Bonds selfish to the end
09/25/2007
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On August 7, 2007, the San Francisco Giants were a part of history.
Of course, as the case has been for much of the past 15 years, they played second fiddle to one of their players.
That was the night that Barry Bonds hit his 756th dinger and broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. It was a perfect night for Bonds of course, because all eyes were on him as he broke one of the most sacred records in all of sports.
In memory of his father Bobby, who passed away four years prior, Barry crossed home plate and pointed to the sky. He then gave an emotional speech, thanking his fallen father, the Giants, his fans and the city of San Francisco for supporting him along the way.
Bonds cried. Giants’ owner Peter Magowan cried. The fans cried.
The night was certainly a historic moment for Barry Bonds because it was all about Barry Bonds. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Over the weekend, the Giants announced that Bonds is no longer part of their future and that they won’t bring him back in 2008. After 15 seasons, Bonds’ career as a Giant is over.
What huge, breaking news for the Giants. That is, it would have been breaking news for the Giants if Bonds hadn’t already beaten them to the punch by posting the report on his personal website, www.barrybonds.com:
This journal will be one of my last entries as a San Francisco Giant. Yesterday, I was told by the Giants that they will not be bringing me back for the 2008 season. During the conversation with Peter Magowan I was told that my play this year far exceeded any expectations the Giants had, but that the organization decided this year would be my last season in San Francisco. Although I am disappointed, I've always said baseball is a business -- and I respect their decision. However, I am saddened and upset that I was not given an earlier opportunity to properly say goodbye to you, my fans, and celebrate with the city throughout the season as I truly believe this was not a last minute decision by the Giants, but one that was made some time ago. I don't have nor do I want any ill feelings towards the organization, I just wish I had known sooner so we had more time to say our goodbyes and celebrate the best 15 years of my life.
At first glance, Bonds appears respectful of the decision, but saddened that the Giants didn’t give him further notice so he could properly say goodbye to his fans.
Dig deeper.
"However, I am saddened and upset that I was not given an earlier opportunity to properly say goodbye to you, my fans, and celebrate with the city throughout the season as I truly believe this was not a last minute decision by the Giants, but one that was made some time ago."
If he really respected the Giants’ decision – the Giants’ decision being the key phrase – then why throw the team under the bus like that? Of course they made the decision “some time ago.” Teams don’t make a decision like this on a whim, Barry. They agonize over it for months, leave no stone unturned and rehash it over and over and over again until they finally reach a consensus.
This was a team decision and one that had to be made in the best interests of the Giants. Barry still thinks this is all about him, which is why he posted the breaking news first rather than allowing the team to hold a proper press conference. Instead of USA Today, ESPN and FOX hearing the news from Magowan and the Giants, the major media outlets got the scoop from Bonds himself.
That’s pretty much par for the course with Bonds, isn’t it? Which player had a personal posse composed of trainers, publicists, photographers and “yes” men? Which player had a reclining leather chair, big screen TV and multiple lockers? Who always made the most money and was the one who escaped punishment for skipping team functions on a regular basis?
The fact that Bonds got whatever he wanted wasn’t all his doing, however. Magowan and the Giants deserve just as much blame, if not more, for allowing Bonds to always put himself above the team. They made a truckload of money off Bonds’ achievements and in turn they allowed him to rule over the entire organization.
However, no matter how much money and power Magowan gave to Bonds, at least he was loyal and would go to the ends of the earth to protect his investment. Plus, it wasn’t that Magowan only wanted Bonds to bring him fortune – he wanted the Giants to win in the process and honestly thought he was aiding in that cause by bending over backwards for Barry. His on-field achievements aside, the same cannot be said for the egomaniac left fielder, who made life hell for Magowan and the Giants for years.
For most of Bonds’ career, Magowan instructed general manager Brian Sabean to spurn a rebuilding process and to keep filling the Giants’ roster with aging veterans that would complement Barry. Sabean complied, and instead of building through youth, the Giants now have one of the most depleted farm systems in baseball. The Giants were constantly in a win-now mode because of Bonds, so Sabean was forced to give up young prospects in exchange for veteran, stopgap players.
It didn’t matter that Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser were promising up-and-comers, because the Giants needed A.J. Pierzynski to catch. Hey, Bonds had to have a ring, didn’t he? It didn’t matter what the Giants had to have.
Yet when Bonds became a free agent after the 2006 season, he went to the winter meetings glad-handing other owners in the hopes of getting a new contract. His agent Scott Boras even made it public that at least 20 teams were interested, but the real story was that no club wanted to take on the giant – pardon the pun – headache that was Barry Bonds.
Magowan could have made Bonds crawl back for half of the $20 million he was asking for, yet he once again accommodated his superstar, paying Bonds $16 million and breaking a promise to fans that the 2007 Giants would be younger and more exciting.
Why didn’t Bonds mention that in his journal entry? Instead, the entry was all about how Bonds didn’t get what he wanted. Barry exceeded all expectations, but Barry won’t be asked back. Barry wasn’t told soon enough. Barry didn’t get enough time to say goodbye to his fans.
Maybe it will come at the end of the season when everything is official, but Bonds never thanked Magowan in his online journal entry. He made reference to the owner, but only to feed him to the wood chipper for not telling him about the decision sooner. He didn’t really thank the Giants either. Instead he thanked the fans who cheered for him, the equipment manager who handled most of his gear and the Giants’ play-by-play announcers who were in charge of calling all of his on-field achievements. I guess that pretty much wraps up all the important “thank you’s” now doesn’t it, Barry?
When it was finally time for Bonds to put the team ahead of himself, to understand and support the fact that the Giants had to move on, he failed once again. A true veteran leader would have allowed the owner and team to make an announcement of this magnitude first. Yet because he couldn’t stand to be upstaged, he had to break the news himself.
Bonds could have waited and done his journal entry after Magowan and the Giants held their press conference. Instead, he elected for the selfish (and bush league) move by stealing their thunder and making it his own.
As was the case on August 7, 2007, all eyes had to be on Barry.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.