The Bonds Show

Whether he's hitting home runs or not, Barry Bonds has turned into a show unto himself. Wherever he goes, he's the big story. And that's always most definitely the case when the Giants are in New York. Last night the Giants started a series against the Mets. And like last year, Bonds wasn't in the starting lineup to start the series. Part of me thinks he does this to enhance the "Bonds Show", as the Mets have special (i.e. higher) ticket prices when the Giants are in town (due to Bonds, of course), despite that it's a mid-week series. It's speculation on my part, but my guess is that this doesn't sit well with Bonds, as he doesn't see a dime of the extra revenue the Mets generate because of his presence.

Although he didn't do anything more than draw a pinch-hit walk in the 10th inning last night, Barry Bonds caused the now-typical Bonds show at Shea Stadium last night. Here's my best attempt to set the scene: Bonds approaches the plate to a chorus of boos. One young boy best represents the whole scene. This boy, about twelve, is sitting in the first row, just above the Mets dugout. His seat places him just over Bonds' shoulder when the camera from the Giants dugout is used.

The boy is holding a small sign that says, simply, "B*NDS". Whenever the boy is shown on screen, he is booing furiously. I am fairly sure that he has no voice today (but all of his friends definitely saw him on television). Best of all, the "B*NDS" sign was small enough that he only needed one hand to hold it up (while it was still big enough to be seen, even with the wide shots).

Since he only needed one hand for the sign, he had one hand free... which he of course used to take pictures of each and every pitch that was delivered to Bonds.

I thought that was just perfect. It sums up much of America's fascination with Bonds. While many may hate the man, most of those same people wouldn't miss him for anything. While they are booing Barry, they're also making sure they're capturing every swing he takes.