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Baseball Primer Newsblog
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Saturday, February 22, 2014
Barry Bonds will be spring training Giants instructor
I fully expected Barry Lockridge to come back to Giant land before Barry Bonds!
Barry Bonds is scheduled to return to the Giants from March 9-17, serving as a special instructor for the organization’s young hitters. Bonds has long wanted to take on a more active role with the organization, but the two sides have not been connected in an official capacity since 2007, Bonds’ last season in Major League Baseball.
The years since have been filled with performance-enhancing drug allegations, a perjury trial and a conviction for obstruction of justice, but the Giants are not worried about Bonds being a distraction.
“He’s part of what we’ll do here,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s going to be part of the group of instructors, like (Will) Clark, (J.T.) Snow or (Jeff) Kent. He’s going to be like the other guys and help where he can.
“I don’t have any concerns.”
During an appearance at AT&T Park in 2012, Bonds told reporters that he had approached Giants CEO and President Larry Baer about working for the club in some form. The conversations have continued informally since then, and the Giants felt that the timing was finally right to bring back one the best players in baseball history, albeit one with a complicated history.
“Collectively within the organization, we felt that given Barry’s desire to continue to contribute to the Giants, we should be open-minded about giving him the same invite that we have given to other players in the past,” Baer said.
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1. sinicalypse Posted: February 22, 2014 at 08:33 PM (#4660861)Just look at Bonds' head!
Well, he also bikes like 50 miles a day and probably doesn't lift weights for 5 hours a day anymore. But who knows, it might be all about the juice
Barry Bonds could have had nuclear heat if he'd just transferred over his gimmick straight from MLB to WWE.
Speaking of heel promos, Pete Rose cut a heckuva heel promo at Wrestlemania 14. Keep watching for JR's fantastic call of the action.
About as many as we saw when McGwire was named the Cardinals' hitting coach. You can tell us how many that was.
Bryant, and the numerous other dipshits here at BTF who said that he was secretly colluded against by baseball and that he's going to file that collusion grievance any day now.
wow, you brought this one back again? As mentioned before both MLB and the union have come to an agreement that Bonds can file a collusion claim once his legal issues with the government are resolved. They have not been resolved yet. When they do get resolved Bond may or may not file but the lack of filing does not prove your strawman arguments were correct.
The fact said player is a legendary ####### is a perfectly valid reason not to. It depends what you mean by "around the game," sure, but Barry Bonds was jaded about baseball from his youth and consistently regarded everyone around him (most obviously and, for his reputation, damagingly, reporters, but also teammates, team staff, pretty much everyone connected to the game) with bald contempt from the day he arrived in the major leagues.
These things would still be true if he had never touched a steroid, and if there were no such things as steroids.
As Vlad says, the man is a walking encyclopedia on hitting so if I were running a team I'd be happy to hire him and see if he can help the hitters. But it doesn't strike me as appalling or inappropriate that the institution of Baseball is in no hurry to make Barry Bonds its public ambassador.
May be well said but it is pretty much false and inaccurate. He had a fued with Jeff Kent and Andy Van Slyke at different points in his career but unlike many a showboater and arsehole he kept it within the family and didn't go running to the press to make it a big time event. He had a very public shoving match with Kent in the dugout once but again it didn't spread and get worse. He doesn't talk trash about baseball or his fellow baseball players and he is respected for that. He had problems with Leyland when he was young but a ton of young kids have trouble with maturity and Leyland certainly wasn't the type who could handle that type optimally. And that is about it for Bonds and baseball fueds and bad acting. About the only people in baseball who talk trash on Bonds are people who are rather notorious for being arrogant full of themselves arseholes who might very well be upset that the uppity black bastard has the gall to be his own man.
