AlecBoy006
02-01-2007, 02:57 PM
San Francisco Giants — No. 25
Left field
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
May 30, 1986 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
AVG .299
HR 734
RBI 1930
SB 509
SLG .608
Former teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-1992)
San Francisco Giants (1993-Present)
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a Major League left fielder for the San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former MLB All-Star Bobby Bonds and the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays.
Bonds holds a number of Major League Baseball records, including the most home runs in a single season set in 2001 with 73.
Through 2006, Bonds is first in career walks (2,426) and intentional walks (645). He is 2nd in career home runs with 734, trailing only Hank Aaron who hit 755; Bonds also ranks 2nd in extra base hits (1,398), 3rd in at bats per home run (13.0), 6th in on-base percentage (.443), runs (2,152), slugging average (.608), and total bases (5,784), and 7th in RBIs (1,930). Bonds also tops the list of career home runs in the National League, having eclipsed Aaron's previous record of 733.
Through 2006 he also leads all active players in home runs, RBIs (1,930), walks (2,426), intentional walks (645), on-base percentage (.443), runs (2,152), games (2,860), extra base hits (1,398), at bats per home run (13.0), and total bases (5,784). At the same time he is 2nd in doubles (587), slugging average (.608), and stolen bases (509), 3rd in at bats (9,507) and hits (2,841), 4th in triples (77), and 8th in strikeouts (1,485).
Bonds has been compared with some of baseball's best hitters of all time, including legends Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, and Ty Cobb.
Since 2003, Bonds has become a key figure in the BALCO scandal. A number of journalists have long alleged that Bonds used steroids as well as other performance-enhancing substances. To date, Bonds has not been charged with any crime in connection with the BALCO incident. The steroids he is accused of taking were not outlawed by MLB at the time he allegedly took them, however they are illegal in the United States without a prescription. He is also under investigation for perjury by a federal grand jury regarding his testimony before the 2003 grand jury investigating the BALCO case, in which he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and career
1.1 High School
1.2 College
2 Major league career
2.1 Pittsburgh Pirates
2.2 San Francisco Giants
2.2.1 Resurgence
2.2.2 2005 injury problems
2.2.3 2006 season
2.2.4 Other records
3 Chasing the all-time home run record
4 Salary
5 Controversy
5.1 The BALCO Scandal
5.2 Perjury Investigation
6 Amphetamine use
7 Players' Union
8 Bonds on Bonds
9 Game of Shadows
9.1 Love Me, Hate Me
10 Accomplishments
11 Career statistics (through 2006)
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
[edit] Early life and career
[edit] High School
Bonds attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California and excelled in baseball, basketball and football. As a freshman, he spent the baseball season on the JV team. The next 3 years —1980-82—he starred on the varsity. He batted .467 his senior year, and was honored as a prep All-America.[1]
[edit] College
Although originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1982, Bonds chose to go to college first, playing baseball at Arizona State University. In 1984 he batted .360 and stole 30 bases. In 1985 he hit 23 homers, with 66 RBIs and a .368 batting average. He was a Sporting News All-American selection that year. He graduated from Arizona State in 1986 with a degree in criminology.
[edit] Major league career
[edit] Pittsburgh Pirates
He began his major league career in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected him with the 6th overall pick in the 1985 draft. Bonds played with the Prince William Pirates for the 1985 season (with Bobby Bonilla) and, during the last game of the season, played all nine positions.
In 1986, Bonds finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting, hitting 16 home runs and stealing 36 bases. Over the next 3 years, he was criticized for not living up to his potential, despite having respectable numbers. He hit 25 home runs in his sophomore season, along with 32 stolen bases and 59 RBIs. Bonds improved in 1988, hitting .283 with 24 home runs, the latter being among the league leaders. Bonds started off his 1989 campaign well, but petered off quickly. He finished with just 19 homers and 58 RBIs.
However, 1990 proved to be a different story. Bonds won the MVP award for the first time, hitting .301 with 33 home runs and 114 RBI. His 52 stolen bases was third in the league. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. In 1991, Bonds also put up great numbers, hitting 25 homers and driving in 116 runs, and obtained another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Despite this, he finished second to NL batting champion Terry Pendleton in the MVP voting. The next season, Bonds won his second MVP award. He dominated the NL, hitting .311 with 34 homers and 103 RBIs. Bonds led the Pirates to the National League East division title where the Pirates fell to the Atlanta Braves. Bonds was involved in the final play in Game 7 of the NLCS, where he tried to throw out Atlanta Braves first baseman Sid Bream. But the throw to catcher Mike LaValliere was late and Bream scored the winning run. For the third consecutive season, the NL East Champion Pirates were denied a trip to the World Series.
[edit] San Francisco Giants
In 1993, Bonds left the Pirates to sign a lucrative free agent contract worth a then-record $43.75 million over 6 years with the Giants, with whom his father spent the first 7 years of his career. That season, Bonds hit .336, and led the league with 46 home runs and 123 RBI. Unfortunately, as good as the Giants were, winning 103 games, the Braves were one game better.
In the strike shortened season of 1994, Bonds hit .312 with 37 home runs, and was leading the league in walks. In 1995 Bonds hit 33 homers and drove in 104 runners, along with a .294 batting average, but he finished 12th in the MVP voting.
In 1996, Bonds became the first National League player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. He also drove in 129 runs with a .308 average, and walked a then-National League record 151 times. During the season, he also joined the very exclusive 300 homer/300 stolen base club, with fellow members Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, and his own father, Bobby Bonds. In 1997, Bonds hit .291, his lowest number since 1989, but his other numbers were very impressive. He hit 40 home runs for the second straight year and drove in 101 runs. That year he led the league in walks again with 145, just 6 off his NL record of a year before. He tied his father in 1997 for having the most 30/30 seasons.
In 1998, Bonds got off to a very rocky start, and some were starting to wonder if Barry was beginning to age. By season's end however, he put those notions to rest. He hit .303 with 37 home runs and drove in 122 runs, winning his eighth Gold Glove, and became the first player ever to have 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases. Yet, he placed 8th in the MVP voting, likely due to baseball's home run fever in 1998, led by the Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa home run chase.
Throughout the decade of the 1990s, Bonds was an exceptionally patient hitter and a great slugger who stole bases and played Gold Glove defense. Bill James ranked Bonds as the best player of the 1990s, noting that his selection for the 1990s' 2nd-best player (Craig Biggio) had been closer in production to the decade's 10th-best player than he was to Bonds.
[edit] Resurgence
Bonds at the plate with the Giants.In 1999, with only statistics through 1997 being considered, Bonds ranked Number 31 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking active player. When the Sporting News list was redone in 2005, Bonds jumped up 28 spaces to Number 6 All Time, behind only Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Hank Aaron. However, while Bonds was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team that year, Griffey was actually elected to it. That same year, baseball historian and sabermetrician Bill James wrote of Bonds, "Certainly the most un-appreciated superstar of my lifetime... Griffey has always been more popular, but Bonds has been a far, far greater player." As of 1999, James rated Bonds as the 16th best player of all time, even though his career was far from complete. "When people begin to take in all of his accomplishments", James predicted, "Bonds may well be rated among the five greatest players in the history of the game."
By the year 2000, Bonds was already regarded as a surefire Hall of Famer, but it was in the beginning of the next millennium when Bonds would surpass his peers and reach a level of offensive production that only a select few in the history of the game have achieved. In 1999, he hit 34 home runs in just 355 at-bats in just 102 games. In 2000, at age 36, Bonds hit .306, with a slugging percentage of .688 (career best at that time), and hit 49 home runs in just 143 games (also a career high to that point), while collecting a league-leading 117 walks. He had started off that season even hotter, hitting 28 home runs and slugging over .730 at the All-Star break, but some minor injuries on the season quieted him down somewhat.
The next year, however, he would make his 2000 season look pathetic by comparison. Barry Bonds put on an offensive show in 2001. In his team's first 50 games, he hit 28 home runs, ending the season with 73 home runs, a new major league record. He hit 39 home runs by the All-star break (ML record), hit a home run every 6.52 at-bats (ML record - McGwire in '98 hit one every 7.2), drew 177 walks (ML record at the time), and had a .515 on-base percentage, a feat not seen since Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams some 40+ years before him. He also had an ML record and absolutely absurd .863 slugging percentage (411 total bases in just 476 at-bats), and his OPS (on-base + slugging) was minuscule percentage points behind Babe Ruth in 1920 for the highest of all time.
In 2002, he didn't stop. He hit 46 home runs in just 403 at-bats. He hit a career high .370 and struck out only 47 times. Despite playing in nine fewer games than the previous season before, he shattered his own walks record, drawing 198, with a major-league record 68 intentional. He slugged .799, at the time the 4th highest total all time. And he broke Ted Williams' ML record for on-base percentage with a staggering .583. He also broke Ruth's OPS record this season by 2 points. And, he hit his 600th home run, less than a year and a half after hitting his 500th.
In 2003, Bonds played in just 130 games, though he still won his 3rd straight MVP, standing for "Most Valuable Player", awarded by McGwire. He hit 45 home runs in just 390 at-bats, along with a .341 batting average. He slugged .749, walked 148 times, and had an OBP well over .500 for the 3rd straight year. He also turned himself into the charter and only member of the 500 home run/500 stolen base club. Finally, in 2004, Bonds had what was arguably his best season. He hit .362, and broke his own walks record again, walking 232 times. He slugged .812, 4th highest all time, and broke his on-base % record by becoming the first person to have an on-base % over .600. He also broke his OPS record. He passed his godfather, Willie Mays, on the all-time home run list, then hit his 700th home run near the end of the season. He hit 45 home runs in just 373 at-bats, and struck out just 41 times, putting him in elite company, as few people have ever had more home runs than strikeouts in a season.
In the new millennium, MLB was shrouded with the controversy of steroids. Although Bonds has never tested positive for steriods, suspicion was cast. During an investigation of BALCO Laboratories, Bonds' grand jury testimony was illegally leaked and obtained by the media. In the testimony he allegedly admitted he may have unknowingly been given "the clear" and "the cream", when he was told the substances were flaxseed oil. This ignited much media speculation on Bonds in relation to the BALCO investigation.
