BONDS CLOUTS 73RD TRACY TIPS HAT; DODGERS FALL SAN. FRAN. 2, DODGERS 1.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds might be surly, have little contact with his teammates and dislike dealing with the media, but the man can hit.

Man, can the man hit.

Bonds, playing in what could be his last game with San Francisco, concluded perhaps the best offensive season in baseball history by giving Giants fans one more thrill by hitting his record 73rd homer of the season. And the Dodgers dropped their season finale 2-1 Sunday in front of 41,257 at Pac Bell Park.

Bonds, 37, hit six homers against the Dodgers this season, including three in the three-game series that pushed him past Mark McGwire's 1998 mark of 70. Of his 155 hits, 73 were homers. The final one came off Dodgers knuckleballer Dennis Springer.

Bonds also set a career high with 137 RBI and broke the slugging percentage record. Bonds' slugging mark was .863, bettering Babe Ruth's 1920 mark of .847.

``It's really impressive,'' said Bonds, who went 1 for 4 to finish with a .326 average. ``I'm glad I did it at home. That was the key. Today's home run, I was just more in shock. The chances of hitting a home run off someone throwing that slow is so slim. What else can you give me, God? What else can you give me? Enough is enough.''

Chants of ``Barry! Barry!'' echoed throughout the ballpark again every time Bonds stepped to the plate.

Not even an off day Saturday, at his own accord, slowed Bonds. In his first at-bat against Springer, Bonds whacked a 3-2 pitch over the arcade seating area above the right-field fence. It was Bonds' fifth homer in the last four games, and the 567th of his career. He's seventh on the all-time list, six behind Harmon Killebrew for sixth.

``It's, you know, kind of a thrill,'' Springer said. ``Even though you don't want to be one, but you know, like we said in the meeting, we were going to try to pitch to win and don't let one guy beat us.''

Bonds singled and popped out in his next two at-bats. Before what could be his final at-bat as a Giant, Bonds entered the on-deck circle to a rousing ovation, then got a standing ovation before flying out to Gary Sheffield on the first pitch from reliever Terry Mulholland to end the eighth inning.

``Who's to say the record won't be broken again? Who's to say that he might do it himself and break his own record?'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``The way that man played this year and the way he swung that bat, had he been pitched to on a constant basis, I think it's safe to say that he would have more than likely had a chance to hit 100 homers.''

Whether it was Bonds' last outing as a Giant won't be known for a few more months. He is a free agent after the season and his agent, Scott Boras, is believed to be seeking a five-year deal that could pay as much as $20 million per season.

``I don't know what to expect,'' Giants owner Peter McGowan said. ``I don't know what's going to happen. We have other decisions we have to make.''

Career Home Run Leaders

Through 2001 season

Player No.

1. Hank Aaron 755

2. Babe Ruth 714

3. Willie Mays 660

4. Frank Robinson 586

5. x-Mark McGwire 583

6. Harmon Killebrew 573

7. x-Barry Bonds 567

8. Reggie Jackson 563

9. Mike Schmidt 548

10. Mickey Mantle 536

11. Jimmie Foxx 534

12. Willie McCovey 521

tie. Ted Williams 521

14. Ernie Banks 512

tie. Eddie Mathews 512

16. Mel Ott 511

17. Eddie Murray 504

18. Lou Gehrig 493

19. Stan Musial 475

tie. Willie Stargell 475 X-active

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Barry Bonds connects on his record 73rd home run of the season, off Dodgers pitcher Dennis Springer in the first inning Sunday.

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Box: (1) Career Home Run Leaders (see text)

(2) Giants 2, Dodgers 1