What, you actually believed that sociopathic Gonfa (loon) who eviscerated Joey's previous iteration of this incorrect claim?
so let's not go throwing jeff kent up there as a sweet nice boy who that meanie bonds pushed around
and the pitsburgh media was rude and abusive to bonds - it wasn't like he was facing these nice guys. leyland has said many times on the records that barry and him had their fights, but he loved barry who played hard for him. barry has said on the record that he loves leyland like a second father and that he as a great manager. barry was an egotistical supadupa stah, but all this stuff about how much his teamates hate him was invented by media
If I were as good as him, I'd probably be pretty full of myself, too.
me too
HOTTTTT guys to the left of me
HOTTTTT guys to the right
you can all gon git some soon
dontchu start no fight
cuz ahm TNT!!!!!
yea, DYNOMITE!!!
men EVERYWHERS and they mine ALL mine. the play MANsion
yeh
thinks about this
uck
nevermind
If you're mean to Baroids, you're either a jerk or a racist, possibly both.
Absolutely. Even the San Francisco Giants are a bunch of racist jerks; why else wouldn't they bring him back after the '07 season?
Oh yeah, how in the world could I possibly forget: every clear-thinking intelligent person knows that they were commanded to not offer him any more contracts in the sooper-dooper ultra top secret Barry Bonds banishment collusion order handed down by Bud Seligula, the evidence of which is finally going to come out once and for all by the year 2525. The fact that he's being allowed to work with the team as a spring training coach is just more proof of how clever that evil Seligula is as he now tries to cover up his guilty tracks.
Pretending he was some sort of world class jerk or whatever is just not supported by what we know.
World class? Probably not. But there's enough to support he wasn't garden variety either, particularly in his younger days.
I assume you mean second greatest thing after Bonds 1x1 training with Hunter Pence.
Most of the accusations I am familiar with seem mostly media creations, but I am hardly a "Bonds as jerk" expert or anything (and I think Clubhouse Chemistry is WAY overrated).
No one is denying the media thought he was a jerk. Both sides in that fight made it clear they did not like each other. Past that though is the real question.
Or substitute Ted Williams
Didn't Bonds offer to pay for the education of the children of that guy who was assaulted at Dodger stadium?
But most of his jerkiness comes from one place. When he was young, he realized some people had taken advantage of his father's talents, and to a lesser extent, the same thing happened to Willie Mays. Barry made the decision early on that no one would ever get over on him like that. So unless he trusts you, he's paranoid that you're trying to exploit him. That's a big part of his problem with the media. He views them as vultures who make a living off of people like him. You can also see this attitude with the people he gets along with. He's great and generous with kids in need because he doesn't fear their motives, and he loves talking to great players like Joe Morgan.
This leads to a weird dichotomy. Take the fight in the dugout with Kent. It actually started because Bonds was standing up for David Bell when Kent ####### at him (http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Giants-now-battling-each-other-Bonds-Kent-2826698.php). There was a story in an article here recently about him yelling at Marvin Benard for using one of Bonds' reserved lockers. Benard thought it would be a lucky locker. Afterwards, Bonds told Benard he could stay in the locker, he just wanted to let everyone else know it wasn't open season on his space.
In my book, if you do jerky things, you're a jerk. Bonds definitely meets that criteria. But he might also be a good person, if that makes sense.
Bonds pledged to pay the college tuition for Stow's children. Stow's family has said they are planning on taking Bonds up on that.
Which means the NCAA will undoubtedly ban them from participating in any collegiate level sports (including all intramural sports and all pick-up basketball games)
If Bonds was giving Virdon #### for sticking with Enos Cabell for so long with the late 70's Astros, he'd have a point.
I see this as dead on.
Add in the fact that both Bobby Bonds and Mays are somewhat to very bitter about how baseball treated them and you can start to see that Barry's views on reporters and the business side of the game were well set early on.
He made the single biggest mistake a player,especially a black player can-he didn't play ball with they media and they crushed him for it.
Then toss in that pretty much every personality characteristic mentioned above is a standard symptom of an Adult Child of an Alcoholic and I actually have some sympathy for this guy.
