BONDS STILL SHORT OF MARK SLUGGER REAMINS ONE SHORT OF 600 CAREER HOME RUNS.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden - His harshest critics could say Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24 1964 in Riverside, California) is a left fielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds, the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, and a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie lacks Hank Aaron's courage, Babe Ruth's charisma and his godfather Willie Mays' ``Say Hey'' attitude. Bonds rarely says hey, and when he does speak, he can come across as surly bordering on pompous. But the San Francisco Giants' left fielder is on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of joining Aaron, Ruth and Mays in one of baseball's most exclusive fraternities. Six hundred career home runs are required for membership. ``Whatever you do on the field shouldn't be affected by how you look,'' Bonds teammate Rich Aurilia Richard Santo (Rich) Aurilia (born September 2, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is a first baseman in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. He bats and throws right-handed. said. ``What you do on the field is your talent. That's totally separate from the way you're looked at.'' Bonds continues to make it impossible to avoid the staggering numbers he's rung up. He remains stuck on 599 after going homerless in San Francisco's 4-3, 10-inning win over the Chicago Cubs at Pacific Bell Park Wednesday night. Bonds went 1 for 3 with a double and walk and must wait until today's 12:35 p.m. game, which he might sit out while nursing a sore hamstring. But he's close to a milestone Frank Robinson This article is about the baseball player and manager. For the Nottingham busker, see Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man). Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas), is a Hall of Fame former Major League Baseball player. (586 career homers), Mark McGwire It took anyone almost four decades to bump Roger Maris Bonds doesn't think he'll finish his career at 756, he said earlier in the week. He's too old and too many opponents are pitching around him these days. A couple at-bats later, he hit No. 599 off USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. product Steve Smyth. Giants manager Dusty Baker was reminded Bonds incorrectly predicted he couldn't catch McGwire last season before he ended with 73. Age is definitely against the 38-year-old, regardless of how physically fit he keeps himself. Bonds nearly eliminated the drama in his first at-bat in the first inning. He drove Kerry Wood's 0-1 offering toward left field. Much of the sellout crowd of 41,408 stood and roared, sensing they were part of a historical feat. But the towering fly ball ran out of steam and landed in left fielder Moises Alou's glove two feet shy of the 382 sign. Two innings later in a memorable matchup of power pitcher and power hitter, Wood challenged Bonds with two fastballs, then humbled him by dropping a wicked curve on the corner for a called third strike. When Bonds doubled off Wood in the fifth, the crowd groaned briefly. They booed when he walked off Cubs reliever Juan Cruz in the eighth. Everyone, it seems, is impatient waiting for 600. Mays' 660 watch will follow. ``I really don't understand how I got here yet,'' Bonds said during a press conference in the opener of the three-game series against the Cubs on Tuesday. ``There is a lot on my mind other than that right now. I haven't had time to really figure out how I got to this point in my career. I just got done doing one thing that's shocking. Now is another chapter, another shock.'' Bonds was more himself following Wednesday's game, ducking out of the clubhouse before getting the chance to not comment to reporters. Montclair Prep product Russ Ortiz, who threw seven shutout innings in a no-decision, thinks the Giants' postseason aspirations will be easier to focus on when Bonds gets to the first of his four magic numbers (followed by Mays' 660, Ruth's 714 and Aaron's 755). ``With all the hoopla hoop·la n. Informal 1. a. Boisterous, jovial commotion or excitement. b. Extravagant publicity: The new sedan was introduced to the public with much hoopla. 2. , I think all of us are just waiting to get that over with,'' Ortiz said. ``We know it's going to happen. I would imagine he'd like go get it over with so he can almost move on.'' That might not be possible given how select Bonds' place is with the most prolific home run hitters the game has known. With each one he'll hit, Bonds will have to live with the ``Can you do it?'' questions. ``The tension's going to be on Barry until he quits,'' Baker said. ``It was on Barry last year breaking (McGwire's) record. It's going to be on Barry until he passes Willie Mays. If he catches Babe Ruth. If he gets close to Hank. It's going to be on Barry no matter what.'' CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) San Francisco's Barry Bonds went homerless against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Bonds needs one home run to become just the fourth player in major-league history to reach 600 homers. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press (2) HENRY AARON (3) BABE RUTH (4) WILLIE MAYS (5) BARRY BONDS Box: 600 CLUB - PLUS ONE? |
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