Maura Johnston, scouring Barry Bonds’ website to see how the Sultan Of Surly feels about leading off, batting 9th or serving as bullpen catcher on his days off, turns up the following tidbit.
When my name was first announced for the WBC, my gut reaction was that I wanted to play. After much thought and discussion with my family I have decided to remove myself from the upcoming World Baseball Classic roster. After the announcement I received a lot of criticism as well as concern from fans and my family and friends. The obvious objections were about my health and whether or not I would beready to play. In the end, I decided that I can’t take any chances that might jeopardize my season. I don’t want to give the impression that the WBC is not important. I know this means a lot to showcasing our sport worldwide, and the patriotism of playing for Team USA would have been a great honor. I feel what is best for me, my family, the Giants, and our fans is that I sit the WBC out.
Hopefully, Ben Sheets’ personal website will have an update on his WBC status — Regis Philbin’s ticket order is riding on it.