Up for Grabs (2004)

The absurd true story of the legal battle over the "Million-Dollar Baseball." Barry Bonds' record setting 73rd home run ball sparks a melee in the stands at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco. ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Wranovics

Writer:

Michael Wranovics

Stars:

Marty Appel, Barry Bonds, Patrick Hayashi

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Marty Appel	...	Himself
Barry Bonds	...	Himself
Patrick Hayashi	...	Himself
Alex Popov	...	Himself
Ted Rowlands	...	Himself - TV News Reporter

Storyline

The absurd true story of the legal battle over the "Million-Dollar Baseball." Barry Bonds' record setting 73rd home run ball sparks a melee in the stands at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco. One guy caught the ball, another guy ended up with it. Who is the rightful owner? The lawyers can't agree; the fans can't agree; even the wisened professors of property law can't agree. This is a story documenting the hilarious lengths to which someone will go for a baseball, and the few fans that will put their lives on hold for years, staking everything on one judge's decision.

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | home run | law | san francisco california | san francisco giants

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Genres:

Comedy | Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 2007 (Japan)

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,881 (USA) (6 May 2005)

Gross:

$1,881 (USA) (6 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crooked Hook Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was nominated for the William Shatner Golden Groundhog Award for Best Underground Movie. The other nominated films were Green Street Hooligans, MirrorMask, Nine Lives and Opie Gets Laid.

User Reviews

A fun comment on humanity

First, being an avid S. F. Giants fan who had the wonderful fortune to be present when Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run in 2001, this was a must see for me. To have so much focus on such a major sports event and its repercussions was nice just for the memories it brought back. Plenty worthwhile just for this reason alone.

Beyond that this film is just plain funny, with its exposure of the humanity - greed, stupidity, arrogance, confusion, etc. - of those involved in the dispute surrounding the ownership of the 73rd home run baseball. There is even a dreaded Dodger fan in all his intellectual wonder, commenting in his inimitable way upon the events and dispute.

I didn't reach any personal conclusions on the individuals disputing the ball ownership, as a result of the film. I was quite impressed with the comments from the Judge who handled the trial of the case and decided what would happen to the ball.

From a purely "documentary film" critical point of view, the documentary was fine, but not great. It was definitely the story here which has center stage in this one and how it was told did not interfere with the pleasure in it at all. I am sorry so few people will likely get the opportunity to see this one.