[edit] 2005 injury problems
On March 22, 2005, Bonds announced that he could be sidelined for the rest of the 2005 season because of surgery on his knee. At the press conference, Bonds also indicated that he was frustrated by the focus on his alleged steroid use and the negative portrayal of him in the media. Later, Bonds sounded positive about his rehabilitation and told fans at the Opening Day festivities, "I will be back!" The chances of Bonds' return to the playing field were covered relentlessly throughout the summer by ESPN, in anticipation of potentially unprecedented scrutiny by the media and baseball fans (baseball had toughened its steroid-testing program since Bonds had last played and Bonds was tested regularly even though he did not play). On May 4, Bonds revealed on his website that he had undergone a third arthroscopic knee surgery because of a bacterial infection in his knee. This setback led many to assume that Bonds would not play in the 2005 season, and in the process raised much speculation as to whether Hank Aaron's career home run record of 755 would ultimately be out of Bonds' reach.
On August 1, in an interview with MLB.com, Bonds stated that he would most likely not return before the end of the 2005 season, due to continued buildup of fluid in the knee. On August 5, though, he stated on his website that while he was unsure of his status, he remained optimistic. In September, Bonds started working out with the team while they were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. On September 10, the Giants announced that Bonds would be activated on September 12. He was indeed activated that day, and immediately returned to being a starter in left field. In his return against the San Diego Padres, he nearly hit a home run in his first at-bat, but the ball was ruled to be only a double due to fan interference. Bonds finished the night 1-for-4 with a double. Upon his return, Bonds mostly continued his pre-injury dominance at the plate, hitting home runs in four consecutive games from September 18 to September 21 and finishing with five in only 14 games.
[edit] 2006 season
Bonds batting versus the Cubs in 2006.On February 19, 2006, Bonds announced in an interview with USA Today that he planned on retiring at the conclusion of the 2006 season, with or without the all-time home run record. "I've never cared about records anyway", he said, "so what difference does it make? Right now, I'm telling you, I don't even want to play next year. Baseball is a fun sport. But I'm not having fun...I love the game of baseball itself, but I don't like what it's turned out to be. I'm not mad at anybody. It's just that right now I am not proud to be a baseball player."[1]
On March 9, 2006, after his first game of the preseason with the San Francisco Giants, Bonds said that he would know around the All-Star Break and in a time period ranging from July to August 2006, whether or not he would be returning for the 2007 MLB season.
Bonds started the 2006 season with a slump. Bonds hit under .200 for his first 10 games of the season. Bonds didn't hit a home run until April 22; it was his biggest home run slump since the 1998 season. Throughout May, June, July, and early August, Bonds continued with sub-par offensive performance, although as his chronic injuries began to bother him less and less as the season went on, his defensive performance improved. In August, he made several running and leaping catches of a sort that had become rare for him during recent seasons.
Then, in late August, Bonds began an offensive surge, hitting 10 home runs in 25 starts from August 21 through September 23, and lifting his batting average 40 points in the same stretch. On August 20 Bonds' batting average fell to .235, his lowest average since early May. From then to September 23, Bonds could look back to a full month on an offensive tear: a .400 batting average (34 hits in 85 official at-bats), a .800 slugging percentage, with 10 home runs, 6 doubles and 26 runs batted in, along with 19 walks and only 8 strikeouts. Although media talk about the unlikelihood of Bonds' being re-signed by the Giants for the 2007 season had grown through the season and into August, the tenor of speculation abruptly turned around with many commentators concluding that it would be difficult to ignore the late-season contribution by Bonds that was keeping the Giants in the pennant race.
In 2006, Bonds recorded his lowest slugging percentage (a statistic that he has historically ranked among league leaders season after season) since 1991 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a 2005 interview with MLB.com, Bonds stated that he could play into 2007 if he remains healthy and if he is close to Aaron's 755 home runs, although he also noted that he might retire before then if he is able to win a World Series title. [2] Bonds' current total, as of the end of the 2006 MLB season, is 734. With his 733rd and 734th career home runs, hit respectively on September 22 and 23, 2006, Bonds tied and then passed Henry Aaron's National League career record in Milwaukee, the city where Aaron's career began and ended.
In early December the Giants announced they had an agreement in place with Bonds on a 1 year, $15.8 million contract. On January 29, 2007, the contract was finalized as both the Giants and Bonds finally agreed to the language and terms in the contract. [3] After the commissioner's office rejected Bonds' one-year, $15.8 million deal because it contained a personal-appearance provision, the team sent revised documents to his agent, Jeff Borris. Who stated that "At this time, Barry is not signing the new documents."[4]
[edit] Other records
In 1998, Bonds tied John Olerud for the National League record of 15 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. He tied this record again in 2003.
In 2001, Bonds's slugging percentage of (.863) set a single-season record. He also slugged .812 in 2004, only the second time in history that a player has bettered .800 twice (Babe Ruth was the other, with .847 in 1920 and .846 in 1921, respectively).
In 2002, Bonds amassed a .582 on-base percentage, breaking Ted Williams' 1941 record of .551. In 2004, Bonds finished with a .609 OBP, the only time a player has bettered .600 over a full season.
In 2002, Bonds won the National League batting title with a .370 average, becoming the oldest player to win the honor for the first time. In 2004, he won his second batting title with a .362 average.
During the 2002 post-season, Bonds set the record for most home runs hit in a single post-season (8). Bonds hit .471 with 4 home runs and 13 walks (seven intentional) in the World Series, thereby slugging 1.294 with a .700 on-base percentage. The slugging percentage was a record; the on-base percentage was bettered only by Billy Hatcher in 1990.
In 2004, Bonds set the single-season OPS record with a total of 1.422.
In 2004, Bonds became the first player in history with more times on base (376) than official times at bat (373). This was due to the record number of walks, which count as a time on base but not a time at bat. He had 135 hits, 232 walks, and 9 hit-by-pitches for the 376 number.
Bonds has won the National League Player of the Month award thirteen times which is a record for either league. The next highest in either league is Frank Thomas who won the A.L. award eight times and the next highest total in the N.L. is only six held by George Foster, Pete Rose and Dale Murphy.
Bonds has the most trading cards issued of him than any other athlete in the world. According to an October 31 search on Beckett Online, the site catalogued 10,306 cards.
[edit] Chasing the all-time home run record
A sign counts up to Barry Bonds' 714th home runOn May 7, 2006, Bonds drew within one home run of tying Babe Ruth for second place, hitting his 713th career home run into the second level of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, off pitcher Jon Lieber in an ESPN nationally-televised game in which the Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. The towering home run, which was one of the longest in Citizens Bank Park's two season history, traveling an estimated 450 feet, hit off the facade of the third deck in right field and was Bonds' first pulled home run of the 2006 season. Curiously, and perhaps revealingly, the jeers from the Philadelphia crowd that had haunted Bonds earlier that night turned noticeably into cheers as he completed his swing, watched the flight of the ball, rounded the bases, and touched home plate, all this to flashbulbs exploding everywhere throughout the stands. The mixed and often paradoxical reaction to Bonds' impending achievement exemplifies the polarizing effect of his controversial career on baseball aficionados and casual observers alike. Some have ventured to say that while many fans hate Bonds, they all come to the park to see him play.
On May 9, 2006 in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Bonds hit what appeared to be his 714th home run. However, Cubs outfielder Juan Pierre leaped up at the wall and prevented him from tying Ruth's record.
On May 20, 2006, Bonds tied Ruth, hitting his 714th career home run to deep right field to lead off the top of the 2nd inning with a 1-1 count. The home run came off of left handed pitcher Brad Halsey of the Oakland A's, in an interleague game played in Oakland, California at the McAfee Coliseum (formerly known as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum or the Oakland Coliseum). Since this was an interleague game at an American League stadium, Bonds was batting as the designated hitter in the cleanup spot in the lineup for the Giants. The Bambino's 714 mark was tied by Bonds who hits left handed, the pitcher Halsey pitches left handed, and the fan who caught it, Tyler Snyder is left handed; all this to tie arguably the best left handed hitter in history. Echoing the comment Aaron made when he reached the 715 mark 32 years earlier. However, like Aaron, Bonds needed more at bats to break the record. Bonds was quoted after the game as being "just glad it's over with" and stated that more attention could be focused on Albert Pujols, the heir apparent to Bonds. Bonds went 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a run and an RBI for the day in a 4-2 victory over the Athletics as designated hitter batting cleanup.
The concession stand where home run # 715 was hit in center fieldOn May 28, 2006, Bonds passed Ruth, hitting his 715th career home run to center field off of Colorado Rockies pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim.[5] It came on a 3-2 pitch, with one man on base, in the bottom of the fourth inning of the final game of a home stand at AT&T Park. The ball was hit an estimated 445 feet into center field where it went through the hands of several fans but then fell onto an elevated platform in center field. Then it rolled off the platform where Andrew Morbitzer, a 38-year-old San Francisco resident, caught the ball while he was in line at a concession stand. Mysteriously, broadcaster Dave Flemming's radio play-by-play of the home run went silent just as the ball was hit, apparently from a microphone failure. But the televised version, called by Duane Kuiper, was not affected. This historic home run was not officially celebrated by MLB; however, the Giants organization unfurled two large banners from light standards alongside the scoreboard in center field to honor the event. And as Bonds took his position in left field at the top of the fifth inning, Ed Montague, the long-time National League and MLB umpire and crew chief who was officiating at second base for this game, approached Bonds to congratulate him, and the two hugged. Bonds went 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored and two RBI for the day in a 6-3 loss to the Rockies while batting cleanup and playing left field.
On September 22, 2006, Bonds tied Henry Aaron's National League career home run record of 733. The home run came in the top of the 6th inning of a high-scoring game against the Milwaukee Brewers, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The achievement was notable for its occurrence in the very city where Aaron began (with the Milwaukee Braves) and concluded (with the Brewers, then in the American League) his career. With the Giants trailing 10-8, Bonds hit a blast to deep center field on a 2-0 pitch off of the Brewers' Chris Spurling with runners on first and second and one out. Though the Giants were at the time clinging to only a faint chance at making the playoffs, Bonds' home run provided the additional drama of giving the Giants an 11-10 lead late in a critical game in the final days of a pennant race. The Brewers eventually won the game, 13-12, despite Bonds' going 3 for 5, with 2 doubles, the record-tying home run, and 6 runs batted in.
On the following day, September 23, 2006, Bonds went past Aaron for the NL career home run record. Hit in Milwaukee like the previous one, this was a solo home run off Chris Capuano of the Brewers, and it came on a 1-0 count with 1 out in the 3rd inning of the game. This was his last home run hit in 2006.
