The new Barry Bonds stands to the first-base side of the batting cage on the field at San Francisco’s 3 Com Park at Candlestick Point, signing autographs for a group of eager children.
Heading for Home with Barry Bonds
To many in the Giants organization this is no small miracle. Bonds’s old image is as tangled as the new name of the windblown stadium that’s soon to be replaced by a downtown ballpark in the shadow of the Bay Bridge.
Though Bonds is signing, it is at arm’s length. A bodyguard is alternately handing snippets of paper to Bonds and telling kids to back away. Bonds is extending himself for the organization. San Francisco is where he hopes to remain for the rest of his playing days.
“I want to be here when the new ballpark opens,” he says. “I don’t want to go anywhere else… . I just hope I’m doing the right things and doing enough for them to keep me home.”
For Bonds, home is where the family is. After the franchise was saved for the city by a bevy of deep-pocket businessmen headed by supermarket magnate Peter Magowan, the first move was to sign Bonds before the 1993 season to a big-bucks free-agent contract. That notable gesture welded a solid link with the past.
Bonds’s godfather is Willie Mays, the Hall of Famer who is the last tie to 1954, when the then New York Giants still labored at the old Polo Grounds on the banks of the Harlem River. Barry’s father is Bobby Bonds, a San Francisco Giants star from 1968 to 1974, an outfielder who hit at least 30 homers and stole at least 30 bases in a single season five different times, long before anyone realized how significant that accomplishment was. One of Barry’s cousins is Reggie Jackson.
All that legacy was almost too much for Bonds to shoulder, he revealed during several days of exclusive in-depth interviews. “As a young player you can’t handle that much. Not only do you have to try to keep yourself in the major leagues, which alone is hard enough; then you have to live up to three generations of my family who were just great baseball players. I just rebelled,” he said candidly. “I went in the other direction. I didn’t want to answer any questions. I didn’t want to go that route.”
The stark reality of it all is this: When Bonds fled Pittsburgh, after six controversial years with the Pirates, his six-year, $43.75-million contract was far more than his baseball forebears had earned in their three combined careers. Let’s put it into even sharper perspective: When local real-estate tycoon Bob Lurie purchased the San Francisco franchise in 1976, thus saving it from the clutches of Toronto, the price tag was just around $10 million.
In everyday play, Bonds may be worth every cent of Magowan’s investment. He came into the 1996 season with a career batting average of .286, 292 home runs, and 340 stolen bases. He opened the season with 11 April homers, tying the major-league record. His three Most Valuable Player awards in four seasons are more than Mays or Jackson ever achieved. But unlike those two greats, who also thrived when the postseason lights flashed on, Bonds wears an October yoke. In 20 play-off games over three consecutive seasons with the Pirates, Bonds batted .191, with just one homer and three runs batted in. All three times, the Pirates fell just short of going to the World Series.
Bonds’s first three seasons in San Francisco had their ups and downs. “We nearly won with him, and we finished in last place with him,” Magowan says. “We were doing fine with Barry and everybody else until the strike hit in 1994. Last year he only hit .294. He only had 33 home runs. He only had 104 R.B.I.’s. He only stole 30 bases. He only walked 120 times. But that was a bad year. He wasn’t even in the Top 10 for the M.V.P. People have pretty high expectations of him, as he does of himself.”
“If you’re not smart enough to handle the media … you’d better be very good at what you do. … I happen to be very good at what I do.”
Off the field, Bonds went through a highly publicized, ugly divorce from his wife, Sun, which entailed her sworn allegations of spousal abuse. With the divorce completed, the new season dawned, exhibiting a kinder and gentler Barry. There were some old flashes: A spring-training clubhouse shouting match between Bonds and teammate Mark Carreon, with manager Dusty Baker leaping into the fray, possibly leading to the All-Star-break trade of Carreon. A nervous moment in St. Louis when Bonds tried to push respected USA Today baseball writer Rod Beaton out of the clubhouse. But during the course of these interviews with Penthouse, Bonds was open, gracious, and fielded all questions.
What has most impressed you about the way this season has evolved?
Ken Griffey, Jr., is hitting some bombs, ain’t he? I’ve seen a few of them on TV. I said, Damn, Junior. The boy is on a pace to hit 60 [at interview time]. I wish I could do that. But I can’t do that.
You can’t?
Maybe if I was 25 I could.
At 32 you’re starting to feel old?
