Barry Bonds Returns to Major League Baseball

Barry Bonds is now set to return to the San Francisco Giants as a spring training batting instructor.

 The Home Run King is expected in Scottsdale Arizona the second week of March.

Barry Bonds vs. Lou Gehrig

LA Times article

Larry Baer: the voters need to sort some things out

“This was the decision. It’s difficult. There have been complications in determining Hall of Famers throughout history, and it was more intense this year for sure. I think over time we would hope he’d be considered to be another Giant in the Hall of Fame. We also understand the voters need to sort some things out. That’s what I feel.” --- Larry Baer, President, San Francisco Giants

Hall of Fame Voters send Barry Bonds a message

Hall of Fame Voters certainly send Barry Bonds a message in his first year of HOF eligibility. The slugger got 36.2 percent of the vote, less than half of the 75 percent required for election.

Jeff Kent on the "cloud around" Barry Bonds

Did you ever suspect that Barry Bonds was using performance-enhancing drugs?


Jeff Kent: “Well I think all of us, as baseball players, even the fans, you watch a player evolve into something bigger and better and, as a player, you scratch your head and you go, ‘Wow, really? I mean can that really happen?’ So you don’t really know, but you have in your mind that something’s not right and Barry presented that cloud around himself and kind of got himself in trouble. I’ll try to stay away from that the best I can, but that’s the small soapbox I can stand on about that.”

Barry Bonds, Year 1 with the Giants (1993)

Barry Bonds #25 Left Field 
San Francisco Giants

1993 Statistics:

46 Home Runs 123 RBI's .336 AVE

In time, Barry Bonds should get his bronze plaque

The thorny issue of Barry Bonds’ Cooperstown candidacy


SI.com talks about Barry Bonds:

The wide consensus among voters is that Bonds certainly isn’t going to get in on the first ballot. Unless he receives less than five percent of the vote — highly unlikely given the precedents of McGwire and Palmeiro — he’ll have 14 more years to gain entry. It may be several years before he gets in, but the evolution of the electorate — which began admitting members of the electronic media (such as Rob Neyer, Keith Law, Christina Karhl and even this writer) — in recent years could work in his favor. So too might the pressure on voters to hold their noses and recognize that the Hall is a private institution whose revenue is based upon tourism; a failure to accurately reflect the era as part of baseball history may doom it — and by extension, the voting body — to irrelevance. It certainly won’t be a pretty process, but in time, Bonds should get his bronze plaque.

Barry Bonds vs. Melky Cabrera

Melky Cabrera released the following statement (issued by the MLB Players Association):

"My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used. I accept my suspension under the Joint Drug Program and I will try to move on with my life. I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down."

Melky Cabrera 2012 
Batting AVE .346

OBP .390

SLG .516

SUSPENDED: 50 games

"I went through the system. And that's what it is. And that's what I got. I went through the system. I'm in an appeal process right now. I was never convicted of steroids." 

-- Barry Bonds May 29, 2012

Barry Bonds without-a-doubt belongs in the Hall

"Oh, without a doubt. There's no doubt in my mind," Barry Bonds responded when asked if he feels he belongs in baseball's Hall of Fame.

More about philosophy, voting and opinions from Barry Bonds to MLB.com:

"You have to vote on baseball the way baseball needs to be voted on. If you vote on your assumptions or what you believe or what you think might have been going on there, that's your problem. You're at fault. It has nothing to do with what your opinion is. Period. If that's the case, you better go way, way back and start thinking about your opinions. If that's how you feel life should be run, I would say then you run your Hall of Fame the way you want to run your Hall of Fame. That's what I think. That's my personal opinion. If you want to do the Hall of Fame the way the Hall of Fame is supposed to be done, then you make the right decision on that. If you don't, that's on you. To stamp something on your assumptions, it doesn't work for me."

Barry Bonds needs a job

The MLB players’ union is considering a collusion grievance on Barry Bonds’ behalf.

MLB union chief Michael Weiner says: 

"There’s a potential grievance. I’d love to see Barry work in baseball in any capacity he’d like. Barry Bonds is not just a multitalented player but a multitalented individual. It would be wonderful to see him in whatever capacity he’d like to work in."

Flashback: Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh 1992

Barry Bonds, the Pirates and 1992

He had a career year, the year of 1992 with the Pirates: 34 home runs, .311 batting average with a slugging percentage of .677.

It was his last year with the Pirates (signing a then-record contract with the Giants) and the following year with San Francisco, he would post even greater numbers.


Why are people talking about Barry Bonds, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1992 MLB baseball season this week?