[edit] Salary
Bonds re-signed with the Giants for a five-year, $90 million contract in January 2002. His salary for the 2005 season was $22 million, the second-highest salary in Major League Baseball (the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez earned the highest, $25.2 million). In 2006 Bonds earned $20 million (not including bonuses), the fourth highest salary in baseball. Not including the 2006 season, he has made approximately $153 million during his 19-year career, making him one of baseball's highest paid players.
A free agent after the 2006 season, Bonds sought to play one more year for $20 million, but did not receive any contract offers, outside of the Giants. The only other team to show interest was the St. Louis Cardinals. A month before spring training was set to begin, Bonds signed a one-year 2007 contract with the Giants for $15.8 milion dollars.
[edit] Controversy
[edit] The BALCO Scandal
In 2003, Bonds became embroiled in a scandal when Greg Anderson of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, Bonds' trainer since 2000, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and charged with supplying anabolic steroids to athletes, including a number of baseball players. This led to speculation that Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs during a time when there was no mandatory testing in Major League Baseball. Bonds declared his innocence, attributing his changed physique and increased power to a strict regimen of bodybuilding and legitimate dietary supplements.
During grand jury testimony on December 4, 2003 — which was obtained through unknown means by the San Francisco Chronicle (leaking grand jury testimony is a felony) and published almost a year later, on December 3, 2004 — Bonds allegedly said Anderson gave him a rubbing balm and a liquid substance that Anderson said was arthritis cream and flaxseed oil, respectively.[6] The prosecutors contended that what Bonds was actually given was "the cream" and "the clear", which are both forms of the designer steroid THG.
In August 2005, all four defendants in the BALCO steroid scandal trial, including Anderson, struck deals with federal prosecutors that did not require them to reveal names of athletes who may have used banned drugs.
[edit] Perjury Investigation
This section documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
On April 13, 2006, CNN reported that federal investigators were looking into whether or not Bonds committed perjury during his 2003 grand jury testimony relating to the BALCO steroids scandal (see "The BALCO Scandal", above).[7] In the time since CNN broke the story, other news sources, including the San Francisco Chronicle and ESPN, have reported it, as well. According to these sources, the United States Attorney's Office in San Francisco has brought evidence before another grand jury to determine if Bonds should be indicted. Before testifying to the original grand jury (in 2003), witnesses were told that they could not be charged with any crime other than perjury based on their testimony.
On July 5, 2006, Greg Anderson was found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge William Alsup for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating perjury accusations against Bonds. Anderson was denied bail and immediately sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, said he would file an appeal based on his assertion that the subpoena to testify violated Anderson's plea bargain agreement in the BALCO case.[8]
On July 11, 2006, it was reported that MLB officials expected Bonds to be indicted on perjury and tax evasion charges as early as one week from that day.[9]
On July 20, 2006 the grand jury investigating the incident retired without issuing an indictment. Bond's trainer, Greg Anderson, was immediately released and promptly subpoenaed to testify before a new grand jury that will take up the case.[10] Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, stated that his client will continue to refuse to testify, meaning that Anderson could very well be jailed again for contempt of court and held for as long as the new grand jury's term lasts, which could extend beyond a year.
On July 22, 2006, it was reported that federal prosecutors had obtained Barry Bonds’ medical files as part of their investigation into whether the slugger perjured himself when he said he never knowingly used steroids. U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan had said he had postponed his decision on whether to seek an indictment of Bonds "in light of some recent developments", and the receipt of the medical records was apparently one of those developments. The records are believed to include information about three operations Bonds had last season to treat his right knee, as well as a serious elbow injury that required surgery in 1999. Bonds’ former girlfriend, Kimberly Bell, testified that Bonds blamed the elbow injury on steroid use. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, prosecutors had subpoenaed the documents nearly two months ago, but Bonds’ attorneys went to federal court to stop the government from obtaining the records.[11]
On August 17, 2006, Greg Anderson again refused to testify before the grand jury investigating Bonds. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered Anderson to return to court August 28 for a contempt hearing. In requesting the hearing, prosecutors for the first time publicly acknowledged they are targeting Bonds.[12]
On August 28, 2006, Greg Anderson was held in contempt of court and sent to federal prison for a second time for refusing to answer questions from a federal grand jury investigating Bonds. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said Anderson had provided no legal justification for refusing to tell the grand jury on Aug. 17 whether he had supplied steroids to Bonds or other athletes, or even whether he knew Bonds. Mark Geragos, Anderson's lawyer, said he would file an appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.[13]
On October 5, 2006, Greg Anderson was ordered released from prison after 37 days. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered his release because the federal appeals court hadn't affirmed the contempt order within the required 30 days after Anderson was jailed. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal had sent the contempt order back to Judge Alsup, thus delaying any ruling. The main contention of Anderson's appeal is that a secret, illegally-recorded tape of him discussing Bonds' steroid use is the basis for the grand jury questions he refuses to answer. Prosecutors, however, say the tape is legal and was made in a face-to-face meeting with Anderson. Although Alsup dismissed Anderson's tape claim and others, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal sent Anderson's appeal back to the judge, saying Alsup's ruling regarding the tape was not clear enough. In clarifying his order, Alsup said he agreed with prosecutors that there was ample evidence beyond the tape to question Anderson. Prosecutors have also said the questions they want answered are based on athletes' secret testimony in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative case and a search of Anderson's house that turned up drug records, some with Bonds' name on it. Other than the tape dispute, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected the merits of Anderson's appeal.[14] In November, after the order was clarified, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to hear Anderson's argument that his "entire grand jury process was tainted" because the government let the grand jury hear the tape. If the appeals court agrees that the tape unfairly contributed to Anderson's guilty plea, his conviction could be thrown out, even though Anderson already completed his three-month sentence. In the disputed tape recording, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Anderson reportedly told an unidentified person that Bonds was using drugs that could not be detected. Alsup, who has read a transcript of the tape, called it "as worthless a piece of evidence as I've ever seen", according to newspaper reports. [15][16]
On November 16, 2006, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Greg Anderson's appeal and ruled that he must return to prison for refusing to testify before the grand jury investigation Bonds. The court ordered him to report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin by November 20. The San Francisco-based appeals court agreed with U.S. District Judge William Alsup, ruling there was ample evidence beyond the tape to justify the grand jury's interest in questioning Anderson about Bonds.[17]
Greg Anderson is currently in jail awaiting an appeal before the entire 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark Geragos has stated he intends to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if the entire 9th Circuit refuses to hear his appeal or rejects his appeal.[18]
[edit] Amphetamine use
On January 11, 2007, the New York Daily News reported that Bonds had failed a test for amphetamines during the 2006 season. While Bonds was not suspended for any games under the MLB's new drug-testing policy, he was subjected to six further tests over the next six months, and a second positive test would have resulted in a 25-game suspension. Although media reports suggest that Bonds initially insisted that a substance taken from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker was to blame for the positive test, he has decided not to appeal the test results, and has since denied that Sweeney was ever involved in any way.[19][20][2][3]
[edit] Players' Union
Bonds withdrew from the MLB Players Association's (MLBPA) licensing agreement because he felt independent marketing deals would be more economically viable for him. If Bonds had not withdrawn, his name and likeness would be deemed usable in any merchandise licensed by the MLBPA. In order to use his name or likeness, a company must deal with Barry himself. For this reason he does not appear in some baseball video games, forcing game-makers to create generic athletes to replace him. For example, in MVP Baseball 2005 Barry Bonds's likeness is replaced by a white man with a beard named "Jon Dowd", and All-Star Baseball 2005 as "Wes Mailman".
[edit] Bonds on Bonds
Main article: Bonds on Bonds
In April 2006, ESPN premiered a new 10-part reality TV series starring Bonds. The show, titled Bonds on Bonds, revolves on the life of Bonds and his chase of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron's home run records, but has mostly been met with public indifference. It is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, producers of the Nickelodeon series All That and many other shows and movies. Currently, this show is on hiatus.
The first segment of Bonds on Bonds, aired Tuesday, April 4 nationwide on ESPN2. Much of the premiere episode dealt with how Bonds has coped with questions about whether steroids have fueled his athletic performance. At one point, Bonds even started to break down in tears. "If it makes them happy to go out of their way to try to destroy me, go right ahead. You can't hurt me any more than you've already hurt me", he said. He continued by saying, "You don't see me bringing anyone else into this. I'm going to take it myself." Bonds paused as his eyes welled and he choked back tears, "And I'm going to take it because there's so many people who depend on me."
In different segments throughout the program, Bonds acknowledged his often rocky relations with the press but cast himself as a victim of critics out to tear him down. He described himself as "mentally and emotionally drained" but insisted he was not going to let anyone "bring me down."
In June 2006, ESPN and producer Tollin/Robbins Productions officially pulled the plug on the reality series, citing "creative control" issues with star Barry Bonds and his representatives. No other details about the decision were given. "Bonds on Bonds" had been absent from the network's schedule since May 30, and given its poor ratings, the decision to cancel the show was hardly surprising, especially when coupled with the creative issues.
[edit] Game of Shadows
Main article: Game of Shadows
Barry Bonds on the March 13, 2006 cover of Sports Illustrated heralding the release of Game of Shadows.In March, 2006 the book Game of Shadows was released amid a storm of media publicity including the cover of Sports Illustrated. Initially small excerpts of the book were released by the authors in the issue of Sports Illustrated. The book alleges Bonds used stanozolol and a host of other steroids, and is perhaps most responsible for the change in public opinion regarding Bonds' alleged steroid use.
The book contained excerpts of grand jury testimony that is supposed to be sealed and confidential by law. Due to this the authors have been subpoenaed before a grand jury about how they obtained the testimony. The authors have been steadfast in their refusal to divulge their sources, and are currently facing jail time.
[edit] Love Me, Hate Me
In May 2006, former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman released a scathing unauthorized biography of Bonds entitled Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Anti-Hero. Though obscured by Game of Shadows, the book also contained many allegations against Bonds. Perhaps most noteworthy were the alleged details of his three years at Arizona State University, during which time Bonds was voted off the team by a 22-2 margin by teammates. The vote came after head coach Jim Brock had suspended Bonds for violating multiple team rules. The book states that ASU coach Jim Brock initiated the vote in the expectation that the team would vote to keep Bonds; when they did not, he overruled them.
