(not a piece of meat)
Jermaine Stewart once sang (so sweetly) “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off (To Have A Good time,)” Barry Bonds, hopefully preparing his own EMP Pop Conference presentation way early, would strongly disagree. From the San Jose Mercury News’ Andrew Baggerly.
According to sources inside and outside the Giants clubhouse, Bonds exasperated teammates and coaches several times last season when he chose to make himself unavailable in pinch-hitting situations.
Multiple sources confirmed that Bonds had taken off his uniform during the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss at Milwaukee on Sept. 24. The Giants brought the potential winning run to the plate, but rookie catcher Eliezer Alfonzo hit into a game-ending double play and the loss officially eliminated the Giants from the division race.
Afterward, Manager Felipe Alou covered for Bonds, saying it was a manager’s decision.
In another instance, April 20 in Arizona, Bonds disobeyed Alou when asked to take left field after drawing a walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning. Alou had used reserve outfielder Jason Ellison earlier in the game and was forced to move third baseman Pedro Feliz to the outfield, where he hadn’t played all season.
Bonds also raised eyebrows when he didn’t appear as a pinch hitter in a 6-5 loss at Washington on July 27. The Giants were down three runs when Alfonzo hit a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth. Bonds had gone back to the clubhouse, so Alou sent Todd Greene to the plate. Greene struck out.
“I saw him with a bat in the tunnel,” Alou said after that loss. “By the time I saw that, the game was over.”
The Giants were 0-6 on that trip.
And on Sept. 30, the day the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a playoff spot with a 4-2 victory at AT&T Park, a source said Bonds was napping in the clubhouse during the ninth inning.
With Bonds having declared free agency and the Giants either unwilling to pay crazy loot or hoping to poison the market, I’m not surprised these stories are surfacing. I’d have been more impressed, however, if SF management had leaked ’em when Barry was still in their employ and selling tickets.
Sammy Sosa tells the AP that he’s considering a return to baseball in 2007, which should come as terrific news for the Newark Bears.
The Chicago Tribune’s Dave Van Dyck reports the White Sox have extended a lifeline to journeyman Luis Terrero, 26, an outfielder who would seem to have the exact sort of temperment to fit perfectly in Ozzie G’s clubhouse.
Once thought to be a five-tool player after signing out of the Dominican Republic, Terrero never has shown that ability and has been a problem instead.
He was suspended for 29 games in 2004 at Triple-A Tucson for throwing a ball into the stands and striking a spectator following an on-field brawl. He also was suspended in the minors for kissing home plate after hitting a home run.