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Column by Carl Steward
OAKLAND — In what serves as yet another affirmation of the twisted world we live in, we apparently all have Terrell Owens to thank today for Barry Bonds finally getting off the dime.
After 40 plate appearances, 29 at-bats and 10 games of increasingly pensive waiting to pull alongside Babe Ruth, Bonds finally hit career home run No.714 on Saturday at McAfee Coliseum.
And whether it was a made-for-reality show anecdote or not, the San Francisco Giants slugger maintained it was none other than T.O., everyone's favorite controversial wide receiver, who provided the magic words that lifted him out of his funk following a Friday phone call.
"He (Owens) kind of kicked me in the butt, because he said if I ever wanted my No.1 Bad Boy ranking back, I've got to start hitting home runs," Bonds said. "So I was like, 'I want it back.' So he kind of helped me."
Bonds is a tough man to figure on this self-image thing. Does he really enjoy being sports' Public Enemy No.1, even now that he's tied for No.2 on the all-time home run list with the Sultan of Swat? He constantly gives mixed signals and did so once again, even in the wake of his milestone blast in a 4-2 Giants win over Oakland.
When he actually hit the second-inning shot off A's left-hander Brad Halsey, Bonds ran the bases with something akin to a scowl. He hugged and kissed his son, Nikolai, who met him at home plate. But when he was greeted at the dugout by teammates,took a couple of curtain calls and then sat for a long period by himself afterward, he looked more like a guy who gave up the historic home run rather than hitting it.
Yet after the game, Bonds was as happy and humble and lovable as Bonds ever gets.
"I'm just glad it happened in the Bay — East Bay, West Bay — as long as it just happened here in the Bay, it was just great," he said. "The fans even here in Oakland were phenomenal. They gave me a standing ovation, they all cheered. I think it was exciting for them because it was in the Bay Area regardless."
Well, they didn't all cheer. While there were some A's fans standing and applauding a rare moment in baseball history, a good number of them booed, too. In fact, the young man who caught the ball in the right-field bleachers, 19-year-old Pleasanton resident Tyler Snyder, said he wasn't a Barry Bonds fan whatsoever and didn't really care to meet him.
"Hell no, I hate the guy," Snyder said emphatically.
Apprised of Snyder's comments afterward, Bonds was nonplused.
"If he doesn't like me, give me the ball," he mused. "I don't have any idea why anyone would express hatred toward any other person that you don't know."
The real question, again, is whether Bonds desires to be appreciated or loved for what he has done in baseball. Again, he sounded conflicted about it, talking about the mental and physical strain
the daily attention has caused him, as if it were burden rather than a blessing.
"There's just a whole lot around," he said. "It was lot easier to come to the ballpark and just let everything go. But when you have a big stage all day every single day, it becomes exhausting. You get tired. There'll be somebody after me, and he'll feel the same way ... tired."
Bonds said he tried to fend off the pressure by not talking much to the media in recent weeks. But he maintained most of that pressure went away when he launched No.714, and he won't feel as much weight on himself for the next one, when he passes the legendary Ruth on the all-time list.
"It was the same thing with Willie (Mays)," he said. "Once you tie, everything after is just passing somebody. I think trying to get there is harder than what goes after it."
And Bonds is not even thinking about all-time leader Hank Aaron, still 41 home runs away. Not yet, anyway.
"I don't have to worry about that at all right now," he said. "It's far away, so I can just have fun."
Fun? Is Barry Bonds still really having fun after all the controversy and turmoil he's been through in recent years with the BALCO scandal and the general attitude of disdain at his quest to join the immortals of the game? He claims he is, even if it doesn't show on his face.
"This is a great accomplishment because of Babe Ruth and what he brought to the game of baseball," he said. "This and a World Series ring would be the ultimate for me. He changed the game of baseball, and we all have had our opportunity to add our two cents to it. It's just great to be in the same class."
Told that it's been 70 years since Ruth hit his 714th homer, Bonds was asked how he thinks he might be perceived 70 years from now. He said he didn't care, because he wouldn't be here to find out.
"I'm just glad it's over with," he said. "You guys can go watch Albert Pujols now."
It didn't sound like sports' No.1 Bad Boy talking. It just sounded like a guy who doesn't have a firm idea about his place in history. We can't help him on that count, either, because we don't really know the answer, either.
No question, something important occurred Saturday at the Coliseum. But in lieu of Terrell Owens being on hand to set us all straight, we'll have to leave it to time to judge just what.
Carl Steward can be reached at (510) 293-2451 or by e-mail at csteward@angnewspapers.com
LINK
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WG Note: Couldn't decide which Zone to post it, so I figure why not start it here...