Love Me, Hate Me also provided the statements of Jay Canizaro, a former Giants second baseman who also stated that he had first hand knowledge of Bonds taking steroids. [21]
[edit] Accomplishments
Holds record for most home runs in a season (73)
2nd all time for career home runs (734)
Holds record for most walks in a career (2,424)
Holds record for most MVP awards (7) and consecutive MVP awards (4); (1990, 1992-93, 2001-04)
Holds record for consecutive games with a walk (18)
Shares record for consecutive plate appearances with a walk (7)
Holds record for consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs (13)
Holds record for consecutive seasons with .600 slugging percentage or higher (8)
5-time SF Giants Player of the Year (1998, 2001-04
13-Time All-Star (1990, 1992-98, 2000-04)
7-Time Baseball America NL All-Star OF (1993, 1998, 2000-04)
3-Time Major League Player of the Year (1990, 2001, 2004)
3-Time Baseball America MLB Player of the Year (2001, 2003-04)
8-Time Gold Glove winner for NL Outfielder (1990-94, 1996-98)
12-Time Silver Slugger winner for NL Outfielder (1990-94, 1996-97, 2000-04)
Led the Major Leagues in home runs (1993, 2001)
Led the NL in batting average (2002, 2004)
Led the NL in on base percentage (1991-93, 1995, 2001-04, 2006)
Led the Major Leagues in slugging percentage (1990, 1992-93, 2001-04)
Led the Major Leagues in extra base hits (1992-93, 2001)
Led the Major Leagues in on base percentage (1992, 2001-04)
Led the NL in runs (1992)
Led the NL in RBIs (1993)
Led the NL in walks (1992, 1994-97, 2000-04, 2006)
Led the NL in intentional walks (1992-98, 2002-04, 2006)
Led the NL in runs created (1992-93, 2001-02, 2004)
Led the Major Leagues in total bases (1993, with 365)
Led the Major Leagues in runs created (1993, 2001-02, 2004)
Led the NL in games (1995)
Led the NL in extra base hits (1992-93, 2001)
Led the NL in at bats per home run (1992-93, 1996, 2000-04)
3-Time NL Hank Aaron Award winner (2001-02, 2004)
Led the Major Leagues in batting average (2002, with .370)
Listed at # 6 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranked active player, in 2005.
Named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999, but not elected to the team in the fan balloting.
Rating of 345 on Baseball-Reference.com's Hall of Fame monitor (100 is a good HOF candidate); 9th among all hitters, highest among hitters not in HOF yet. [2]
"Barry Bonds is the best player I've ever seen. He can be pitched to, but very carefully.” - Jose Rijo
“Barry is the reincarnation of Ted Williams—with more power.” - San Francisco Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"Barry Bonds is clearly the most talented athlete I have had the pleasure to coach (at Arizona State University). We all knew he would do well in professional baseball, but how could anyone dream that his accomplishments would be this great this quickly." - ASU Coach Jim Brock in the Arizona Republic (1993)
Quotes About Barry Bonds
"Barry did things that were amazing. He would hit a ball with topspin over the fence that would be incredible. A ball that would usually drop in front of the outfielder, but instead his went over the fences." - Arizona State University teammate Mike Devereaux
"Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him." - Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland
"Barry Lamar Bonds was the best player of the decade (not Ken Griffey, Jr. in the 1990s), and entering the new century he was still the best player in the game, blasting an amazing seventy-three homers in 2001. His combination of power and speed have been matched only by his godfather, Willie Mays." - TheBaseballPage.com
“He always seems to get himself in a hitter's count.” - Manager Jeff Torborg
"He attacks the ball just the same way his dad did. It's got to be tough playing under the shadow of his dad. But he doesn't let it bother him. He's got a lot of guts just to be out there." - Mike Shannon in the St. Petersburg Times
“He's always been the best player in the game. Is he the best ever? What do I know? I only know what happened in the nineties. He's always been a complete player. He didn't have to hit thirty extra home runs to convince me of that.” - Greg Maddux on ESPN.com (April 9, 2004)
"He's beginning to make a case for himself as arguably being maybe the greatest player to ever play the game." - Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Jim Tracy
"He's the most remarkable offensive player in my lifetime. With the power he possesses and his compact swing, it's almost impossible to control bat speed. The only other player who approached this 'zone' was McGwire the year he broke Maris' record." - Houston Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker
"He's the one guy in our league I would pay to watch." - Matt Williams
"I can't imagine what it was like seeing Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Mays, DiMaggio, Cobb, etcetera in the prime of their careers, but somehow, it must have been like what we see Barry doing right now. He completely dominates the game, just as all the great stars of their day did." - Former Pitcher / ESPN analyst Tom Candiotti
"I don't know how good Mickey Mantle was, or Hank Aaron, or Willie Mays. But Barry is a great player. And Barry has been a great player. I've always looked at Barry's numbers and been amazed by them. Just now, he's hitting more home runs, so people are talking more about him." - Tom Glavine
"I don't think there can be an argument for what he is—hands down, the best player in the game today. I think, when considering where he fits in among the all-time greats, you may have some arguing. The problem is the difference in the game today, versus earlier years. Barry is a superstar in any era. But I don't know if he hits seventy (70) riding trains, playing in those old huge parks, with a ball that's twice as soft as the new balls, with the older larger strike zone. And let's face it, 15 years ago, you could drop a hitter and never think twice about it. ... The game is just so different today. But for my money, there's no one even close to him right now." - Curt Schilling
"If you ask me, he's a bargain. I know they paid him a lot of money, and everyone expects wonders. But after watching him play, we got a bargain. He can pretty much do it all. His baseball instincts are unbelievable. And he's not just trying to get a hit, he's trying to crush the ball. If you make a bad pitch, he'll hit a home run and he'll embarrass you. If Barry hits a pop fly to the infield, he won't run a full-out sprint to second base. No one will. But if he hits a shot to left and the outfielder doesn't come in and field it cleanly, he'll be at second base. We got a bargain." - Jeff Brantley (1993)
"I know exactly what my son's gone through, because I went through the same damn thing myself. They said I was supposed to be the next Willie Mays. When they told me that, it was an honor. You're talking about the guy I consider the greatest player to ever wear shoes. I probably had more success than anyone they ever put the Mays label on. You show me another guy who's going to go 30-30 five times. I sure hadn't met him until my son did it. But all the writers kept talking about was my 'potential'...'You haven't reached your potential,' they would say. Well, unless you (writers) win a Pulitzer Prize, you haven't reached your potential, either!" - Bobby Bonds
"In my lifetime, I haven't seen anybody like him, with the career he's had and the things he can do—and he's getting better at this time in his life. To me, what he did last year was probably the most remarkable thing that's ever happened in the game. To walk one-hundred seventy times and hit seventy-three home runs? It was like: The only times he swings, he hits a home run. When they throw him a strike, he hits it out of the ballpark. And when they throw a ball, he doesn't swing. I don't think anyone has ever been in a zone like that. The guy has almost hit eighty home runs in a year, a year and a week. He's got as many home runs in one year as I've got my whole career, in twenty-three years." - Tim Raines
"Is he better than Babe Ruth? Hell, I don't know. Who does know? Barry never pitched and won twenty games. I know that. But in his era, there ain't nobody close. And I mean nobody." - Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox
"Whenever we talk on the phone, Barry knows I've been there. I've stood sixty feet, six inches, from Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There's no situation that comes up for Barry that I haven't gone through myself." - Bobby Bonds
"Most times, when you talk about an intelligent player, you're talking about a guy who doesn't play too good. Here's a guy who I equate to Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux.'' - Dusty Baker in the Houston Chronicle
“Nobody has ever been better than this guy.” - San Francisco Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"One day, he will put up numbers no one can believe." - Pirate Teammate R.J. Reynolds
“Sometimes he says things before he thinks. That's why I'm here—to remind him other people have feelings, too.” - Hall of Famer WIllie Mays
"The real debate isn't over National League MVP, but over which of Barry Bonds' seasons should be considered his finest. There's 2001, when he hit his record seventy-three home runs. There's 2002, when he hit .370 and won his first batting title. And now there's 2004, when the San Francisco Giants slugger is preparing to shatter his season record for on-base percentage, hitting for nearly as high an average as Ichiro and missing fewer pitches than ever." - Ken Rosenthal in The Seattle Times (September 2, 2004)
“The rest of us play in the major leagues. He's at another level.” - Teammate Rich Aurilia
“The rest of us should spend all of our time in the dugout bowing to him.” - Benito Santiago
"You can't tell me the Babe was any better than this guy. You can't tell me this guy isn't the best player in the history of the game." - Florida Marlins Manager Jack McKeon
"We've told him, 'Man, you've just got to loosen up. You've got to relax and be yourself. Let them see what you're all about.' I said, ‘Here's an opportunity for you to let these people get close, but will you do that? No!' And he said, 'You're right, I won't.' I know what's going on up there in his head, and I can be a little more sympathetic than most people. I still say he's the best player in our league, no question." - Tony Gwynn
"Where Barry has truly affected the entire team is the way he has fun just practicing the game. He truly loves to play. And his defense is contagious. In one game, he made a game-saving catch and cut three sure doubles off at the line and held them to singles; in a couple of cases, his plays saved what would have been runs. He's made everyone in the field more aggressive. Defense is the most contagious aspect of baseball, and Barry has dramatically affected the way the Giants play the game." - San Francisco Giants Owner Peter Magowan in the Boston Globe
“You walk Barry. Just walk him.” - Greg Maddux
Since I can't get a pic to upload
Bonds then
http://members.tripod.com/~protherj/bblimages/bonds.jpg
Bonds now
http://www.sfbappa.org/SF28.images/9%20BEST%20BARRY%20BONDS%20PHOTO/0HM1.JPG
Alec's take: You know, I certainly don't have much respect for a person who has a bad relationship with the media, and I hear is a real jerk. In my opinion, Barry Bonds is the most controversial name in the history of baseball. To have a Ted Williams esque relationship with the media, to have the talent Babe Ruth had, and arguably be the most recognizable today in the game of baseball, that says alot. But, the numbers don't lie, and are quite intimidating. If he was clean the whole time, I would rank him #2 behind Ruth. Because Ruth revolutionized the game. Bonds did, too. But Babe Ruth WAS baseball. No question about it. However, because he is dirty, and speedy, I have chosen to penalize him and put him away from being one of the best of all time. True, he started using steroids at like 35, but his stats are tarnished. Bonds 1998 and back, was one of the best. Bonds 1999 and on, gets no respect from me. I will admit, he put up amazing numbers, but to respect a guy who juiced it up to me is like respecting someone who terrorized my country...or whatever country you may be from. It's a shame Bonds had to do this, because boy, was he a player back in the day.
