Owner of No. 70 watches Bonds' assault on 'Mark'

Todd McFarlane admits he's feeling a bit torn by Barry Bonds' home-run chase.

Being a baseball fan, McFarlane realizes it might be uplifting these days to see Bonds break the record.

Then again, McFarlane has a reason to root against Bonds. Actually, more than 3 million of them.

McFarlane is the guy who paid $3.05 million for Mark McGwire's 70th home-run ball.

"I'm the village idiot, what can I say?" McFarlane said this week from his Phoenix office.

"A lot of people thought it was dumb. And now, they might be right. It's looking rather inevitable."

McFarlane, 40, can afford to make fun of himself. A part-owner of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, the Canadian-born collector struck it rich by creating the comic book and animated HBO show "Spawn."

"I didn't buy it as an investment. It wasn't like I was going to sell it if I got a higher offer," he said. "There were intangibles there, and you can't track them or count them."

"But did I think McGwire's record would last more than three years? Sure. I think everyone did."

If Bonds does break the record, there's no telling how much McGwire's No. 70 would be worth. It would likely drop in value, but collectors aren't positive.

"Maybe $4," McFarlane joked.