No, I just know what I want to do now, instead of what I want to try to do. Being consistent is the important thing. Keep the numbers pretty much on an even keel. Doing everything. There’s more satisfaction for me out of that than going up there and hitting as many home runs as I can. I’ve never tried it, though.
Is Griffey the best player in the game now?
No. There’s a bunch of great players. He’s not the best. He’s one of the best.
Who’s the best?
I think we’re all the best, in our own way. Top players. Yeah. Tony Gwynn is the best natural hitter. Powerwise, it’s got to be between Frank Thomas and Albert Belle. I think they’re both pretty much even. I think Albert Belle has shown a little more than Thomas, because he hit the 50 home runs. You can’t count out Cecil Fielder either. But Mike Piazza might have more power than any of them. I’ve never seen anyone hit the ball as far as him or Frank Thomas. Defensively, I don’t see any center fielder better than Junior [Griffey].
The good thing for me is that I’m in left field by myself. There ain’t too many great left fielders. So that’s the only advantage I have. I steal more bases than Junior does. We both score about the same amount of runs. Our slugging percentage is probably consistent. My on-base percentage is probably a little better, because I walk more. So when you talk about the best player, all the top players have their own qualities.
There isn’t one best package, like Willie Mays when he was playing?
At that time he did everything. I think now there’s a lot of guys who can do a lot of things. I don’t think you can sit here and say there is one dominating player between us all.
Do you think that baseball’s marketing is getting to the point where star baseball players are receiving the same exposure as star basketball and football players?
I don’t think we’re in the same class as basketball players yet. Fox Television is starting to promote baseball a little bit better. They’re taking it to a different level. It took a television company to do that. I don’t think any of the owners are going to ever stand up. Who knows? They may. The Giants do the best they can as far as their ball club goes. George Steinbrenner does his best as far as the Yankees are concerned.
In basketball wasn’t it Nike and the other shoe companies that put those players on the map?
Right. But in baseball it’s just small, real small. I think it will come along, though. It’s starting to change a little bit. I hope so. This is a good game. There shouldn’t be so much negativism.
What part did the strike play in creating that negativism?
There have been strikes before that weren’t so publicized. This one gave everyone a bad taste.
The figures released say the players lost $350 million in salaries. What percentage of that was yours?
A big chunk of it. I’m one of the highest-paid players, so I lost a lot. That’s okay. I had to stand up for what I believe in. No job is that important, to be humiliated. I don’t need it that much.
Why do you think there’s so much negativism surrounding you? Do you blame that on the press too?
I blame some of it on the press. I blame some of it on myself. I didn’t handle the press properly a lot of times. Once you get stamped by the news media that you’re a bad person, it’s hard to get off of that. Anything that happens, they’re going to frenzy on it. And that’s just the way it is. Only a few people, no matter what they do, are always going to be right. Some of us just aren’t going to get that. That’s just the way it is. That’s just the way life is. I’m just one of them. Albert Belle is one of them. I think Charles Barkley is the only one who gets to be a bad boy and everybody loves it.
That’s because Charles is fun.
We’re all fun, man. There’s nothing wrong with anyone. I’ve never done anything wrong to anybody. I’ve never bad-mouthed fans. I’ve never bad-mouthed my teammates. The press, if you don’t have time for them, they take it personally. My life doesn’t revolve around them on an everyday basis. I have other responsibilities in my life. I have my children. I have my teammates. I have an organization. Things that I have to do. If I don’t have time, it’s not personal. And it shouldn’t be taken personally. If a certain question is asked me and I choose not to answer it, I have that right not to answer it. I just feel like it’s a question that was not meant for me and I don’t feel like answering it. I should have that right. I shouldn’t be a bad person if I don’t answer it.
“I’ve heard worse things said by other players than I’ve ever said. But I’ve never seen it in the papers … never seen all the frenzy.”
So you think the things that happen are blown out of proportion because they happen to you?
Oh, yeah. I’ve heard worse things said by other players than I’ve ever said. But I’ve never seen it in the papers or never seen all the frenzy. When you’re a good player and if you’re not smart enough to handle the media when you first come up, you’d better be very good at what you do. It can destroy you. I happen to be very good at what I do. Although I wasn’t that smart, it didn’t destroy me.
When you say destroy you, do you mean as a person or as a professional?
If you’re good, like Junior is very, very good — and he knows how to handle the media — boom, you get that star. Boom, you can go with it. You can be as big as life. I didn’t handle it well at the very beginning. I’m just not a going-to-say-what-you-want-me-to-say type of person.
