SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds bounced up and down on his tender big toe as he reacted to the finality of it all, the spotlight of this city on him in left field for one last time.
The slugger jogged to the position he's held for the past 15 years, the crowd roaring and on its feet as has been customary so many times during his historic yet controversial tenure here. He waved in every direction and tipped his cap while a homemade banner reading "Thank you Barry -- A Giant Forever" dangled over the wall behind him.
They stood and cheered again on Wednesday when he stepped into the on-deck circle in the first inning, and Bonds again was quick with a greeting. No matter that he followed Randy Winn's two-out home run with a groundout after a competitive eight-pitch at-bat. Fans waved placards reading "THANKS BARRY" and flashbulbs lit up the ballpark.
Dozens more people packed McCovey Cove in kayaks and other floating devices in hopes of one last chance at a Bonds souvenir home run ball, a spectacular full moon in the distance. Bonds began the night with 762 homers.
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Barry Bonds waves during batting practice before his final home game with the Giants.
Earlier, he stepped in for what probably were his final rounds of batting practice in a Giants uniform, cameras clicking at his every move.
Some of the San Diego Padres even came out early to catch a glimpse -- with manager Bud Black, a former teammate of the San Francisco star, perched on the front of the dugout rail.
Bonds discussed hitting with teammate Dave Roberts outside the cage between turns, and hollered at Black in a friendly manner, too.
After missing 10 games because of a sprained big right toe that is worse than initially thought, Bonds was in the starting lineup and batting in his regular cleanup spot Wednesday. But he isn't scheduled to play this weekend in Los Angeles.
"This will be the only game I play in, yes," Bonds said.
So, this was it. The end of a history-making era for the 43-year-old home run king, seven-time NL MVP and 14-time All-Star -- in the very city where he used to bounce around the clubhouse as his late father, Bobby, and godfather, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, got ready for games.
San Francisco stuck by him through allegations he began using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his pursuit of the single-season home run record he set back in 2001. Bonds has long denied knowingly taking such products.
Manager Bruce Bochy took notice when he wrote Bonds into the lineup for the last time, a special piece of paper set to go into safe keeping in the Giants' archives. Bochy knows Bonds might not ever play again, too, despite the slugger insisting he wants to suit up next year somewhere.
"When you write his name into the lineup for the final time, you realize what you're doing," Bochy said. "I know it's a possibility [he's done]. Talking to him, he wants to play some more. He might change his mind and we could be seeing this tremendous talent play for the last time."
About a dozen fans waited outside the player parking lot for a final chance at the slugger's autograph. Inside the ballpark, a large logo reading "BONDS 25" was painted on the field in black over Bonds' left field spot.
I think there's a lot of sadness. When you step back from the sadness, you challenge yourself to think of any other run -- 15 years in one city. ... It's a very simple two words, but thank you. The 15 years run deep for all of us. He's had a lot of fun, we've had a lot of fun. He's had success. We've had success.
--Giants executive vice president Larry Baer
A series of video clips were shown during the game as a tribute to No. 25. Bonds was told last Thursday by owner Peter Magowan, who also watched closely as Bonds took his cuts, he would not be re-signed for a 16th season with the Giants.
"I think there's a lot of sadness," executive vice president Larry Baer said Wednesday. "When you step back from the sadness, you challenge yourself to think of any other run -- 15 years in one city. ... It's a very simple two words, but thank you. The 15 years run deep for all of us. He's had a lot of fun, we've had a lot of fun. He's had success. We've had success."
On Tuesday night, fans called for Bonds with their familiar chant of "Barry! Barry!" He never was available to pinch hit because of the tender toe, and Bonds had an MRI exam on it Wednesday. The toe is not broken, but Bonds was careful when he slipped his foot into his shoes as he got dressed.
"It's still swollen. I'm serious. It's still sore," Bonds said in a brief back-and-forth with the media at his locker. "It is not broken. That's good. ... No more interviews. This turned into an interview, God forbid."
Bonds was visited by Baer in the clubhouse and the slugger also shook hands with fans near the San Francisco dugout before he hit. Later, about an hour before first pitch, Bonds flipped between baseball games on his personal TV and slowly pulled on his uniform.
How did he expect to feel once on the field with the crowd cheering?
"I always have fun," he said.
And, how about his future? "Right now, it's me and my house," he said, referring to getting some much-needed down time back home in Beverly Hills.
Bochy said his star player might only get one at-bat, and probably no more than three -- all depending on his toe.
"I don't think you can say never to anything, but if this is indeed his last game as a Giant, it will be memorable because you can say, 'I was there,' " Black said. "I'm sure that it will be an emotional one for Barry. But like I said, you never know. You never know.
"Barry has been such the focal point of that team for such a long time that the Giants' identity started with Barry."
Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record with his 756th home run in this ballpark on Aug. 7. And everyone seemed to think it was nice this is where Bonds would play his final game for an organization he joined in 1993 after spending his first seven big league seasons in Pittsburgh.
"I don't think he'd get cheered in L.A. when he came off the field in his last game," said teammate Rich Aurilia, who along with Bonds fell short against the wild-card Angels in the 2002 World Series. "I think it's fitting. I'm sure the fans will send him off in a great way."
The large banners commemorating Bonds' home run record still hang from the light posts on either side of the main center-field scoreboard.
Baer said even if Bonds plays next season in the American League, the club might consider signing him briefly so he could retire as a Giant.
Mays had to leave the Giants late in his career when he was traded to the New York Mets. The Say Hey Kid was in the clubhouse before the game and in attendance for Bonds' farewell in the waterfront ballpark where he helped bring in 3 million fans in all eight years of its existence.
"Whenever the retirement is, we'll talk and see what he wants to do," Baer said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Source: ESPN.com
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