Along with expressing his desire to play for the Yankees (“but the Yankees already have two DH’s, so that dream will never happen”), the Sultan Of Surly brought his special brand of charm to the banquet circuit last night. From the AP’s Janine McCauly :
The 43-year-old home run king heard a long list of his accomplishments read during a special speaking forum Wednesday night hosted by the Commonwealth Club, then was asked by KGO Radio host Ray Taliaferro if he’d really reached all those feats.
Fourteen All-Star game selections. A record seven NL MVPs. Eight Gold Glove awards.
“I did, and then I got fired,” Bonds told a group of about 450 people in the audience. “Shame on me, huh?”
Bonds, dressed in a dark suit jacket and tie, entered to a roaring standing ovation and repeatedly drew loud applause from an adoring crowd through the nearly 90-minute forum. They chanted, “Barry! Barry!” One person hollered, “We love you.” Others took pictures on cell phone cameras or sported shirts with Bonds’ No. 25.
“I told Peter Magowan, ‘If I’m a part-time player, I’m still better than your full-time player, and it’s a wise idea to keep me,'” Bonds said. “We still have time. Things might change.”
Bonds also said that if he were running the franchise, the Giants would have won a World Series by now. They fell five outs short in 2002, and one thing the slugger is still missing on his remarkable resume is a championship ring.
“They’ve been here since 1958,” Bonds said. “We’d win a World Series. I know the game so well. I can see talent. I know exactly what I’d be looking for.”
Is the club any closer to winning it all?
“I can’t answer that. I don’t work there anymore,” Bonds quipped, then howled in laughter. “My philosophy in sports is you don’t break things up. You add to it.”