And that’s what makes you a good interview.
But to be a big star you’ve got to say whatever makes everybody happy. That’s just the way it is. I’m pretty sure Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, even Junior at times have had questions thrown at them that made them say in their heads, “What kind of question was that?” But they handled it differently. Me, I probably said, “Man, you’ve got to be the dumbest person in the world. What the hell kind of question is that? Who are you to come over and ask me something like that?” I just didn’t handle it right. But I’ll speak the truth. I’ll tell you the truth. That’s exactly what I said, those are things that I did. But now the media is not going to get under my skin. I took a lot of time thinking about it during this last off-season. I’ve just realized it’s not worth it.
What brought you to that point?
I guess what it came down to is that I understand the media a little bit more than I did before. Or at least I’m trying to understand them. Before I just wanted to go to work, I didn’t want to deal with it. I had enough pressure on me with just the ball club, my teammates, trying to succeed, do well for them, do well for myself. I just didn’t have any time. Now I realize you can make a little bit of time if you try.
How did you weather your divorce?
See, whether I go to the ballpark or I sit at home, those problems are still there. So you just go to work and you do your job. And you go home and you deal with whatever problems you’re going to deal with. I knew in that situation that I wasn’t going to lie for nothing or no one. Like the Bible says: Speak the truth. The truth isn’t always nice. The truth speaks for itself. I spoke the truth, and sometimes it stepped on people’s toes. But it was the truth. And I take care of my responsibilities. That’s just the way it is. That’s just what I do. You have to if you want to survive, unless you want to be homeless. I choose not to be homeless. I choose to show my own children that no matter what happens in your life you can still go on. Nothing is ever that bad [that] you can’t take that next step or can’t pick yourself up. It’s also a good learning experience for myself and for my children. If my son or my daughter ever tells me, “Dad, I can’t face it,” I’ll say, “Yeah, you can. I did it. Yes you can. You can if you choose to. You have a choice. The decision will be yours.”
Did you surprise yourself at how strong you are to be able to do that?
No, I didn’t surprise myself because I’ve been going through negative things for so long. First it was during baseball, dealing with the bad press and the media. Then I was going home, and everything was happening. Then baseball started getting better and home went down. So I was already prepared. I was prepared at 21. It was something I’d been accustomed to. I’m just glad it’s getting a little bit better now.
It seems to be getting a lot better.
Yeah. Hell, yeah. I’m glad, really, that it’s over. I don’t ever trash nobody. I never will. I won’t ever trash my ex-wife. It’s not worth it. There’s no justification for me or anybody else.
Is that part of the territory of being a public figure?
I don’t think it’s fair to a point, but it’s television. You can’t get around television. People watch TV and people want news. I just happen to be news. I just wish that a lot of it was a lot more accurate than it was portrayed. That’s the only sad part about it. I could care less one way or the other. Just the lies in the media. That’s what gets me. It’s like, Come on, man, this is crazy. How can somebody just say something and it gets on the air? It’s like the latest thing with Mike Tyson. The incident just seemed like a big extortion. Somebody can say you’re sexually harassing them and the press jumps all over it. If you don’t know the facts, let the system work first and then write your story. Don’t give people a lot of information that might not be true. That’s the only part I don’t like.
What lies are you talking about?
The abusive part. I mean, that was just outrageous. For somebody to just come out and say whatever and believe it… . In the police report itself it says I’m locked in the bedroom, okay? I’m on the other side of the bedroom, but I’m abusive. I mean, that’s crazy.
Didn’t your ex-wife testify about that?
Yeah, she did. But I feel like this, man: What goes around comes around. God’s not going to let you take something that doesn’t belong to you. And I truly believe in that. Regardless of what you say, God is not going to just allow you to hurt others for no reason. And that’s exactly what happened. So I give the praises to the Man Upstairs. And I’m very thankful. The facts and the truth spoke for itself.
The court sided with you, didn’t it?
Yes. I was worried about it at first, because of my high profile and everything. I didn’t know how much that might influence a decision against me. I was willing to deal with whatever happened. But I was glad the judge stood up for the truth, stood up for the facts. I have a lot of high respect for the court system… . You know what really kills me, though: I don’t consider athletes really famous, to be honest. We work like everybody else. To me, doctors are more famous than we are. They save people’s lives. I mean, we hit a baseball for a living. The only excitement we bring is thrills. We hit a baseball. That’s it.
Have you talked to Albert Belle about all the stuff he’s going through?