Left field
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
May 30, 1986 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
AVG .299
HR 734
RBI 1930
SB 509
SLG .608
Former teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-1992)
San Francisco Giants (1993-Present)
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a Major League left fielder for the San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former MLB All-Star Bobby Bonds and the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays.
Bonds holds a number of Major League Baseball records, including the most home runs in a single season set in 2001 with 73.
Through 2006, Bonds is first in career walks (2,426) and intentional walks (645). He is 2nd in career home runs with 734, trailing only Hank Aaron who hit 755; Bonds also ranks 2nd in extra base hits (1,398), 3rd in at bats per home run (13.0), 6th in on-base percentage (.443), runs (2,152), slugging average (.608), and total bases (5,784), and 7th in RBIs (1,930). Bonds also tops the list of career home runs in the National League, having eclipsed Aaron's previous record of 733.
Through 2006 he also leads all active players in home runs, RBIs (1,930), walks (2,426), intentional walks (645), on-base percentage (.443), runs (2,152), games (2,860), extra base hits (1,398), at bats per home run (13.0), and total bases (5,784). At the same time he is 2nd in doubles (587), slugging average (.608), and stolen bases (509), 3rd in at bats (9,507) and hits (2,841), 4th in triples (77), and 8th in strikeouts (1,485).
Bonds has been compared with some of baseball's best hitters of all time, including legends Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, and Ty Cobb.
Since 2003, Bonds has become a key figure in the BALCO scandal. A number of journalists have long alleged that Bonds used steroids as well as other performance-enhancing substances. To date, Bonds has not been charged with any crime in connection with the BALCO incident. The steroids he is accused of taking were not outlawed by MLB at the time he allegedly took them, however they are illegal in the United States without a prescription. He is also under investigation for perjury by a federal grand jury regarding his testimony before the 2003 grand jury investigating the BALCO case, in which he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and career
1.1 High School
1.2 College
2 Major league career
2.1 Pittsburgh Pirates
2.2 San Francisco Giants
2.2.1 Resurgence
2.2.2 2005 injury problems
2.2.3 2006 season
2.2.4 Other records
3 Chasing the all-time home run record
4 Salary
5 Controversy
5.1 The BALCO Scandal
5.2 Perjury Investigation
6 Amphetamine use
7 Players' Union
8 Bonds on Bonds
9 Game of Shadows
9.1 Love Me, Hate Me
10 Accomplishments
11 Career statistics (through 2006)
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
[edit] Early life and career
[edit] High School
Bonds attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California and excelled in baseball, basketball and football. As a freshman, he spent the baseball season on the JV team. The next 3 years —1980-82—he starred on the varsity. He batted .467 his senior year, and was honored as a prep All-America.[1]
[edit] College
Although originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1982, Bonds chose to go to college first, playing baseball at Arizona State University. In 1984 he batted .360 and stole 30 bases. In 1985 he hit 23 homers, with 66 RBIs and a .368 batting average. He was a Sporting News All-American selection that year. He graduated from Arizona State in 1986 with a degree in criminology.
[edit] Major league career
[edit] Pittsburgh Pirates
He began his major league career in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected him with the 6th overall pick in the 1985 draft. Bonds played with the Prince William Pirates for the 1985 season (with Bobby Bonilla) and, during the last game of the season, played all nine positions.
In 1986, Bonds finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting, hitting 16 home runs and stealing 36 bases. Over the next 3 years, he was criticized for not living up to his potential, despite having respectable numbers. He hit 25 home runs in his sophomore season, along with 32 stolen bases and 59 RBIs. Bonds improved in 1988, hitting .283 with 24 home runs, the latter being among the league leaders. Bonds started off his 1989 campaign well, but petered off quickly. He finished with just 19 homers and 58 RBIs.
However, 1990 proved to be a different story. Bonds won the MVP award for the first time, hitting .301 with 33 home runs and 114 RBI. His 52 stolen bases was third in the league. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. In 1991, Bonds also put up great numbers, hitting 25 homers and driving in 116 runs, and obtained another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Despite this, he finished second to NL batting champion Terry Pendleton in the MVP voting. The next season, Bonds won his second MVP award. He dominated the NL, hitting .311 with 34 homers and 103 RBIs. Bonds led the Pirates to the National League East division title where the Pirates fell to the Atlanta Braves. Bonds was involved in the final play in Game 7 of the NLCS, where he tried to throw out Atlanta Braves first baseman Sid Bream. But the throw to catcher Mike LaValliere was late and Bream scored the winning run. For the third consecutive season, the NL East Champion Pirates were denied a trip to the World Series.
[edit] San Francisco Giants
In 1993, Bonds left the Pirates to sign a lucrative free agent contract worth a then-record $43.75 million over 6 years with the Giants, with whom his father spent the first 7 years of his career. That season, Bonds hit .336, and led the league with 46 home runs and 123 RBI. Unfortunately, as good as the Giants were, winning 103 games, the Braves were one game better.
In the strike shortened season of 1994, Bonds hit .312 with 37 home runs, and was leading the league in walks. In 1995 Bonds hit 33 homers and drove in 104 runners, along with a .294 batting average, but he finished 12th in the MVP voting.
In 1996, Bonds became the first National League player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. He also drove in 129 runs with a .308 average, and walked a then-National League record 151 times. During the season, he also joined the very exclusive 300 homer/300 stolen base club, with fellow members Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, and his own father, Bobby Bonds. In 1997, Bonds hit .291, his lowest number since 1989, but his other numbers were very impressive. He hit 40 home runs for the second straight year and drove in 101 runs. That year he led the league in walks again with 145, just 6 off his NL record of a year before. He tied his father in 1997 for having the most 30/30 seasons.
In 1998, Bonds got off to a very rocky start, and some were starting to wonder if Barry was beginning to age. By season's end however, he put those notions to rest. He hit .303 with 37 home runs and drove in 122 runs, winning his eighth Gold Glove, and became the first player ever to have 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases. Yet, he placed 8th in the MVP voting, likely due to baseball's home run fever in 1998, led by the Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa home run chase.
Throughout the decade of the 1990s, Bonds was an exceptionally patient hitter and a great slugger who stole bases and played Gold Glove defense. Bill James ranked Bonds as the best player of the 1990s, noting that his selection for the 1990s' 2nd-best player (Craig Biggio) had been closer in production to the decade's 10th-best player than he was to Bonds.
[edit] Resurgence
Bonds at the plate with the Giants.In 1999, with only statistics through 1997 being considered, Bonds ranked Number 31 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking active player. When the Sporting News list was redone in 2005, Bonds jumped up 28 spaces to Number 6 All Time, behind only Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Hank Aaron. However, while Bonds was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team that year, Griffey was actually elected to it. That same year, baseball historian and sabermetrician Bill James wrote of Bonds, "Certainly the most un-appreciated superstar of my lifetime... Griffey has always been more popular, but Bonds has been a far, far greater player." As of 1999, James rated Bonds as the 16th best player of all time, even though his career was far from complete. "When people begin to take in all of his accomplishments", James predicted, "Bonds may well be rated among the five greatest players in the history of the game."
By the year 2000, Bonds was already regarded as a surefire Hall of Famer, but it was in the beginning of the next millennium when Bonds would surpass his peers and reach a level of offensive production that only a select few in the history of the game have achieved. In 1999, he hit 34 home runs in just 355 at-bats in just 102 games. In 2000, at age 36, Bonds hit .306, with a slugging percentage of .688 (career best at that time), and hit 49 home runs in just 143 games (also a career high to that point), while collecting a league-leading 117 walks. He had started off that season even hotter, hitting 28 home runs and slugging over .730 at the All-Star break, but some minor injuries on the season quieted him down somewhat.
The next year, however, he would make his 2000 season look pathetic by comparison. Barry Bonds put on an offensive show in 2001. In his team's first 50 games, he hit 28 home runs, ending the season with 73 home runs, a new major league record. He hit 39 home runs by the All-star break (ML record), hit a home run every 6.52 at-bats (ML record - McGwire in '98 hit one every 7.2), drew 177 walks (ML record at the time), and had a .515 on-base percentage, a feat not seen since Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams some 40+ years before him. He also had an ML record and absolutely absurd .863 slugging percentage (411 total bases in just 476 at-bats), and his OPS (on-base + slugging) was minuscule percentage points behind Babe Ruth in 1920 for the highest of all time.
In 2002, he didn't stop. He hit 46 home runs in just 403 at-bats. He hit a career high .370 and struck out only 47 times. Despite playing in nine fewer games than the previous season before, he shattered his own walks record, drawing 198, with a major-league record 68 intentional. He slugged .799, at the time the 4th highest total all time. And he broke Ted Williams' ML record for on-base percentage with a staggering .583. He also broke Ruth's OPS record this season by 2 points. And, he hit his 600th home run, less than a year and a half after hitting his 500th.
In 2003, Bonds played in just 130 games, though he still won his 3rd straight MVP, standing for "Most Valuable Player", awarded by McGwire. He hit 45 home runs in just 390 at-bats, along with a .341 batting average. He slugged .749, walked 148 times, and had an OBP well over .500 for the 3rd straight year. He also turned himself into the charter and only member of the 500 home run/500 stolen base club. Finally, in 2004, Bonds had what was arguably his best season. He hit .362, and broke his own walks record again, walking 232 times. He slugged .812, 4th highest all time, and broke his on-base % record by becoming the first person to have an on-base % over .600. He also broke his OPS record. He passed his godfather, Willie Mays, on the all-time home run list, then hit his 700th home run near the end of the season. He hit 45 home runs in just 373 at-bats, and struck out just 41 times, putting him in elite company, as few people have ever had more home runs than strikeouts in a season.
In the new millennium, MLB was shrouded with the controversy of steroids. Although Bonds has never tested positive for steriods, suspicion was cast. During an investigation of BALCO Laboratories, Bonds' grand jury testimony was illegally leaked and obtained by the media. In the testimony he allegedly admitted he may have unknowingly been given "the clear" and "the cream", when he was told the substances were flaxseed oil. This ignited much media speculation on Bonds in relation to the BALCO investigation.
