SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Barry Bonds is just a tad bit bitter about his departure from the San Francisco Giants.
The 43-year-old home run king heard a long list of his accomplishments read during a special speaking forum Wednesday night hosted by the Commonwealth Club, then was asked by KGO Radio host Ray Taliaferro if he’d really done all those feats.
“I did, and then I got fired,” Bonds told a group of about 400 people in the audience. “Shame on me, huh?”
Bonds, who broke Hank Aaron’s home run record with No. 756 on Aug. 7, was told last month by Giants owner Peter Magowan that he would not be brought back for a 16th season in San Francisco.
Bonds, dressed in a dark suit jacket and tie, entered to a roaring standing ovation and four times was introduced to loud applause from an adoring crowd. They chanted, “Barry! Barry!” One person hollered, “We love you.” Others took pictures of the seven-time NL MVP on cell phone cameras.
Yes, this was a glorified pep rally in a swanky downtown San Francisco hotel – for a star baseball player who didn’t even stick around when his team paid tribute to him with a video presentation during the final home game of the year. Outside the ballroom where he spoke, Game 1 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Rockies at Fenway Park showed on a TV.
When Taliaferro asked about Bonds’ many splash-hit home runs, the slugger replied, “They call it McCovey Cove, but I’ve rewritten it a little bit.”
That part of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field arcade of the Giants’ waterfront ballpark is named for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.
Bonds, who just completed his 22nd major league season, has 762 career homers.
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