The only time we talked was last winter. I know exactly what he’s going through. I told him I go through the same things. Try to humor them a little bit. That’s all. You don’t have to like everyone in the media. Turn that switch on a little bit later. That was one of the problems I had. As soon as you drive into the ballpark the switch goes on and it’s like a red zone. Everyone, back off. It’s time to perform. Just try to turn it on a little bit later. He’s a good dude, man. He’s a really great guy. The thing is, a lot of people don’t know him. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s competing. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think anyone should put him down for it.
You used to turn on the switch immediately when you got to the ballpark?
That switch just goes on. With me, I was dealing with a lot more pressure than most of the other players. My godfather is Willie Mays. I had to live up to him. My father, Bobby. My cousin, Reggie Jackson. Going through those questions day in and day out. I rebelled against it. I turned the other way. I tried to have my own identity, to be my own self. That’s what started my trouble.
My trouble started because I wanted people to stop calling me Bobby all the time. Every last one of you called me Bobby at one time or another. I wanted to be respected for what I did. Not to live up to what somebody else did. I knew I wouldn’t be the same. And I didn’t think it was fair to put all that pressure on me. Every question toward me was, “Do you think you’ll ever be able to do 30-30 [home runs and stolen bases] like your father did five times? Do you think you’re ever going to be as good as your godfather, Willie Mays? Do you think you’re ever going to hit three home runs in a World Series game like your cousin Reggie Jackson?”
It was always the expectations. I got angry about it because those expectations didn’t do anything that day. I did. That’s what started my whole battle with the media and everything that came with it. So I had big shoes to fill. I was trying to fill those shoes, hold my own. Plus, everybody else expected me to fill those shoes. That’s tough to ask one person to do. I just kind of went against it because I didn’t feel it was right.
Do you think you’ve outgrown the comparisons? You’ve basically become for this era what the people in your family were to their eras.
Not yet. Willie hit 600-some home runs. Willie is a legend. Reggie Jackson is a legend. Barry Bonds is just another baseball player right now. And I may never be a legend.
How did Jim Leyland, your former manager with the Pirates, help you deal with all that?
Leyland was probably the biggest inspiration, because he always told me, “You don’t have nothing to prove to no one but yourself. Do what you can for this organization and this team.” He understood what I was going through. That’s probably why our relationship was so good. He could see the frustration of trying to get everybody’s approval. And yet you’re not going to be able to get it. I got the heat just because [it] said “Bonds” on my jersey.
Well, you were the bad guy in that clubhouse. Andy Van Slyke was the “Great White Hope.”
Andy got the “Great White Hope” name. It wasn’t from me. He got that name from the other guys. We just kept it because that was him. There was nothing bad about it. Andy didn’t mind. But because one time I said it, the media happened to be there. They’re the freakin’ ones that made it sound like I had a problem with Andy and he had a problem with me, which wasn’t true. That was sad. But Leyland could see those things.
You took a lot of crap for not hitting.
Oh yeah. That’s part of life. That’s part of baseball. It happens. That’s what being a professional athlete is. The limelight is part of it. It comes with the territory. You deal with it and go on. That’s the way it is.
So you probably don’t think the high expectations and pressure will ever change.
It’ll change eventually, because I’ll get older and they can’t expect big things from me anymore. Then whatever I’m able to give ’em they’ll just like. Eventually you get to a point and get older. You can’t do anything about it. And they can’t expect it. They can’t expect you to do what a 25-year-old does. Andre Dawson is 41 years old. You can’t expect anything more than that. But they admire and love what he did and what he does. And that he is 41 years old and he can still do it with 25-year-olds. That’s impressive. So eventually it will die out.
You’ve said you thank Peter Magowan for bringing you home. Did you ever have any inkling you’d play in San Francisco?
I never thought it would happen. The Giants were going through ownership problems and they were going to move the team. That wasn’t going to be one of my options. So Southern California was going to be the closest thing to home. The Giants just came out of nowhere. They said they wanted me to come home. Before that, San Diego, the Angels, or the Dodgers were my top choices. Any one of those three teams. Then the Yankees and the Braves came into play. But I’m very grateful. And I’m glad to be home.
Was there any real competition from the other teams?
Atlanta started off like they would be a big one. It seemed like it was going to be between coming home and Atlanta. But Atlanta never came through. The Giants overrode. I didn’t want to be on the East Coast. I have a little bit of a temper. And it comes out in my work. Being in New York City… . Me and New York City would be turned upside down.
