Big Stars Arrive at Spring Training

Big Stars Arrive at Spring Training

Published: 2/23/06, 7:06 AM EDT
(AP) - Barry Bonds was back in the batting cage, taking some cuts and providing few answers about his future. Chipper Jones showed up at spring training with something else on his mind: gaining weight.

After arriving in camp Wednesday, Bonds said he might not decide until next winter whether to play in 2007 and made it clear he wants to remain with the San Francisco Giants if he does extend his career.

"San Francisco is my home. That's the love of my life right there," Bonds said. "The fans there, the people there, everything about it is just great for me. Thinking that there could be a possibility, just hypothetically, to go somewhere else and DH or something like that, I really don't want to think about that at this time right now. I know I can swing a bat. I take a lot of pride to be on that field and stay in this uniform."

The 41-year-old Bonds missed most of last season following three knee operations. He needs 48 homers to break Hank Aaron's record of 755.

"I see a guy with a quick bat. I don't see the end here," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "I compare the guy with Hank Aaron, who could hit a fastball to the end."

Bonds took part in a nearly complete workout with the Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz., stretching with his teammates, throwing, shagging flies and hitting in the batting cage before taking three rounds of batting practice against Jason Schmidt and Noah Lowry.

"Last year, I saw him favoring his knees," Alou said. "I didn't see him favoring the knee today. I didn't see it when he was batting. When he was swinging the bat, it was OK with me."

Bonds gave contradicting interviews this week about whether he wanted to play past this year, the final season of his $90 million, five-year contract.

"I've played a long time," he said. "I've had a lot of fun doing it. We'll tackle that bridge when it happens. I'll sit back and talk with my family and take a long, long vacation and see how I feel. I could do that and get in the wintertime and say, `That's enough,' and somewhere in January wake up and say, `That's not enough.'"

In Kissimmee, Fla., Jones was missing something when he reported to spring training - nearly 20 pounds. He said his weight dropped from 228 to 210 while he had stomach flu.

"If I turn sideways, I disappear until I stick my tongue out," he joked.

Jones' belt, which fit last season, was hanging loosely when he got dressed before the Atlanta Braves' first full-squad workout.

"I'm looking to put back on seven or eight pounds," he said.

The 6-foot-4 Jones is listed at 210 pounds, but he has tried to improve his endurance by playing at a heavier weight in recent years.

Otherwise, Jones said he feels good. Injuries limited him to 358 at-bats in only 109 games last season, career lows.

In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Carlos Delgado reported for his first season with the New York Mets, hit a bunch of homers in batting practice and predicted the team would do well this year.

"I think everybody plays better when they're a little more relaxed and when they're not under pressure," the slugger said. "If everyone does the best they can, they should realize this is a good enough lineup to win. This ballclub is good enough that no one should have to do anything extra."

In Tampa, Fla., New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner predicted his team's five-year World Series drought will end this October.

"We're going to win it this year," he said. "We're going after it."

The Boss walked into the manager's office while Joe Torre was talking with reporters, sat down on a sofa and listened to the rest of Torre's daily media session.

"I can't do much to teach him anything, but I'm just there so he knows he's got my support," Steinbrenner said later.

In Dunedin, Fla., Toronto said center fielder Vernon Wells probably will miss the first round of the World Baseball Classic because of a left leg injury. Wells, who won his second straight Gold Glove last season, is among 30 players on the U.S. roster for the tournament, scheduled for March 3-20.

"He tweaked his quad a couple of days ago lifting," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Wednesday. "He'll have to take it easy for a week, two weeks. He still has plenty of time to get ready."

In Surprise, Ariz., Texas Rangers outfielder David Dellucci decided not to play for the Italian national team.

"I'm not going," he said. "I'm 100 percent Italian and my family makes a trip there once a year. That made it a tough decision. This year we've made a lot of additions here and there is a lot of excitement about the direction we're headed. I just want to be here from the beginning."

In Mesa, Ariz., the Cubs said right-hander Mark Prior could be pitching off a mound by the end of the week. Prior has had elbow problems during the past two spring trainings.

"I think we're going to a pretty extensive throwing program Friday and see how he reacts on Saturday, and go from there," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "There's a good chance he'll get on the mound Sunday, but if he feels real good, we might venture that on Friday. But we'll see."

Right-handers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller played catch, throwing about 120 feet.

"It's been impressive to where they are up to now," Rothschild said. "They're throwing the ball with pretty good force behind it. It's not so much what they can do today, but can they feel like they can do it again tomorrow? That's the basis we pretty much use to go forward."

Chicago is optimistic Prior can start in one of the first exhibition games in early March. The Cubs hope Wood can be ready to pitch in big league games in April and that Miller can be available by May.
Credit to BellSouth