It's almost like a Greek tragedy-you have this monumentally talented individual burdened with immense flaws,some his own making,some not so much so, that brought him down.I'm not saying that BB is a nice guy-stories of his dickishness go back to his college days. But I think that, to a large extent, he got dealt a crappy hand.
Meanwhile,back at the ranch,I'm delighted to see this move on the part of the Giants and Bonds.
A few years back I posted my post-career Barry Bonds redemption plan. Phase one was disappear for a while,let new goats emerge (Thank you ARod),fade a bit from memory.Phase two was exactly this,do some spot announcing here and there,just for an inning or so, then emerge as a Spring Training coach,ala Koufax. Not a FT member of the staff,just a guy who dispenses wisdom. Think Cobb with the Tigers.
It wouldn't hurt at all either if he started dispensing nice quotes(Which Cobb did till his death),especially at the younger writers.He's a witty guy,by all accounts quite capable of being warm and charming when he so desires.
Then, as the older writers who knew him fade,his numbers will loom larger and larger to a generation that only knows him through BBR and old videos. At that point,like Williams,he may just become a GOMOBB (Grand Old Man of BaseBall)and finally get the respect he's due.
Retirement is being very, very good to Barry.
I can only imagine how a school-aged Barry felt reading in the papers that his dad, an immensely talented player in his own right, was a "malingerer" and a disappointment at every stop in his career. I'm sure Barry's personal view of sports "journalists" was forged at a very young age.
Exactly.Let's not forget that Bobby Bonds had immense pressure put on him to be the next Mays and despite being a terrific player,never could live up the ridiculous expectations and was always seen as a disappointing underachiever.
There was also the minor issue of the K's.
Today Bobby would be seen as the great player he was.Lots of walks,good speed,good power,decent glove.Back then though, forget the rest of his game, he got mauled for the strikeouts.The common complaint was not enough BA,too many K's.
Of course Barry grew up distrustful of the press.He had it hammered into him his whole life.He'd have to be an idiot to think they played fair with players
Its good that Bonds seems to be making an effort to come across as a kinder man, and that he's getting back into the game. He was juiced to the gills, but he's still a baseball genius.
I don't think so... who does the all-sweetie team have? Musial... maybe Honus Wagner? I don't think Ruth or Mantle qualify for either team. Maybe if you can get a competitive (with the all-####### team) all-sweetie lineup... but I think an OF of Williams, Cobb, and Bonds beats alone probably comes out ahead... Add Hornsby at 2B... A-Rod at SS.
Without thinking too hard about it, my bet is that the all-####### team wipes the floor with the sweeties on the mound. Who pitches for the sweeties? Maybe you give 'em a hell of a pen starting with Rivera... I suppose you could also give 'em Maddux... but Pedro, Clemens, Spahn, etc... the great pitchers tend to be real redasses. Walter Johnson was supposed to be a pretty nice guy, I guess.
I still think the ######## beat the sweeties, but on further review - maybe it's closer than I thought.
Musial, Wagner, Johnson, Rivera... you can probably give 'em Gehrig... Aaron?
The tough part is probably divining who qualifies for which squad - I don't think you can just take everyone and call them either/or - you've got to exclude from either team guys who were either more 'blah' personality-wise or alternately, had their personality pluses or minuses... For example, does Dimaggio really qualify for either team?
Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench (close enough), Tris Speaker, Wagner, Musial, Jimmy Collins, Mike Schmidt, Hank Aaron, Mel Ott, George Brett... I don't know. I'd certainly be willing go to war with a team that had those players.
I think you have to distinguish between 'beloved' and sweeties... Santo, for example, however much love he garnered post-playing career, had a real reputation as a redass. He rubbed opponents the wrong way with his heel clicking antics, and even on his own team, there was his berating of what's-his-name during the '69 collapse after a dropped flyball. The ######## can probably do better than even him at 3B, but he tries out for the ########, not the sweeties.
you've got to exclude from either team guys who were either more 'blah' personality-wise or
On the other hand what about Bob Gibson? Whatever you want to make of him, "blah" doesn't enter into the picture. Intense, focused, competitive, a team leader. I get the impression that a lot of people admired him; whether they liked him isn't the same question. Probably doesn't fit on either team.