Because people cannot stop talking about Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates (at this year's MLB All-Star Game) and what he has done this year with his monster season in Pittsburgh. Andrew is making Pirates fans forget about the past 20 years and forget about Barry Bonds.

Andrew McCutchen is the multiskilled, 25-year-old center fielder for the Pirates who was just named National League Player of the Month for June. He is in his fourth season with Pittsburgh. MVP talk is growing. Why shouldn't it? Andrew is currently hitting .362 with 18 home runs so far in the 2012 campaign.


As delirious as Pirates fans are over their team being in first place, they are just as or more so over Andrew McCutchen. Why should they? Everybody likes Andrew McCutchen and he is great in the Pittsburgh community. 


Good luck to Andrew McCutchen the rest of the 2012 baseball season.

2002 NL champion San Francisco Giants celebrate 10-year reunion

Team members of the 2002 National League champion San Francisco Giants gathered at AT&T Park on Sunday, receiving ovations from the crowd before the Giants faced the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a four-game series.

Quotes from Barry Bonds about the reunion:

"That team had a great impact, especially on Dusty's son. Little Darren out there, he was like our good-luck charm. It's good to see him back here, too."  

"Not winning? It doesn't stick with me anymore. Right now, it's just good to see everyone and have a good time. Win or lost, it's nice just to come home and reminisce with each other." 

"Game 6 happened and I don’t even remember Game 7. I remember standing in the shower thinking, ‘What happened?’"

The Reds lost 4-3 to the Giants in the bottom of the ninth on Angel Pagan's fly ball that was badly misplayed into a double by outfielder Jay Bruce.

Coach Barry Bonds is ready

The 47-year-old home run king visited the Diamondbacks-Giants game on Monday, and looked especially lean and ready at about 212 pounds. Ready for what? Anything to help the Giants he said during his brief interview in the broadcast booth during San Francisco’s 4-2 afternoon game win at AT&T Park.

"If you believe that I can contribute and help the organization, then fine," Bonds said. "If you don't, fine. I'm just saying it's out there."

Barry Bonds and the medical profession

Barry Bonds: 10 years ago sharing his deep concerns for doctors, the medical profession and his hopes for a cure for cancer

"Doctors ought to quit worrying about what ballplayers are taking. What players take doesn't matter. It's nobody else's business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer. It takes more than muscles to hit homers. If all those guys were using stuff, how come they're not all hitting homers?" -- Barry Bonds, May 21, 2002, Associated Press

April 12: Barry Bonds

In 2004, on April 12, Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run,

tying Willie Mays. 

Matt Cain: more important than Barry Bonds?

5 reasons the Giants must get Matt Cain signed to a long-term deal

Ryan Braun strikes out twice in Cactus League debut

Ryan Braun received the Barry Bonds treatment in his opening Spring Training game in Phoenix on Sunday.

The game was played at Milwaukee’s home spring Park - the Maryvale Baseball Park - against the Giants.

Brewers fans gave Braun a standing ovation when he came to bat.

Yet, about half of the nearly 7,000 fans at the park were cheering for the San Francisco Giants. Fans yelled “Ur-ine Sam-ple!” and “Cheater!” at the NL 2011 MVP winner. Braun struck out twice.

The Cactus League game ended in a 1-1 tie.

The 10 best things about being a Giants fan

1. Tim Lincecum's windup
2. AT&T Park
3. History is everywhere
4. Croix de Candlestick buttons
5. Kruk and Kuip
6. The uniforms
7. The Crazy Crab
8. We still can appreciate Barry Bonds
9. The community of fans
10. We're not Dodgers fans

via Dave Tobener, of Golden Gate Giants

Clay Hensley: who yielded No. 755 to Barry Bonds is a Giant

Right-handed reliever Clay Hensley, who yielded the Barry Bonds home run that tied Henry Aaron, has agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Hensley is well-known and well liked by both GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy. Why wouldn't Sabean and Bochy not like Hensley. They both witnessed #755 sail out of AT&T Park. The next day, Hensley was optioned to the minor leagues.

In 2005, Clay was suspended 15 games for testing positive for steroids while pitching in the minor leagues.

It is once again great to be a part of the Clay Hensley project!

Tim Lincecum: More Valuable Than Barry Bonds

Congratulations Tim Lincecum!

With your new 2-year contract valued at $40.5 milllion - you are the highest paid member of the San Francisco Giants on an annual basis. Ever!

Your contract is more valuable than the $18 million that Barry Bonds and Barry Zito both averaged with their contracts.