You can’t ignore Barry Bonds these days. He won’t let you.
Bonds announced Sunday that he’ll be starting his final season come Opening Day, April 3. Considering that spring ball hasn’t even started and that Bonds is four dozen dingers away from topping the all-time home run leaderboard, I smell an empty cry for attention.
Let’s pretend that Dr. Emmett Brown is here to take you onboard his DeLorean into the future. He fast-forwards you to the Giants’ regular-season finale on Oct. 1. Bonds is wrapping up his ninth 40-plus-home run season and is fewer than 10 long balls from surpassing Hank Aaron. Assuming the then-42-year-old slugger doesn’t lead San Francisco to the postseason, what do you think he’s going to do? Hey McFly, what would you do?
I’d take a year of ice, aspirin and unmentionables for a shot at baseball immortality.
I think Bonds will have the juice (pardon the word choice) to last another season. He’s ageless in the batters’ box and can survive 324 games worth of half-hearted ball shagging.
Not that he has to. Bonds is a day-to-day player who writes his own schedule.
I cannot begin to describe how ridiculous it is for him to be set on retiring before he’s even taken his first in-game swing of 2006. He should at least see what shape he’s in come October.
I can sympathize with Bonds for being frustrated with life as a high-profile player. The media has not always been friendly toward him, but Bonds has had it coming after a career of hurling verbal shots toward reporters.
He has indeed brought some of his non-medical hardships on himself. He’s isn’t thrilled with having his private life under a spotlight, but he didn’t help matters by creating an online diary in 2004.
ESPN analyst Peter Gammons was not surprised by Bonds’ retirement announcement.
“He sounds so discouraged about his physical condition,” Gammons said on SportsCenter. “Three years ago in spring training … he said at the time he wanted to pass Babe Ruth, but he really didn’t want to pass Henry Aaron because of all that Henry Aaron did for African-Americans in our society.”
It’s always noble to honor inspirational players of the past, but I doubt Aaron would mind if Bonds breaks his record.
Others might think differently.
On Monday, espn.com held a fan poll asking how many would like to see Bonds pass Aaron on the home run list. Nearly 60 percent of those polled clicked “no.”
The stage is set for Bonds to reach the glory-craving slugger’s pinnacle if he plays another year. He already has his seat assignment in Cooperstown, but as a guy who feeds off attention, he needs more.
What better way to draw attention to yourself than becoming the all-time home run champ? You can always announce your early retirement.

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