Well, you saw what happened with Bobby Bonilla there, after he signed with the Mets.
The thing is, I’m a different player. I’m going to put my numbers up. Don’t care where I’m going to be at. But I may say things they don’t like. So it was good that I went back home. That’s the truth.
Could you get along with George Steinbrenner?
I wouldn’t have problems with George. George wouldn’t have problems with me. I’d be playing every day. George respects players who do that. He respects a guy who goes out there day in and day out and does his job. What’s he going to do, fire me with pay? Fine. Shit. It doesn’t bother me none. Shoot. You can be as mad as you want to. But he ain’t going to give up his money and sacrifice a quality player. And I’m not going to allow him to give me money and not give him what he deserves. But I saw what Yankee players went through in New York, Dave Winfield and guys like that. I didn’t want to keep a bad tradition going. You know what I mean? I didn’t want that anymore. I didn’t need that in my life anymore. I didn’t need any more headaches. I didn’t want to get headaches in the morning every day and deal with that all the time.
“The East Coast is just so narrow-minded. If you don’t win, you suck. Well, only one team can win. That’s just the bottom line.”
Did that happen to you in Pittsburgh?
You get to the point where you get nauseous, you get sick, when you hear something like that every single day. And when you know in your heart and soul you’re giving it everything you’ve got. And you look at your team and your team is even going through it too. You’re putting up better records and you’re winning divisions. No one is coming, and they’re still putting you down. That’s not a good feeling. The West Coast is more subtle. You do good, they love you. They see a broader picture than on the East Coast. The East Coast is just so narrow-minded. If you don’t win, you suck. Well, only one team can win. That’s just the bottom line.
So basically, is this it for you? You’re not going anywhere else once your contract is up. You’ll renegotiate and try to stay in San Francisco?
My home is in San Francisco. I live there. Why would I want to live in two different homes again, like I did when I was in Pittsburgh? Travel back and forth all the time. I mean, if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m gonna just give up baseball if I don’t stay home. No, that’s not gonna happen.
Well, there are only so many star players in baseball. Isn’t that worth something?
Yeah, but the media is only going to allow so many people to be that big star. Ken Griffey, Jr., is one of them. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Troy Aikman, Steve Young. Certain players. That’s gonna be it. The other ones won’t be able to get into that club. Hakeem Olajuwon should be one of them. He’s the greatest center in the N.B.A. But Shaq gets more recognition than Hakeem. To me, Hakeem is one of the greatest centers next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But he’s not going to get it like the rest of them. For some players it’s just not going to happen. Some players are just not going to get it. I’m one of them who’s not going to get it.
What has to happen for you to get it?
Probably pass away. That would probably be about it.
That’s kind of morbid.
But it’s the truth. And the truth speaks for itself. And the truth is, Barry Bonds is not gonna be a Ken Griffey, Jr. Barry Bonds is not gonna get the endorsements and everything like a Ken Griffey, Jr., no matter what he does. Albert Belle is not going to be the one. That’s just the way it is. Even in hockey. You’ve got Mario Lemieux. You’ve got Wayne Gretzky. You’ve got Brett Hull. You’ve got Mark Messier. There are other players just as good. Jaromir Jagr is just as good as any of them. But he doesn’t get the pub [publicity] that they get. But you can’t say he’s not as good. You can’t say that he ain’t one of the best. And you definitely can’t say that about me. Not at all. But that’s just the way it goes.
With your stats, the three M.V.P. awards in four years, you do deserve to be up there.
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. But I just don’t see it happening. As far as my hometown, San Francisco, they give me all the love in the world. I can’t ask for more than that. If that’s the only little part that I get, I’m proud. I’m happy. Not everybody can be billionaires, but I’ll take my little piece of the pie and be happy. I’m not greedy. I don’t need the whole world. I’ll take my hometown and be happy.
And then you can live with it?
Oh, easy. Very easy. Because I know that for 81 days on the road, that’s all right, I just deal with it. But the other 81 days, they love me. And that’s enough. That’s good. I’ll take half. I don’t need it all.
Truth be told, you might need to but up more on Major League Baseball history than most people might find themselves in order to appreciate a few of the topics in this conversation, but even coming in cold you can feel the man behind the star with Barry Bonds. If you care nothing about baseball or its history, then we need not even mention the controvery that dogs him twenty years later, and if you do care, well, you already know. You can get current if you care. … For our part, sometimes we appreciate a superstar who does go gently into that good night. (Well not THAT good night, but, y’know, retirement.)
