David Sweet • E-mail

When Barry Bonds slammed his 73rd home run of the 2001 season — a record that still stands — fans in kayaks splashed around McCovey Cove, outside of what’s now AT&T Park, hoping to snatch the blast. The famous ball was sold at a Lelands auction for $450,000.

On Saturday, Bonds tied one of the most hallowed marks in baseball, Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs, and he is poised to become only the second player in 130 years to hit 715 or more. But in a series last week against the Chicago Cubs, with the San Francisco outfielder a home run short of tying Ruth’s mark, not only was McCovey’s Cove clear for sailing — empty seats dotted AT&T Park. And no one’s bragging about how high they’ll bid for home run ball 715.

A few years back, Bonds was the marketing king among baseball players, possessing deals with close to two dozen companies, including Wilson, New Era and Getty Images. So haughty was the slugger that he was the only player to opt out of the Major League Baseball Players’ Association licensing agreement, preferring to strike pacts on his own and help control his image.

Yet the Bonds of 2006 is being shunned by the marketing departments of Fortune 500 companies with the same fervor as opposing pitchers who fear tossing him a strike. And as he approaches Henry Aaron’s all-time mark of 755 home runs, Bonds will find marketers becoming even more uneasy about linking their brands to him, according to David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute.

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“Most of these reluctant marketers will view a potential relationship with Bonds as a toxic blend of unethical behavior and devil-may-care attitude — attributes not likely to be embraced as a compelling combination by either shareholders or consumers of traditional consumer-related products,” Carter said. Though admitting a few edgy startups might try to make a statement by latching onto Bonds, “all in all he comes across as one of the least sympathetic sports figures of our generation — a dubious distinction that places him in rare company, right up there with those who intentionally trip little old ladies or take change from the church collection plate.”

How did it come to this, that the only player to reach the 500 club in home runs and stolen bases, a legend by his mid-30s and the godson of Willie Mays to boot, is being snubbed? Yes, his churlish personality has been no help, but the steroids scandal — though he says he never has taken them — has made him practically radioactive to companies who want a positive image.

It’s so bad that Mike Heffner, president of Lelands Internet auction arm, told The Hartford Courant that Bonds’ 714th home run will be worth about $100,000 — a massive cut from his 73rd home run ball — and 715 may go for about half of the $450,000 his 73rd commanded. Even Major League Baseball is avoiding Bonds, not sending Commissioner Bud Selig to be on hand when he breaks Ruth’s mark.

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True, since he left the MLBPA licensing program, Bonds has struck a few deals on his own, mainly with sports-related companies, to capitalize on becoming MLB’s second-greatest home run hitter. Collectible coins will be minted; pennants emblazoned with the No. “715” are ready to go. Ruth and Bonds action figures have even hit the market, courtesy of a company called McFarlane.

But who will buy? There is little buzz around Bonds. Pete Rose can be banned from baseball and earn standing ovations during a rare appearance on the field — Bonds is booed in every town save San Francisco. His reality show “Bonds on Bonds” on ESPN has upset even the employees of the cable giant.

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So as Bonds hobbles onward in what probably will be his last season, he is weighed down by the truth he has cost himself hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in endorsement money, speaker’s fees and other income. Like the high-flying Internet stocks of the boom era in nearby Silicon Valley, Bonds just can’t find any buyers.

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