If I recall Walter Johnson was also famous for refusing to throw at hitters.
Harmon Killebrew could and should find a spot on the all-nice guy team. Possibly along with his lefthanded doppelganger, Jim Thome.
Let's see, the ####### team...
C Munson
1B Anson
2B Hornsby
3B Dick Allen
SS ?
LF Williams
CF Cobb
RF Reggie
SP Clemens
SP Ryan
SP Carlton, maybe?
SP Kevin Brown
SP Schilling
I don't think Bonds or Rodriguez belong on the ####### team, but if you add them that's a hell of a lineup.
SP Ryan
SP Carlton, maybe?
SP Kevin Brown
SP Schilling
How about Lefty Grove?
Not sure if Leo Durocher is a good enough player to be on the team at shortstop, but personality-wise he fits the bill..
But could he manage the team? Nah, there's a LOT of competition for that spot. Billy Martin, maybe. Another SS/manager/###### to consider is Larry Bowa.
Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench (close enough), Tris Speaker, Wagner, Musial, Jimmy Collins, Mike Schmidt, Hank Aaron, Mel Ott, George Brett... I don't know. I'd certainly be willing go to war with a team that had those players.
Berra wasn't such a sweet guy during his playing career, in spite of all those stories about his love of comic books and malapropisms. And Speaker belonged to the KKK.
It's probably not a coincidence that the first names that pop to mind for an "All Nice Guy HoF team" are from the time before 24/7 media intrusion and chipmunk journalism:
1B Lou Gehrig
2B Red Schoendienst
SS Ernie Banks
3B Brooks Robinson
LF Stan Musial
CF Richie Ashburn
RF Tony Gwynn
C Roy Campanella
DH Harmon Killebrew
MGR Al Lopez
OWNER Bill Veeck
1B Bill Terry
2B Rogers Hornsby
SS Joe Cronin
3B Wade Boggs or Pie Traynor**
LF Carl Yastrzemski
CF Ty Cobb
RF Reggie Jackson
C Carlton Fisk / Thurmon Munson (dead heat tie)
DH Joe Medwick
MGR Tommy LaSorda
OWNER Marge Schott
**The only living (at the time) HoFer who refused to respond to an mailed autograph request from a 12 year old boy I knew. He finally got the autograph by sending Traynor a registered letter with a return receipt. The letter read, "Ha, ha, got your autograph!"
Durocher wasn't much of a hitter but he must have had good defensive chops, otherwise he would not have had the long career, with the vast majority of his games at shortstop. I say start Durocher at SS and then have Kent/Stanky/Evers on the bench.
He doesn't seem to particularly get along well with anyone, he's got a crap ton of insecurities, and he just comes off as well... weird.
He's like a cross between Buster Bluth and G.O.B. -- that's plenty off-putting quirk for an invite to camp.
I'd also say Gibson belongs with the bungholes - not because he's unpleasant in the same manner of A-Rod... but a streak of mean, maybe a little hot-headed. You don't need to be Juan Marichal to try out for the rotation.
On the other side, yeah -- we can definitely find room for Banks and Killebrew.
Now if you want a weird team as a new third group then ARod is definitely on that team. I suspect they will get beat by both the other teams, but they would be pretty interesting. Basically I think he is much more weird than asshat, and so does not belong with the jerks.
Why is Boggs on the all-####### team?
I have heard that same registered letter autograph story about many, many players.
Though - Tony Gwynn (quite rightly) makes the team... or at least gets a camp invite.
One of my friends in college was a journalism major and did his internship for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Most of the quarter was spent doing grunt work and covering local prep sports - but as a 'reward' - he got a feature about Tony Gwynn (the Padres were in town for a weekend series) late in the spring. Gwynn was approaching 3000 hits - I think it would have been '98 or '99.
