HOUSTON -- They didn't need to ask Charles Murphy twice to tell what it's like to be the guy who caught Barry Bonds' record-tying 70th homer.

	Barry Bonds congratulates Charles Murphy, who caught No. 70 and says he doesn't know what he's going to do with it yet.

"They said I didn't have to give this press conference, but I don't think they realized this is pretty much what I've been waiting for for the last 15 years," the gregarious real estate agent said.

Murphy, 38, parlayed the tickets he bought Thursday morning into a potentially valuable souvenir when Bonds, who rarely saw any strikes during the Giants' three-game sweep of the Astros, hit a ninth-inning fastball from rookie Wilfredo Rodriguez into the right-field upper deck.

In between quips about his hometown of Mingo Junction, Ohio, and a malaprop about the "rush of estrogen" he felt when the ball hit his mitt, Murphy said he doesn't know what he will do with the ball.

"I'm sure there are plenty of options. I'm just going to consider," Murphy said. "I'm just very thankful for the help to catch the ball, to be in America, to understand the game, to always have wanted to play on a professional level and having this opportunity to come so close."

After the catch, Murphy, his son and a family friend were hustled by an entourage of Houston police to a secluded area beneath the stands, in case anyone had designs on him or his prize.

Between their postgame news conferences, Bonds and Murphy congratulated each other.

"I'm very happy for you," Bonds told Murphy.

"You made it so," Murphy replied.

Then Bonds cracked a smile and told Murphy, "Don't spend it all in one place."

Mark McGwire's two major home-run milestone balls in 1998 had different fates. The record-breaker, No. 62, was retrieved by a Busch Stadium employee in St. Louis and returned to the slugger.

However, the record-setter eventually went for more than $3 million to self-proclaimed "psycho fan" Todd McFarlane, creator of the "Spawn" comic book series. McFarlane predicted Bonds' record-tying homer and any subsequent balls would sell for much less than his.

Despite the 10-2 Astros loss, which dropped them a game behind the Cardinals in the NL Central and jeopardized Houston's postseason hopes, Murphy remained confident his team would be the wild card team.

"They are going to take two in St. Louis," Murphy said. "Life is full of disappointments, and this one should not be too great. God bless the Astros."

Murphy credited Little League experience and dogged determination for his reward, saying he commandeered his son's glove to make certain any home-run balls nearby went home with them. He traversed "one or two rows" to grab the 454-foot drive, and said it was his all the way.