The Giants aren't bringing back Barry Bonds -- press conf at 5 pm PT

You assume Bonds would play for $10 million.

I don't think so.

 

I guess it comes down to how much he wants to play.

 

Piazza got signed for about $3.5 mill.. you think Barry Big Head is going to settle for that?

 

Bonds will take a cut to play, but he's not dipping below $10 million. He's way too full of himself for that, and he assumes his draw will warrant the payday. Depending on where he goes -- and now that the record is broken, it looks more doubtful for him -- will people really want to come to the park just to see that freak show?

 

Here's a delicious thought: Barroid donning the pinstripes.

The only thing he hasn't done is win a World Series. Yankees are contenders.

He can't play the outfield. But he could be a DH in the AL.

His BALCO brother Giambi would already be in the clubhouse.

 

I just vomited in my mouth.

 

East Germany

 

They're all assumptions. Bonds didn't tell me a thing. I just can't see a guy with 700-plus home runs signing for anything less than $10 million.

 

Hard to say. I see an old ballplayer who's been around the big leagues since the day he was born, and likely doesn't have a clue what else he would do with his life if he weren't playing baseball. I think he'll sign for as much as he can get, even if it's "only" $3M.

Assuming he's healthy ...

 

I think his health is a big assumption. Will "only" -- damn it if I don't laugh a little when I type that -- $3 million be worth a season's worth of pain and struggling. The 60 or so hits he'll need to get to 3,000 might be the fuel for compromise he needs to take any kind of cut, though. No one wants to retire with 2,900-2,999 hits.

 

He'd be the eighth guy to do it.

28. Sam Rice+* 2987 L
29. Sam Crawford+* 2961 L
30. Frank Robinson+ 2943 R
31. Barry Bonds* (42) 2935 L
32. Willie Keeler+* 2932 L
33. Jake Beckley+* 2930 L
Rogers Hornsby+ 2930 R
35. Al Simmons+ 2927 R

Can't see why it wouldn't be ...

A) What else is he going to do?
B) Is he still having fun? Seems to me, he is. Pressure's off for 756, and his chase for 3,000 won't get nearly the same attention.
C) Is he still productive? At the plate, certainly. He'd be a great fit in an AL offense.
D) Is he healthy enough? About as much as you can reasonably expect for a 42-year-old outfielder with bad knees.

Don't think anything's stopping him, except some kind of mini-collusion.

 

I've got no doubt in my mind that he'll be coming back; I'd play on one leg if I needed to get 65 more hits for 3,000. But I don't think it'll be for $3 million. He's going to want much more than that. I don't think he'll demand $15 for how limited he is anymore, but it'll be at least $7 or $8 million. I just can't envision him signing for a low single digit.