OAKLAND — In what serves as yet another affirmation of the twisted world we live in, we apparently all have Terrell Owens to thank today for Barry Bonds finally getting off the dime.
After 40 plate appearances, 29 at-bats and 10 games of increasingly pensive waiting to pull alongside Babe Ruth, Bonds finally hit career home run No.714 on Saturday at McAfee Coliseum.
And whether it was a made-for-reality show anecdote or not, the San Francisco Giants slugger maintained it was none other than T.O., everyone's favorite controversial wide receiver, who provided the magic words that lifted him out of his funk following a Friday phone call.
"He (Owens) kind of kicked me in the butt, because he said if I ever wanted my No.1 Bad Boy ranking back, I've got to start hitting home runs," Bonds said. "So I was like, 'I want it back.' So he kind of helped me."
Bonds is a tough man to figure on this self-image thing. Does he really enjoy being sports' Public Enemy No.1, even now that he's tied for No.2 on the all-time home run list with the Sultan of Swat? He constantly gives mixed signals and did so once again, even in the wake of his milestone blast in a 4-2 Giants win over Oakland.
When he actually hit the second-inning shot off A's left-hander Brad Halsey, Bonds ran the bases with something akin to a scowl. He hugged and kissed his son, Nikolai, who met him at home plate. But when he was greeted at the dugout by teammates,took a couple of curtain calls and then sat for a long period by himself afterward, he looked more like a guy who gave up the historic home run rather than hitting it.
Yet after the game, Bonds was as happy and humble and lovable as Bonds ever gets.
"I'm just glad it happened in the Bay — East Bay, West Bay — as long as it just happened here in the Bay, it was just great," he said. "The fans even here in Oakland were phenomenal. They gave me a standing ovation, they all cheered. I think it was exciting for them because it was in the Bay Area regardless."
Well, they didn't all cheer. While there were some A's fans standing and applauding a rare moment in baseball history, a good number of them booed, too. In fact, the young man who caught the ball in the right-field bleachers, 19-year-old Pleasanton resident Tyler Snyder, said he wasn't a Barry Bonds fan whatsoever and didn't really care to meet him.
"Hell no, I hate the guy," Snyder said emphatically.
Apprised of Snyder's comments afterward, Bonds was nonplused.
"If he doesn't like me, give me the ball," he mused. "I don't have any idea why anyone would express hatred toward any other person that you don't know."
The real question, again, is whether Bonds desires to be appreciated or loved for what he has done in baseball. Again, he sounded conflicted about it, talking about the mental and physical strain
"There's just a whole lot around," he said. "It was lot easier to come to the ballpark and just let everything go. But when you have a big stage all day every single day, it becomes exhausting. You get tired. There'll be somebody after me, and he'll feel the same way ... tired."
Bonds said he tried to fend off the pressure by not talking much to the media in recent weeks. But he maintained most of that pressure went away when he launched No.714, and he won't feel as much weight on himself for the next one, when he passes the legendary Ruth on the all-time list.
"It was the same thing with Willie (Mays)," he said. "Once you tie, everything after is just passing somebody. I think trying to get there is harder than what goes after it."
And Bonds is not even thinking about all-time leader Hank Aaron, still 41 home runs away. Not yet, anyway.
"I don't have to worry about that at all right now," he said. "It's far away, so I can just have fun."
Fun? Is Barry Bonds still really having fun after all the controversy and turmoil he's been through in recent years with the BALCO scandal and the general attitude of disdain at his quest to join the immortals of the game? He claims he is, even if it doesn't show on his face.
"This is a great accomplishment because of Babe Ruth and what he brought to the game of baseball," he said. "This and a World Series ring would be the ultimate for me. He changed the game of baseball, and we all have had our opportunity to add our two cents to it. It's just great to be in the same class."
Told that it's been 70 years since Ruth hit his 714th homer, Bonds was asked how he thinks he might be perceived 70 years from now. He said he didn't care, because he wouldn't be here to find out.
"I'm just glad it's over with," he said. "You guys can go watch Albert Pujols now."
It didn't sound like sports' No.1 Bad Boy talking. It just sounded like a guy who doesn't have a firm idea about his place in history. We can't help him on that count, either, because we don't really know the answer, either.
No question, something important occurred Saturday at the Coliseum. But in lieu of Terrell Owens being on hand to set us all straight, we'll have to leave it to time to judge just what.
Carl Steward can be reached at (510) 293-2451 or by e-mail at csteward@angnewspapers.com
LINK
-------------
WG Note: Couldn't decide which Zone to post it, so I figure why not start it here...
