McGwire Ball Buyer Revealed

NEW YORK —  Saying he was a “psycho fan” and a “sports geek,” Spawn comic book creator Todd McFarlane revealed at a news conference Monday he was the anonymous bidder who paid more than $3 million for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball.

McFarlane, who also has a company that makes action figures, said the timing of his announcement was tied to the yearly Toy Fair in New York.

“It was a mixture of business, charity and self indulgence,” McFarlane said of the decision to buy the ball. He said he would like to allow the Hall of Fame to show the ball at times.

McFarlane, a 37-year-old Canadian who lives in Tempe, Ariz., is a minority investor in the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

McFarlane bought the ball at auction Jan. 12, paying $2.7 million to Philip Ozersky, a research scientist at Washington University who caught the ball Sept. 27 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Guernsey’s auction house got an additional $305,000 as its commission.

In all, McFarlane bought nine home run balls hit by McGwire and Sammy Sosa, including McGwire’s first, 63rd, 67th, 68th and 69th, and Sosa’s 33rd (his record 20th in June), 61st and 66th.