From MLB.com’s Sultan-friendly version of Pedro Gomez, Barry M. Bloom.
“Heck no,” Bonds said when asked if he still had a chance to catch Aaron. “Maybe something would happen during the winter time. My knee could get better. Maybe there will be some kind of solution they can come up with that would make the pain go away. Who knows? There are all kinds of reasons. When you get older, these kinds of things happen. But that’s baseball.”
“If I took off for five days, the swelling would be gone,” Bonds said. “But I don’t have five days. I’m not taking five days off. I’m going to keep playing. I’m playing all year no matter what. Why would Ruth matter? This is a team. I’m trying to win a championship here. Ruth doesn’t have anything to do with my championship. He won some. Let me have some.
“The thing is, I’m not trying to pass Ruth because Ruth doesn’t have the record. Hank Aaron has the record. Going past Ruth would be just like going past Mike Schmidt or anyone else in baseball. Right? The record is Hank Aaron’s. The topic is Babe Ruth.”
Bonds struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance in the Giants’ 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Rockies earlier today. While taking nothing away from the Omar Vizquel-hating Jose Mesa, I think it is safe to say the Barry Bonds of 2004 would’ve had an easier time turning on an inside fastball.
Dave Righetti was one of 5 uniformed persons thrown out the game, his ejection coming when he threw his pitch counter at at home plate umpire Travis Reininger. Even Udonis Haslem thought that was kinda lame.
Though it might be too early to care, the Rockies are tied for first in the decidedly mediocre NL West. If they can stay off the deer meat this time, Colorado might be in the race through the summer.