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Written by Troy Chuinard
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Sunday, 23 September 2007 |
After fifteen seasons of fame, Barry Bonds will not be returning to the San Francisco Giants for the 2008 season. In what came as a bit of a shocker to many, the Giants announced last week that they feel Barry will not be worth the money given their limited budget. After breaking the prestigious all-time home run record and filling countless seats at AT&T Park, it is very doubtful that the Bonds legacy will be forgotten.
No matter what anyone says, business is business, and it makes sense that the Giants do not have the room for Barry next season. However, it is surprising that the organization waited so long to let Barry know that they would not be interested in offering him another lucrative contract. After debuting with the team in 1986, Barry has come quite a long way with the San Francisco organization. 7 MVP’s, 8 Gold Gloves, 12 Silver Sluggers, and roughly 21 years later, the impact of Bonds will no longer be seen in San Francisco.
The Giants have been sincere in their decision, and Bonds is unhappy that he will be leaving the organization that gave him his name of fame. "I'm disappointed. I had the best 15 years of my life here. I'm not upset. I'm not angry. I'm not mad. It's a business decision," quoted Barry. While the Giants may have arrived at this decision months ago, they waited until the last home stand to notify Barry of their future relationship. According to Barry, he was told in past negotiations that a decision would not be made in this fashion. "It was told to me during the negotiations that it wasn't going to happen that way, and it happened that way and that's a disappointment," stated Bonds.
Just what does this mean for Barry himself? We will leave it up to the off-season to make that decision. It is quite clear that Bonds’ health has limited his playing time this season, which would make one assume that he will venture to an American League team. However, it is also obvious that he will be asking for plenty of money, and only a few organizations will be candidates to pick up his tab. One thing is for certain: wherever Bonds lands, there is no doubt that he will fill the seats in the stadium, much like he did for 15 long years in San Francisco.
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