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While Bud Selig may not have said that exactly, T.J. Quinn of the New York Daily News reports that the Commissioner was displeased with the size of the contract that the Giants paid out to Barry Bonds.
Sources say commissioner Bud Selig is seething over the contract, in part because of the money, and in part because he would have been happy to see his friend Aaron's record preserved until a more suitable successor makes a run. Despite Bonds' claim that he didn't know what he was taking, he did admit to a federal grand jury that he used steroids.Publicly, however, the commissioner's office is diplomatic, and MLB spokesman Rich Levin and senior MLB vice president for administration John McHale have been told to come up with a game plan in the event that Bonds ties and passes Aaron. Selig will attend any celebration, but officials say they are not sure whether Aaron will, despite reports that he will not.
"The commissioner has repeatedly made clear that this is a significant record. It is an enormous achievement built over an entire career," MLB president Bob DuPuy says. "Barry has had a long, successful career in San Francisco where he has been treated with the respect for his achievements you would expect San Francisco Giants fans to have."
Right now the Giants lineup looks like this
1B - Rich Aurilia
2B - Ray Durham
SS - Omar Vizquel
3B - Pedro Feliz
LF - Barry Bonds
CF - Dave Roberts/Randy Winn
RF - The guy above who doesn't play center
C - Bengie Molina
SP - Matt Cain, Matt Morris, Noah Lowry, Brad Hennessey, Jonathan Sanchez
RP - Armando Benitez, Steve Kline, Tim Worrell, Kevin Correia, Vinnie Chulk, and the rest...
QED
....is there any proof besides malicious leaks by vendetta-ing sportswriters that Bonds did indeed testify that way?
"he did admit to a federal grand jury that he used steroids" seems several large assumptions away from what we actually know, even at this point...
What? I don't understand why people don't understand that they signed THE BEST AVAILABLE HITTER to a one-year deal. This was the only way they could approach being competitive!
Say what you will about the guy (he's no cuddly puppy, that's for sure), but he's worth the money, and the Giants paid it because just getting him isn't enough; he has to be reasonably happy, like the article says through its incredulous tone. Things are tough enough anyway with that guy in the locker room. Once they decided to sign him at all, making him feel underpaid wasn't an option. It occurs to me that if Selig's reaction really is partly about the money, then why wasn't he outraged at the Varitek deal? After the 2004 season, Tek got paid well over a mid-30s catcher's market value for the time, and the Sox justified it by saying that his loyalty to the franchise should be rewarded, that his value to that particular club was more than his value to any other club. It seems that, because Varitek is, by many accounts, a swell guy, nobody cared, but when Bonds gets paid less than Carlos Lee's annual salary, on a one-year deal, people are getting upset about it. It doesn't sound like a new reason to dislike him, but a new manifestation of old contempt.
http://tinyurl.com/y6lo6a
--David (sportszillablog.com)
Can the Giants sell any 756 merchandise or does it all have to go through Bonds b/c of his non-union situation?
http://marinerds.blogspot.com/
vr, Xei
That blog's owner posts here frequently.
True fact.
He's 31 with a career .724 OPS.
It must be Winn for RF; you can't seriously play Roberts' North Beach (AKA spaghetti noodle) arm out there.
Which major league former SS do you want playing 1B for you, Rich Aurilia or Nomar Garciaparra?
Career OPS:
1B - Rich Aurilia .775
2B - Ray Durham .797
SS - Omar Vizquel .702
3B - Pedro Feliz .724
LF - Barry Bonds 1.051
CF - Dave Roberts .715
RF - Randy Winn .764
C - Bengie Molina .717
Barry and a bunch of 7th and 8th place hitters. What an ugly season they're going to have.
Guys are going to score from first on singles.
The next question is, does Brian Sabean hang around long enough to see what life is like, post-Bonds, or does he get out while the getting is good?
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