoring in journalism. Tell him what you would have done with the baseball at [email protected].