[edit] 2005 injury problems
On March 22, 2005, Bonds announced that he could be sidelined for the rest of the 2005 season because of surgery on his knee. At the press conference, Bonds also indicated that he was frustrated by the focus on his alleged steroid use and the negative portrayal of him in the media. Later, Bonds sounded positive about his rehabilitation and told fans at the Opening Day festivities, "I will be back!" The chances of Bonds' return to the playing field were covered relentlessly throughout the summer by ESPN, in anticipation of potentially unprecedented scrutiny by the media and baseball fans (baseball had toughened its steroid-testing program since Bonds had last played and Bonds was tested regularly even though he did not play). On May 4, Bonds revealed on his website that he had undergone a third arthroscopic knee surgery because of a bacterial infection in his knee. This setback led many to assume that Bonds would not play in the 2005 season, and in the process raised much speculation as to whether Hank Aaron's career home run record of 755 would ultimately be out of Bonds' reach.
On August 1, in an interview with MLB.com, Bonds stated that he would most likely not return before the end of the 2005 season, due to continued buildup of fluid in the knee. On August 5, though, he stated on his website that while he was unsure of his status, he remained optimistic. In September, Bonds started working out with the team while they were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. On September 10, the Giants announced that Bonds would be activated on September 12. He was indeed activated that day, and immediately returned to being a starter in left field. In his return against the San Diego Padres, he nearly hit a home run in his first at-bat, but the ball was ruled to be only a double due to fan interference. Bonds finished the night 1-for-4 with a double. Upon his return, Bonds mostly continued his pre-injury dominance at the plate, hitting home runs in four consecutive games from September 18 to September 21 and finishing with five in only 14 games.
[edit] 2006 season
Bonds batting versus the Cubs in 2006.On February 19, 2006, Bonds announced in an interview with USA Today that he planned on retiring at the conclusion of the 2006 season, with or without the all-time home run record. "I've never cared about records anyway", he said, "so what difference does it make? Right now, I'm telling you, I don't even want to play next year. Baseball is a fun sport. But I'm not having fun...I love the game of baseball itself, but I don't like what it's turned out to be. I'm not mad at anybody. It's just that right now I am not proud to be a baseball player."[1]
On March 9, 2006, after his first game of the preseason with the San Francisco Giants, Bonds said that he would know around the All-Star Break and in a time period ranging from July to August 2006, whether or not he would be returning for the 2007 MLB season.
Bonds started the 2006 season with a slump. Bonds hit under .200 for his first 10 games of the season. Bonds didn't hit a home run until April 22; it was his biggest home run slump since the 1998 season. Throughout May, June, July, and early August, Bonds continued with sub-par offensive performance, although as his chronic injuries began to bother him less and less as the season went on, his defensive performance improved. In August, he made several running and leaping catches of a sort that had become rare for him during recent seasons.
Then, in late August, Bonds began an offensive surge, hitting 10 home runs in 25 starts from August 21 through September 23, and lifting his batting average 40 points in the same stretch. On August 20 Bonds' batting average fell to .235, his lowest average since early May. From then to September 23, Bonds could look back to a full month on an offensive tear: a .400 batting average (34 hits in 85 official at-bats), a .800 slugging percentage, with 10 home runs, 6 doubles and 26 runs batted in, along with 19 walks and only 8 strikeouts. Although media talk about the unlikelihood of Bonds' being re-signed by the Giants for the 2007 season had grown through the season and into August, the tenor of speculation abruptly turned around with many commentators concluding that it would be difficult to ignore the late-season contribution by Bonds that was keeping the Giants in the pennant race.
In 2006, Bonds recorded his lowest slugging percentage (a statistic that he has historically ranked among league leaders season after season) since 1991 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a 2005 interview with MLB.com, Bonds stated that he could play into 2007 if he remains healthy and if he is close to Aaron's 755 home runs, although he also noted that he might retire before then if he is able to win a World Series title. [2] Bonds' current total, as of the end of the 2006 MLB season, is 734. With his 733rd and 734th career home runs, hit respectively on September 22 and 23, 2006, Bonds tied and then passed Henry Aaron's National League career record in Milwaukee, the city where Aaron's career began and ended.
In early December the Giants announced they had an agreement in place with Bonds on a 1 year, $15.8 million contract. On January 29, 2007, the contract was finalized as both the Giants and Bonds finally agreed to the language and terms in the contract. [3] After the commissioner's office rejected Bonds' one-year, $15.8 million deal because it contained a personal-appearance provision, the team sent revised documents to his agent, Jeff Borris. Who stated that "At this time, Barry is not signing the new documents."[4]
[edit] Other records
In 1998, Bonds tied John Olerud for the National League record of 15 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. He tied this record again in 2003.
In 2001, Bonds's slugging percentage of (.863) set a single-season record. He also slugged .812 in 2004, only the second time in history that a player has bettered .800 twice (Babe Ruth was the other, with .847 in 1920 and .846 in 1921, respectively).
In 2002, Bonds amassed a .582 on-base percentage, breaking Ted Williams' 1941 record of .551. In 2004, Bonds finished with a .609 OBP, the only time a player has bettered .600 over a full season.
In 2002, Bonds won the National League batting title with a .370 average, becoming the oldest player to win the honor for the first time. In 2004, he won his second batting title with a .362 average.
During the 2002 post-season, Bonds set the record for most home runs hit in a single post-season (8). Bonds hit .471 with 4 home runs and 13 walks (seven intentional) in the World Series, thereby slugging 1.294 with a .700 on-base percentage. The slugging percentage was a record; the on-base percentage was bettered only by Billy Hatcher in 1990.
In 2004, Bonds set the single-season OPS record with a total of 1.422.
In 2004, Bonds became the first player in history with more times on base (376) than official times at bat (373). This was due to the record number of walks, which count as a time on base but not a time at bat. He had 135 hits, 232 walks, and 9 hit-by-pitches for the 376 number.
Bonds has won the National League Player of the Month award thirteen times which is a record for either league. The next highest in either league is Frank Thomas who won the A.L. award eight times and the next highest total in the N.L. is only six held by George Foster, Pete Rose and Dale Murphy.
Bonds has the most trading cards issued of him than any other athlete in the world. According to an October 31 search on Beckett Online, the site catalogued 10,306 cards.
[edit] Chasing the all-time home run record
A sign counts up to Barry Bonds' 714th home runOn May 7, 2006, Bonds drew within one home run of tying Babe Ruth for second place, hitting his 713th career home run into the second level of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, off pitcher Jon Lieber in an ESPN nationally-televised game in which the Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. The towering home run, which was one of the longest in Citizens Bank Park's two season history, traveling an estimated 450 feet, hit off the facade of the third deck in right field and was Bonds' first pulled home run of the 2006 season. Curiously, and perhaps revealingly, the jeers from the Philadelphia crowd that had haunted Bonds earlier that night turned noticeably into cheers as he completed his swing, watched the flight of the ball, rounded the bases, and touched home plate, all this to flashbulbs exploding everywhere throughout the stands. The mixed and often paradoxical reaction to Bonds' impending achievement exemplifies the polarizing effect of his controversial career on baseball aficionados and casual observers alike. Some have ventured to say that while many fans hate Bonds, they all come to the park to see him play.
On May 9, 2006 in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Bonds hit what appeared to be his 714th home run. However, Cubs outfielder Juan Pierre leaped up at the wall and prevented him from tying Ruth's record.
On May 20, 2006, Bonds tied Ruth, hitting his 714th career home run to deep right field to lead off the top of the 2nd inning with a 1-1 count. The home run came off of left handed pitcher Brad Halsey of the Oakland A's, in an interleague game played in Oakland, California at the McAfee Coliseum (formerly known as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum or the Oakland Coliseum). Since this was an interleague game at an American League stadium, Bonds was batting as the designated hitter in the cleanup spot in the lineup for the Giants. The Bambino's 714 mark was tied by Bonds who hits left handed, the pitcher Halsey pitches left handed, and the fan who caught it, Tyler Snyder is left handed; all this to tie arguably the best left handed hitter in history. Echoing the comment Aaron made when he reached the 715 mark 32 years earlier. However, like Aaron, Bonds needed more at bats to break the record. Bonds was quoted after the game as being "just glad it's over with" and stated that more attention could be focused on Albert Pujols, the heir apparent to Bonds. Bonds went 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a run and an RBI for the day in a 4-2 victory over the Athletics as designated hitter batting cleanup.
The concession stand where home run # 715 was hit in center fieldOn May 28, 2006, Bonds passed Ruth, hitting his 715th career home run to center field off of Colorado Rockies pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim.[5] It came on a 3-2 pitch, with one man on base, in the bottom of the fourth inning of the final game of a home stand at AT&T Park. The ball was hit an estimated 445 feet into center field where it went through the hands of several fans but then fell onto an elevated platform in center field. Then it rolled off the platform where Andrew Morbitzer, a 38-year-old San Francisco resident, caught the ball while he was in line at a concession stand. Mysteriously, broadcaster Dave Flemming's radio play-by-play of the home run went silent just as the ball was hit, apparently from a microphone failure. But the televised version, called by Duane Kuiper, was not affected. This historic home run was not officially celebrated by MLB; however, the Giants organization unfurled two large banners from light standards alongside the scoreboard in center field to honor the event. And as Bonds took his position in left field at the top of the fifth inning, Ed Montague, the long-time National League and MLB umpire and crew chief who was officiating at second base for this game, approached Bonds to congratulate him, and the two hugged. Bonds went 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored and two RBI for the day in a 6-3 loss to the Rockies while batting cleanup and playing left field.
On September 22, 2006, Bonds tied Henry Aaron's National League career home run record of 733. The home run came in the top of the 6th inning of a high-scoring game against the Milwaukee Brewers, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The achievement was notable for its occurrence in the very city where Aaron began (with the Milwaukee Braves) and concluded (with the Brewers, then in the American League) his career. With the Giants trailing 10-8, Bonds hit a blast to deep center field on a 2-0 pitch off of the Brewers' Chris Spurling with runners on first and second and one out. Though the Giants were at the time clinging to only a faint chance at making the playoffs, Bonds' home run provided the additional drama of giving the Giants an 11-10 lead late in a critical game in the final days of a pennant race. The Brewers eventually won the game, 13-12, despite Bonds' going 3 for 5, with 2 doubles, the record-tying home run, and 6 runs batted in.
On the following day, September 23, 2006, Bonds went past Aaron for the NL career home run record. Hit in Milwaukee like the previous one, this was a solo home run off Chris Capuano of the Brewers, and it came on a 1-0 count with 1 out in the 3rd inning of the game. This was his last home run hit in 2006.
