It’s not every day the greatest home run hitter of all time shows up for the Opening Day of Malibu Little League, nor is it a common occurrence that a public appearance by the Sultan Of Surly is greeted with cries of, “what have you done with the rest of Barry Bonds?” From the Malibu Times’ Dick Dornan (link courtesy Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
After the opening ceremony, Bonds sat and watched his godson play as the AAA Giants rallied from an 8-1 deficit to defeat the AAA Indians, 11-9. In true Bonds fashion, Banvard walked twice, just as his godfather did a major-league record 2,558 times. Bonds stayed the entire time and greeted the players after the game. “To me, he is the greatest player of all time. For him to come out and throw out the first pitch in my boys’ little league is special,” said Royce Clayton, a former teammate of Bonds on the Giants from 1993-95 whose two sons and two daughters play MLL. “It’s a special moment that I’m sure the boys will always look back and remember. Myself as well.”