Bonds Rejoins Giants, Put Into Lineup
Bonds Rejoins Giants, Put Into Lineup
Published: 3/9/06, 1:24 PM EDT
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Barry Bonds rejoined the San Francisco Giants and was quickly put into the lineup to make his spring training debut Thursday, two days after details of his alleged extensive steroid program were released.
Bonds waved to fans as he made his way into Scottsdale Stadium, did a couple of twists to stretch by his locker and said little as he walked out of the clubhouse.
"I gotta go," the slugger said. "I gotta keep on schedule."
Bonds wasn't in the original lineup posted in the morning for San Francisco's game against the Angels in nearby Tempe, but manager Felipe Alou quickly wrote him in as designated hitter.
The day before, Bonds was in California to attend a child custody hearing that had been scheduled for a month.
Commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday that he plans to be extremely cautious before buying into the idea Bonds took steroids for years. Selig, who spent months pushing through the get-tough drug policy he wanted for baseball, insists he won't be part of ruining the slugger's reputation based on "anecdotal evidence."
First, Selig wants to get all the facts, meaning he wants to read the soon-to-be-released book that describes in vivid detail Bonds' alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Then he'll decide whether any action is necessary - or possible.
"I'm going to be very sensitive about all that because, after all, you're playing with people's lives and their reputations," Selig said Wednesday, a day after Sports Illustrated released excerpts from "Game of Shadows," written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters.
"All of us ought to be careful," Selig said. "The commissioner certainly is going to be careful. It doesn't mean I don't have interest. I've spent more time talking to doctors, trainers, players from different generations. I've talked with a lot of people, more than anybody will ever know."
Selig, in Phoenix for the Canada-U.S. World Baseball Classic game, said he had no plans to meet with Bonds and would wait until the book's release later in the month to comment further. The Giants said they would cooperate fully with the commissioner.
Bonds, who has repeatedly denied using steroids, posted a note on his Web site thanking fans for their support without mentioning the newest allegations. His lawyer, meanwhile, questioned the book's credibility.
All around baseball, Bonds was topic No. 1.
Boston pitcher David Wells said Bonds should "be a man and come out and say that he did it" if he used steroids. Wells said Bonds "probably" used them.
"If you're guilty and you got caught, come clean. I think you can get a lot more respect from people than (by) lying," Wells said.
Roger Clemens offered another opinion.
"I worry more about the man's health than I do about him hitting home runs or whatever this witch hunt we're on," the Team USA ace said. "I think he got hammered pretty good last year, and it seems to be happening again this year. I don't know if it's going to change anything."
Yankees manager Joe Torre said Bonds' Hall of Fame status was up to individual voters, adding that the overall steroids scandal has given baseball "a black eye" and watered down home run numbers.
"I think right now we have already diluted that," Torre said.
Bonds, who is third on the all-time list with 708 homers and only 48 shy of breaking Hank Aaron's career mark, found the right time to be absent Wednesday, providing him a brief respite from the scrutiny.
At the San Mateo County Superior Courthouse in Redwood City, Calif., Bonds smiled as he exited with his legal staff, refusing to respond to a barrage of questions.
His attorney, Michael L. Rains, issued a statement on http://www.barrybonds.com.
"My client, Barry Bonds, has not read the Sports Illustrated article and does not intend to. Furthermore, he does not intend to read the book from which the article is excerpted. Barry regards this as an unfortunate distraction to his friends and teammates at the San Francisco Giants and to the good name and the great players in Major League Baseball," Rains said.
"The exploitation of Barry's good name ... may make those responsible wealthy, but in the end, have misled the public in the interest of financial and professional self promotion."
The 41-year-old Bonds has been out of the exhibition lineup after playing only 14 games last season following three operations on his troublesome right knee.
His teammates hope to quickly move forward.
"Just let him play. Whatever happened, happened," pitcher Jason Schmidt said. "Testing's in place now. If that was an issue before, obviously it can't be an issue now. It's a different game. We're all under the same rules."
credit BellSOuth