[edit] Salary
Bonds re-signed with the Giants for a five-year, $90 million contract in January 2002. His salary for the 2005 season was $22 million, the second-highest salary in Major League Baseball (the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez earned the highest, $25.2 million). In 2006 Bonds earned $20 million (not including bonuses), the fourth highest salary in baseball. Not including the 2006 season, he has made approximately $153 million during his 19-year career, making him one of baseball's highest paid players.
A free agent after the 2006 season, Bonds sought to play one more year for $20 million, but did not receive any contract offers, outside of the Giants. The only other team to show interest was the St. Louis Cardinals. A month before spring training was set to begin, Bonds signed a one-year 2007 contract with the Giants for $15.8 milion dollars.
[edit] Controversy
[edit] The BALCO Scandal
In 2003, Bonds became embroiled in a scandal when Greg Anderson of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, Bonds' trainer since 2000, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and charged with supplying anabolic steroids to athletes, including a number of baseball players. This led to speculation that Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs during a time when there was no mandatory testing in Major League Baseball. Bonds declared his innocence, attributing his changed physique and increased power to a strict regimen of bodybuilding and legitimate dietary supplements.
During grand jury testimony on December 4, 2003 — which was obtained through unknown means by the San Francisco Chronicle (leaking grand jury testimony is a felony) and published almost a year later, on December 3, 2004 — Bonds allegedly said Anderson gave him a rubbing balm and a liquid substance that Anderson said was arthritis cream and flaxseed oil, respectively.[6] The prosecutors contended that what Bonds was actually given was "the cream" and "the clear", which are both forms of the designer steroid THG.
In August 2005, all four defendants in the BALCO steroid scandal trial, including Anderson, struck deals with federal prosecutors that did not require them to reveal names of athletes who may have used banned drugs.
[edit] Perjury Investigation
This section documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
On April 13, 2006, CNN reported that federal investigators were looking into whether or not Bonds committed perjury during his 2003 grand jury testimony relating to the BALCO steroids scandal (see "The BALCO Scandal", above).[7] In the time since CNN broke the story, other news sources, including the San Francisco Chronicle and ESPN, have reported it, as well. According to these sources, the United States Attorney's Office in San Francisco has brought evidence before another grand jury to determine if Bonds should be indicted. Before testifying to the original grand jury (in 2003), witnesses were told that they could not be charged with any crime other than perjury based on their testimony.
On July 5, 2006, Greg Anderson was found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge William Alsup for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating perjury accusations against Bonds. Anderson was denied bail and immediately sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, said he would file an appeal based on his assertion that the subpoena to testify violated Anderson's plea bargain agreement in the BALCO case.[8]
On July 11, 2006, it was reported that MLB officials expected Bonds to be indicted on perjury and tax evasion charges as early as one week from that day.[9]
On July 20, 2006 the grand jury investigating the incident retired without issuing an indictment. Bond's trainer, Greg Anderson, was immediately released and promptly subpoenaed to testify before a new grand jury that will take up the case.[10] Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, stated that his client will continue to refuse to testify, meaning that Anderson could very well be jailed again for contempt of court and held for as long as the new grand jury's term lasts, which could extend beyond a year.
On July 22, 2006, it was reported that federal prosecutors had obtained Barry Bonds’ medical files as part of their investigation into whether the slugger perjured himself when he said he never knowingly used steroids. U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan had said he had postponed his decision on whether to seek an indictment of Bonds "in light of some recent developments", and the receipt of the medical records was apparently one of those developments. The records are believed to include information about three operations Bonds had last season to treat his right knee, as well as a serious elbow injury that required surgery in 1999. Bonds’ former girlfriend, Kimberly Bell, testified that Bonds blamed the elbow injury on steroid use. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, prosecutors had subpoenaed the documents nearly two months ago, but Bonds’ attorneys went to federal court to stop the government from obtaining the records.[11]
On August 17, 2006, Greg Anderson again refused to testify before the grand jury investigating Bonds. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered Anderson to return to court August 28 for a contempt hearing. In requesting the hearing, prosecutors for the first time publicly acknowledged they are targeting Bonds.[12]
On August 28, 2006, Greg Anderson was held in contempt of court and sent to federal prison for a second time for refusing to answer questions from a federal grand jury investigating Bonds. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said Anderson had provided no legal justification for refusing to tell the grand jury on Aug. 17 whether he had supplied steroids to Bonds or other athletes, or even whether he knew Bonds. Mark Geragos, Anderson's lawyer, said he would file an appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.[13]
On October 5, 2006, Greg Anderson was ordered released from prison after 37 days. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered his release because the federal appeals court hadn't affirmed the contempt order within the required 30 days after Anderson was jailed. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal had sent the contempt order back to Judge Alsup, thus delaying any ruling. The main contention of Anderson's appeal is that a secret, illegally-recorded tape of him discussing Bonds' steroid use is the basis for the grand jury questions he refuses to answer. Prosecutors, however, say the tape is legal and was made in a face-to-face meeting with Anderson. Although Alsup dismissed Anderson's tape claim and others, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal sent Anderson's appeal back to the judge, saying Alsup's ruling regarding the tape was not clear enough. In clarifying his order, Alsup said he agreed with prosecutors that there was ample evidence beyond the tape to question Anderson. Prosecutors have also said the questions they want answered are based on athletes' secret testimony in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative case and a search of Anderson's house that turned up drug records, some with Bonds' name on it. Other than the tape dispute, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected the merits of Anderson's appeal.[14] In November, after the order was clarified, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to hear Anderson's argument that his "entire grand jury process was tainted" because the government let the grand jury hear the tape. If the appeals court agrees that the tape unfairly contributed to Anderson's guilty plea, his conviction could be thrown out, even though Anderson already completed his three-month sentence. In the disputed tape recording, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Anderson reportedly told an unidentified person that Bonds was using drugs that could not be detected. Alsup, who has read a transcript of the tape, called it "as worthless a piece of evidence as I've ever seen", according to newspaper reports. [15][16]
On November 16, 2006, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Greg Anderson's appeal and ruled that he must return to prison for refusing to testify before the grand jury investigation Bonds. The court ordered him to report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin by November 20. The San Francisco-based appeals court agreed with U.S. District Judge William Alsup, ruling there was ample evidence beyond the tape to justify the grand jury's interest in questioning Anderson about Bonds.[17]
Greg Anderson is currently in jail awaiting an appeal before the entire 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark Geragos has stated he intends to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if the entire 9th Circuit refuses to hear his appeal or rejects his appeal.[18]
[edit] Amphetamine use
On January 11, 2007, the New York Daily News reported that Bonds had failed a test for amphetamines during the 2006 season. While Bonds was not suspended for any games under the MLB's new drug-testing policy, he was subjected to six further tests over the next six months, and a second positive test would have resulted in a 25-game suspension. Although media reports suggest that Bonds initially insisted that a substance taken from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker was to blame for the positive test, he has decided not to appeal the test results, and has since denied that Sweeney was ever involved in any way.[19][20][2][3]
[edit] Players' Union
Bonds withdrew from the MLB Players Association's (MLBPA) licensing agreement because he felt independent marketing deals would be more economically viable for him. If Bonds had not withdrawn, his name and likeness would be deemed usable in any merchandise licensed by the MLBPA. In order to use his name or likeness, a company must deal with Barry himself. For this reason he does not appear in some baseball video games, forcing game-makers to create generic athletes to replace him. For example, in MVP Baseball 2005 Barry Bonds's likeness is replaced by a white man with a beard named "Jon Dowd", and All-Star Baseball 2005 as "Wes Mailman".
[edit] Bonds on Bonds
Main article: Bonds on Bonds
In April 2006, ESPN premiered a new 10-part reality TV series starring Bonds. The show, titled Bonds on Bonds, revolves on the life of Bonds and his chase of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron's home run records, but has mostly been met with public indifference. It is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, producers of the Nickelodeon series All That and many other shows and movies. Currently, this show is on hiatus.
The first segment of Bonds on Bonds, aired Tuesday, April 4 nationwide on ESPN2. Much of the premiere episode dealt with how Bonds has coped with questions about whether steroids have fueled his athletic performance. At one point, Bonds even started to break down in tears. "If it makes them happy to go out of their way to try to destroy me, go right ahead. You can't hurt me any more than you've already hurt me", he said. He continued by saying, "You don't see me bringing anyone else into this. I'm going to take it myself." Bonds paused as his eyes welled and he choked back tears, "And I'm going to take it because there's so many people who depend on me."
In different segments throughout the program, Bonds acknowledged his often rocky relations with the press but cast himself as a victim of critics out to tear him down. He described himself as "mentally and emotionally drained" but insisted he was not going to let anyone "bring me down."
In June 2006, ESPN and producer Tollin/Robbins Productions officially pulled the plug on the reality series, citing "creative control" issues with star Barry Bonds and his representatives. No other details about the decision were given. "Bonds on Bonds" had been absent from the network's schedule since May 30, and given its poor ratings, the decision to cancel the show was hardly surprising, especially when coupled with the creative issues.
[edit] Game of Shadows
Main article: Game of Shadows
Barry Bonds on the March 13, 2006 cover of Sports Illustrated heralding the release of Game of Shadows.In March, 2006 the book Game of Shadows was released amid a storm of media publicity including the cover of Sports Illustrated. Initially small excerpts of the book were released by the authors in the issue of Sports Illustrated. The book alleges Bonds used stanozolol and a host of other steroids, and is perhaps most responsible for the change in public opinion regarding Bonds' alleged steroid use.
The book contained excerpts of grand jury testimony that is supposed to be sealed and confidential by law. Due to this the authors have been subpoenaed before a grand jury about how they obtained the testimony. The authors have been steadfast in their refusal to divulge their sources, and are currently facing jail time.
[edit] Love Me, Hate Me
In May 2006, former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman released a scathing unauthorized biography of Bonds entitled Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Anti-Hero. Though obscured by Game of Shadows, the book also contained many allegations against Bonds. Perhaps most noteworthy were the alleged details of his three years at Arizona State University, during which time Bonds was voted off the team by a 22-2 margin by teammates. The vote came after head coach Jim Brock had suspended Bonds for violating multiple team rules. The book states that ASU coach Jim Brock initiated the vote in the expectation that the team would vote to keep Bonds; when they did not, he overruled them.
