New York ? The day after he hit No. 500, Alex Rodriguez was still enjoying the afterglow of the milestone. He hugged Yogi Berra, a visitor to the Yankee clubhouse, told funny stories to reporters, enjoyed another standing ovation when he batted for the first time Sunday and even threw a self-deprecating joke his own way.

After relating the anecdote of how a fan in Anaheim tossed the ball he slugged for his 300th homer back onto the field, A-Rod cracked about the Yankee Stadium fans’ reaction to his 500th homer:

“Last year, they probably would’ve thrown it back.”

The Yankees, according to team sources, are doing everything they can to retrieve for Rodriguez the ball he hit for No. 500. Rodriguez said there had been no negotiations with the fan who caught it so far as both sides appear to be trying to gauge its value. Mickey Mantle’s 500th homer ball sold at auction last week for $150,000. Industry experts, using that, have said A-Rod’s ball could be worth between $75,000 and $100,000.

Rodriguez said he exchanged voice mails with Barry Bonds.