He still says to this day that Gwynn was the nicest athlete - pro or college - that he ever met... My buddy said he was nervous as hell, but Gwynn put him totally at ease - even carrying the conversation at the start while my friend got his feet under him. Gwynn then even sent him a nice note on the feature and congratulating him on the piece and thanking him for the kind write-up afterwards.
Between Margo Adams and his plea of "sex addiction", Boggs just always struck me as majorly creepy. Maybe not quite on the Super Bunghole level, but then I was limiting my team to HoFers and I had to choose someone at 3B.
I have heard that same registered letter autograph story about many, many players.
I'm sure it's happened before, but this was the only case where I had first hand knowledge of it.
Yeah, but ARod's weirdness seems to reach the level of making those around him uncomfortable... I mean, Dick Allen had supporters here and there, too. ARod isn't colorful weird, he's offputting weird... that's enough to make the jerks, fairly or not. You could add to that incidents like the mitt-slapping, roid animosity, etc...
A-Rod, Rickey, and Boggs are a good starting point. No shortage of closers.
BB was no saint but to try and give him the crown of worst of the worst simply because he was the best of the best players in the game is simply a stupid tactic of people who will stop at nothing to demonize him because of his drug use. Hate him for that. You don't need to make shvt up to hate him.
1B Dave Kingman
2B Johnny Evers
SS A-Rod
3B Boggs
OF Rickey
OF Joe Charboneau
OF Jimmy Piersall
C Yogi Berra
SP Dizzy Dean, Doc Ellis, Steve Carlton, Rube Waddell
RP Take your pick
DH Manny
DDS** Carl Everett
MGR Ozzie Guillen
OWNER Charlie Finley
**Designated Dinosaur Slayer
I think I'll go with Al Hrabosky. but you're right, the choices are legion.
C - Jamie Quirk
1B - Votto (weird moment: referencing wRC+ in spring training interview)
2B - Roberto Alomar (weird moment: living in SkyDome hotel)
SS - ARod (weird moment: kissing that mirror)
3B - Boggs (weird moment: becoming a HOFer despite diet of fried chicken and Miller Lite)
LF - Rickey (weird moment: framing his $1M bonus check)
CF - ??
RF - Manny Ramirez (weird moment: peeing in the Green Monster)
DH - Giambi (weird moment: slump-busting thong)
SP - Satchel Paige?
RP - Rollie Fingers
He was Born To Hunt Dinosaurs. He's got the tattoo and everything.
I don't know that Satch qualifies as a weirdo. Rube Waddell might be your man there.
Highlights:
* His girlfriend is former Olympic medalist Mari Holden. She testified to Congress in 2005 as an ambassador for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
* His first post-baseball obsession was hunting, but as a result of his felony conviction he can no longer own any dangerous weapon. Apparently he had to get a special court order to allow him to possess baseball bats.
* Kirk Reuter likes him because Bonds spent a flight giving Rueter's wife advice on how to get pregnant.
Even as someone who thinks the second amendment should be shredded and fed to Mr. Wu's pigs, that restriction on Bonds sounds nonsensical and overreaching.
Carlton has to be on that team too-some of his post retirement interviews are really cracked.
ETA-He was my first thought for the all weird team, but Piersall suffered from a genuine diagnosed mental illness. I think that disqualifies him.
Also,Rube Waddell has to be on the all weird team. The man is too strange to have really lived.
Because Willie Mays is awesome! Say Hey!!!
Are you kidding? Don Stanhouse was an #######.
He certainly had one of baseball's greatest monikers.
Are you kidding? Don Stanhouse was an #######.
I never heard that about him, but I do know that he gave Earl the Pearl more ninth inning ulcers than a hundred "####### little fleas."
Just as Piersall captains the weirdos, Brooks would probably take that honor for the nice guy squad.
And I was most fortunate to experience this first hand, having spent 90 minutes in a one-on-one interview with him about 20 years ago. What an absolute treat.
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