Love Me, Hate Me also provided the statements of Jay Canizaro, a former Giants second baseman who also stated that he had first hand knowledge of Bonds taking steroids. [21]
[edit] Accomplishments
Holds record for most home runs in a season (73)
2nd all time for career home runs (734)
Holds record for most walks in a career (2,424)
Holds record for most MVP awards (7) and consecutive MVP awards (4); (1990, 1992-93, 2001-04)
Holds record for consecutive games with a walk (18)
Shares record for consecutive plate appearances with a walk (7)
Holds record for consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs (13)
Holds record for consecutive seasons with .600 slugging percentage or higher (8)
5-time SF Giants Player of the Year (1998, 2001-04
13-Time All-Star (1990, 1992-98, 2000-04)
7-Time Baseball America NL All-Star OF (1993, 1998, 2000-04)
3-Time Major League Player of the Year (1990, 2001, 2004)
3-Time Baseball America MLB Player of the Year (2001, 2003-04)
8-Time Gold Glove winner for NL Outfielder (1990-94, 1996-98)
12-Time Silver Slugger winner for NL Outfielder (1990-94, 1996-97, 2000-04)
Led the Major Leagues in home runs (1993, 2001)
Led the NL in batting average (2002, 2004)
Led the NL in on base percentage (1991-93, 1995, 2001-04, 2006)
Led the Major Leagues in slugging percentage (1990, 1992-93, 2001-04)
Led the Major Leagues in extra base hits (1992-93, 2001)
Led the Major Leagues in on base percentage (1992, 2001-04)
Led the NL in runs (1992)
Led the NL in RBIs (1993)
Led the NL in walks (1992, 1994-97, 2000-04, 2006)
Led the NL in intentional walks (1992-98, 2002-04, 2006)
Led the NL in runs created (1992-93, 2001-02, 2004)
Led the Major Leagues in total bases (1993, with 365)
Led the Major Leagues in runs created (1993, 2001-02, 2004)
Led the NL in games (1995)
Led the NL in extra base hits (1992-93, 2001)
Led the NL in at bats per home run (1992-93, 1996, 2000-04)
3-Time NL Hank Aaron Award winner (2001-02, 2004)
Led the Major Leagues in batting average (2002, with .370)
Listed at # 6 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranked active player, in 2005.
Named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999, but not elected to the team in the fan balloting.
Rating of 345 on Baseball-Reference.com's Hall of Fame monitor (100 is a good HOF candidate); 9th among all hitters, highest among hitters not in HOF yet. [2]
"Barry Bonds is the best player I've ever seen. He can be pitched to, but very carefully.” - Jose Rijo
“Barry is the reincarnation of Ted Williams—with more power.” - San Francisco Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"Barry Bonds is clearly the most talented athlete I have had the pleasure to coach (at Arizona State University). We all knew he would do well in professional baseball, but how could anyone dream that his accomplishments would be this great this quickly." - ASU Coach Jim Brock in the Arizona Republic (1993)
Quotes About Barry Bonds
"Barry did things that were amazing. He would hit a ball with topspin over the fence that would be incredible. A ball that would usually drop in front of the outfielder, but instead his went over the fences." - Arizona State University teammate Mike Devereaux
"Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him." - Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland
"Barry Lamar Bonds was the best player of the decade (not Ken Griffey, Jr. in the 1990s), and entering the new century he was still the best player in the game, blasting an amazing seventy-three homers in 2001. His combination of power and speed have been matched only by his godfather, Willie Mays." - TheBaseballPage.com
“He always seems to get himself in a hitter's count.” - Manager Jeff Torborg
"He attacks the ball just the same way his dad did. It's got to be tough playing under the shadow of his dad. But he doesn't let it bother him. He's got a lot of guts just to be out there." - Mike Shannon in the St. Petersburg Times
“He's always been the best player in the game. Is he the best ever? What do I know? I only know what happened in the nineties. He's always been a complete player. He didn't have to hit thirty extra home runs to convince me of that.” - Greg Maddux on ESPN.com (April 9, 2004)
"He's beginning to make a case for himself as arguably being maybe the greatest player to ever play the game." - Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Jim Tracy
"He's the most remarkable offensive player in my lifetime. With the power he possesses and his compact swing, it's almost impossible to control bat speed. The only other player who approached this 'zone' was McGwire the year he broke Maris' record." - Houston Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker
"He's the one guy in our league I would pay to watch." - Matt Williams
"I can't imagine what it was like seeing Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Mays, DiMaggio, Cobb, etcetera in the prime of their careers, but somehow, it must have been like what we see Barry doing right now. He completely dominates the game, just as all the great stars of their day did." - Former Pitcher / ESPN analyst Tom Candiotti
"I don't know how good Mickey Mantle was, or Hank Aaron, or Willie Mays. But Barry is a great player. And Barry has been a great player. I've always looked at Barry's numbers and been amazed by them. Just now, he's hitting more home runs, so people are talking more about him." - Tom Glavine
"I don't think there can be an argument for what he is—hands down, the best player in the game today. I think, when considering where he fits in among the all-time greats, you may have some arguing. The problem is the difference in the game today, versus earlier years. Barry is a superstar in any era. But I don't know if he hits seventy (70) riding trains, playing in those old huge parks, with a ball that's twice as soft as the new balls, with the older larger strike zone. And let's face it, 15 years ago, you could drop a hitter and never think twice about it. ... The game is just so different today. But for my money, there's no one even close to him right now." - Curt Schilling
"If you ask me, he's a bargain. I know they paid him a lot of money, and everyone expects wonders. But after watching him play, we got a bargain. He can pretty much do it all. His baseball instincts are unbelievable. And he's not just trying to get a hit, he's trying to crush the ball. If you make a bad pitch, he'll hit a home run and he'll embarrass you. If Barry hits a pop fly to the infield, he won't run a full-out sprint to second base. No one will. But if he hits a shot to left and the outfielder doesn't come in and field it cleanly, he'll be at second base. We got a bargain." - Jeff Brantley (1993)
"I know exactly what my son's gone through, because I went through the same damn thing myself. They said I was supposed to be the next Willie Mays. When they told me that, it was an honor. You're talking about the guy I consider the greatest player to ever wear shoes. I probably had more success than anyone they ever put the Mays label on. You show me another guy who's going to go 30-30 five times. I sure hadn't met him until my son did it. But all the writers kept talking about was my 'potential'...'You haven't reached your potential,' they would say. Well, unless you (writers) win a Pulitzer Prize, you haven't reached your potential, either!" - Bobby Bonds
"In my lifetime, I haven't seen anybody like him, with the career he's had and the things he can do—and he's getting better at this time in his life. To me, what he did last year was probably the most remarkable thing that's ever happened in the game. To walk one-hundred seventy times and hit seventy-three home runs? It was like: The only times he swings, he hits a home run. When they throw him a strike, he hits it out of the ballpark. And when they throw a ball, he doesn't swing. I don't think anyone has ever been in a zone like that. The guy has almost hit eighty home runs in a year, a year and a week. He's got as many home runs in one year as I've got my whole career, in twenty-three years." - Tim Raines
"Is he better than Babe Ruth? Hell, I don't know. Who does know? Barry never pitched and won twenty games. I know that. But in his era, there ain't nobody close. And I mean nobody." - Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox
"Whenever we talk on the phone, Barry knows I've been there. I've stood sixty feet, six inches, from Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There's no situation that comes up for Barry that I haven't gone through myself." - Bobby Bonds
"Most times, when you talk about an intelligent player, you're talking about a guy who doesn't play too good. Here's a guy who I equate to Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux.'' - Dusty Baker in the Houston Chronicle
“Nobody has ever been better than this guy.” - San Francisco Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"One day, he will put up numbers no one can believe." - Pirate Teammate R.J. Reynolds
“Sometimes he says things before he thinks. That's why I'm here—to remind him other people have feelings, too.” - Hall of Famer WIllie Mays
"The real debate isn't over National League MVP, but over which of Barry Bonds' seasons should be considered his finest. There's 2001, when he hit his record seventy-three home runs. There's 2002, when he hit .370 and won his first batting title. And now there's 2004, when the San Francisco Giants slugger is preparing to shatter his season record for on-base percentage, hitting for nearly as high an average as Ichiro and missing fewer pitches than ever." - Ken Rosenthal in The Seattle Times (September 2, 2004)
“The rest of us play in the major leagues. He's at another level.” - Teammate Rich Aurilia
“The rest of us should spend all of our time in the dugout bowing to him.” - Benito Santiago
"You can't tell me the Babe was any better than this guy. You can't tell me this guy isn't the best player in the history of the game." - Florida Marlins Manager Jack McKeon
"We've told him, 'Man, you've just got to loosen up. You've got to relax and be yourself. Let them see what you're all about.' I said, ‘Here's an opportunity for you to let these people get close, but will you do that? No!' And he said, 'You're right, I won't.' I know what's going on up there in his head, and I can be a little more sympathetic than most people. I still say he's the best player in our league, no question." - Tony Gwynn
"Where Barry has truly affected the entire team is the way he has fun just practicing the game. He truly loves to play. And his defense is contagious. In one game, he made a game-saving catch and cut three sure doubles off at the line and held them to singles; in a couple of cases, his plays saved what would have been runs. He's made everyone in the field more aggressive. Defense is the most contagious aspect of baseball, and Barry has dramatically affected the way the Giants play the game." - San Francisco Giants Owner Peter Magowan in the Boston Globe
“You walk Barry. Just walk him.” - Greg Maddux
Since I can't get a pic to upload
Bonds then
http://members.tripod.com/~protherj/bblimages/bonds.jpg
Bonds now
http://www.sfbappa.org/SF28.images/9%20BEST%20BARRY%20BONDS%20PHOTO/0HM1.JPG
Alec's take: You know, I certainly don't have much respect for a person who has a bad relationship with the media, and I hear is a real jerk. In my opinion, Barry Bonds is the most controversial name in the history of baseball. To have a Ted Williams esque relationship with the media, to have the talent Babe Ruth had, and arguably be the most recognizable today in the game of baseball, that says alot. But, the numbers don't lie, and are quite intimidating. If he was clean the whole time, I would rank him #2 behind Ruth. Because Ruth revolutionized the game. Bonds did, too. But Babe Ruth WAS baseball. No question about it. However, because he is dirty, and speedy, I have chosen to penalize him and put him away from being one of the best of all time. True, he started using steroids at like 35, but his stats are tarnished. Bonds 1998 and back, was one of the best. Bonds 1999 and on, gets no respect from me. I will admit, he put up amazing numbers, but to respect a guy who juiced it up to me is like respecting someone who terrorized my country...or whatever country you may be from. It's a shame Bonds had to do this, because boy, was he a player back in the day.