"How conveeenient."
Posted on 03/22/2005 4:23:03 PM PST by Arkie2
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Coming off knee surgery and caught up in baseball's steroids scandal, Barry Bonds said he may not play at all this season -- despite standing on the doorstep of the sport's most hallowed record.
The San Francisco Giants slugger also said he was physically and mentally ``done,'' and blamed the media for at least part of his troubles.
``I'm tired of my kids crying. You wanted me to jump off a bridge, I finally did,'' Bonds told reporters Tuesday, shortly after returning to training camp. ``You finally brought me and my family down. ... So now go pick a different person.''
Bonds, whose 703 career homers are 11 short of Babe Ruth's total and 52 behind Hank Aaron's record, was back in camp following last week's arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Sitting at a picnic table outside the Giants' clubhouse with his 15-year-old son, Nikolai, at his side, Bonds said, ``My son and I are just going to enjoy our lives. You guys wanted to hurt me bad enough, you finally got me.''
Bonds said he was tired and disappointed following a winter in which he was accused of steroid use, his grand jury testimony was leaked and he had two knee operations.
Leaning his head on a crutch and repeatedly saying he was tired, Bonds spoke after a 1 1/2 -hour session with Giants trainer Stan Conte.
``Right now I'm just going to try to rehab myself to get back to, I don't know, hopefully next season, hopefully the middle of the season,'' Bonds said. ``I don't know. Right now I'm just going to take things slow.
``I'm 40 years old, not 20, 30.''
Bonds, who set the single-season record with 73 home runs in 2001, underwent a similar operation on the same knee on Jan. 31, but had a setback after workouts in camp earlier this month.
He returned to the Bay Area on March 16 and had surgery last Thursday to repair cartilage. Conte said last Thursday the second operation put Bonds back at ``square one.''
Conte said Bonds went through a ``normal rehab six days out of surgery'' on Tuesday, and that his knee looked as expected.
``I expect he'll progress as knee patients go,'' the trainer said, offering no prediction of when the seven-time NL MVP might be able to play again.
After Bonds' first operation this winter, Conte had said Bonds was expected to be sidelined for six weeks. All the trainer would say after the second surgery was that Bonds was unlikely to be ready for the season opener.
Teammate Moises Alou, who has come back from five surgeries, said Bonds probably was just having a bad day.
``Maybe today he was not very optimistic. I think it was one of those rehab days where you just caught him on one of the bad days,'' Alou said. ``It's not fun when you come to the ballpark, then have to go to the training room to get taped and get treatment.
``It's not as fun as when you are young and wild and doing things, especially when you are the man.''
Giants pitcher Jason Christiansen, who had to come back from reconstructive elbow surgery, also understands how facing rehab can be a bit depressing.
``There have been five or six times I've come in and said, `I don't need this heartache any more.' It's a series of peaks and valleys,'' Christiansen said. ``A week from now, Barry could turn around and say he'll be ready by April 5.''
Christiansen realizes there's considerably more focus on Bonds.
``I couldn't imagine what he goes through on a daily basis, reading some of the stuff and hearing what people say about him. It's pretty much a circus,'' Christiansen said.
Last September, the Giants dropped a provision that would have allowed them to void Bonds' $18 million salary in 2006 if he failed to reach 500 plate appearances this year or 1,500 combined from 2003 to 2005, including at least 400 this year.
Detox.
"How conveeenient."
What a whiner.
Good! Let him retire without "breaking" another record by cheating.
Barry Bonds is a disgrace to the game of baseball. Good riddance.
Steroids?
Y-a-w-n.
Records?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Snort.
WTFCs?
I wonder....If he's on the DL is he exempt from the steroid testing ?
Sheesh- when I think of how many boys (including my son years ago) idolized this guy...infuriating.
Is this Barry Bonds who is hiding behind his children the same Barry Bonds who went to court to have his child support reduced when the players went out on strike 8 or 9 years ago?
P.S. He lost and got to listen to a stinging rebuke from the judge.
Maybe he can have a press conference and give us all a very stern reprimand again.
What a baby.
Sigh. Moved to chat. That despite the fact this is a breaking story about the central figure in the Steroids scam. I give up and hereby renounce all my posting privileges, for the mind of an admin moderator is far to subtle and deep for a simple freeper like me to understand. /sarcasm/
Once DD wanted to walk Frank Robinson intentionally, but did he just toss up four wide ones? Not Don! He knocked F Robby down three times, then hit him with the fourth. Take your base!
I sympathize--happened to me, too, recently.
Stick around.
I wonder....If he's on the DL is he exempt from the steroid testing ?
Yes, the MLB agreement prohibits testing of anyone out with injury. He is trying to purge his system before he gets tested again. Very clever.
If you haven't seen the documentary on HBO titled "When it was a Game" you are truly missing something special. They talked about how nasty Drysdale was when he pitched. There was one particular game when Willie Mays got in the batters box and dug his right foot in, apparently forgetting who was pitching. After realizing Drysdale was pitching he filled the hole back in. First pitch from Drysdale went right at Willie's head!
My prediction is that Bonds does come back around July...and manages to hit around 17 home runs for the season. But the amount of daily pressure, from the fans and media...will lessen Bond's desire to continue playing. When he goes into cities like Philly, New York or Pittsburgh...the locals are going to have a field day with him. By October, Barry will cook up some major injury and say he is finally retiring from baseball...and will settle for overcoming Ruth. The amusing thing here...is that Barry Bonds will get to the Hall of Fame...but Pete Rose won't...and when you measure the two up and what they both did to damage baseball...perhaps they both belong in the same hall...but I wouldn't attach any fame to either.
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