Well, here we are. Precisely three weeks into the season and nothing on Barry Bonds. First it was Oakland, then Japan, then Tampa Bay, then Toronto, and now...nothing. Howard Lincoln, part-owner of the Seattle Mariners, when asked about signing Bonds emphatically stated, "No, absolutely not." Now, we all know the M's have a track record of winning. Yeah, like "Everybody Loves Raymond" has a track record of being funny. The way I see it, Seattle would be passing up a grand opportunity by sleeping on Bonds. Here they have a team that could be within reach of the wild card, possibly the division, yet they are not willing to take the extra step. Assuming Bonds will be a designated hitter IF he plays again, let's look at the Mariners' DH situation. Jose Vidro is a very decent hitter, but he hit .314 with only 6 homers and 59 RBI while earning a .381 OBP last season. Certainly Vidro is worthy of a starting position, but he's off to a slow start at 10 for 49. He's already got 2 homers but here's a guy who at his best only hit 24 back in 2000 with Montreal. Their backup DH is Greg Norton, which is kind of like having Milli Vanilli as your backup singers. The Mariners need some pop, and while they're 6-8 and only 3 games back of (who woulda thunk it?) the Oakland A's, bringing in Bonds is hardly a panic move. I know it's early, but if Seattle can play consistent baseball, it'll be interesting to see how they'll match up against the Angels come September. I can go on and on about how appropriate of a situation Barry in Seattle would be, but apparently Howie doesn't see it my way.

    What about Texas? Rangers GM Jon Daniels had this to say about signing Bonds, "As for us, we've just made an organizational decision not to pursue him at this time. It just doesn't fit what we're trying to do right now." What are you trying to do right now, lose? I actually think the Rangers have potential. They have a strong lineup comprised mostly of younger guys like Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler. Not to mention proven vets like Michael Young, Milton Bradley, and Hank Blalock. Surprisingly, their pitching (which killed them last year) seems to be improving. In fact, they're 5th in the AL in ERA. Their situation "right now" looks fairly decent, but bringing in the longball king would tremendously improve their contention hopes. I still think Seattle would benefit more from Bonds because they're a better team, but in the AL west, it seems like anybody can win it at this point.

    Yankees? Now this is interesting. Personally, I think the best overall fit for Bonds is New York. Oh, wait a minute, that couldn't possibly work. After all, why would you want to hire Bonds to distract the younger players like Alex Rodriguez, or Derek Jeter, or Andy Pettitte, or Mariano Rivera, or Mike Mussina, or Kyle Farnsworth, or Johnny Damon, or Jason Giambi, or Jorge Posada, or Bobby Abreu? Frankly, I don't buy this so-called "clubhouse disruption" that everybody's talking about. What's the worse that could happen? Some reporters want to talk to Bonds? Bonds takes a nap in his recliner while Joe Girardi films his own show?  Bonds watches ESPN on his own big-screen, HD Sony Bravia while the other guys watch ESPN2 on the house tube-screen tv? Bonds has his own special person to help him lift weights and eat right? Get real! The Yankees would be a far better team with Bonds. I'm sure A-Rod wouldn't mind taking the 3rd spot while Bonds bats cleanup to protect him. Imagine your 3-4-5 hitters being A-Rod, Bonds, and Abreu. Now you got a championship team. Bringing in Bonds would only leave one person out in the cold, Jason Giambi. I like what Giambi does but let's face it, he's not the same Giambi. However, he would be a great pinch hitter for Bonds if for some reason his knees got cranky late in the game. He's feared like Bonds, and he gets on base. All Girardi would have to do is put Giambi on the bench, move Damon to first, and put Matsui in left. Then the DH spot would be available for Barry.

      Detroit? Why not? You can laugh at that team now, but when everyone starts hitting and their pitching staff works the kinks out, Leyland will switch to filtered cigarettes. But seriously folks, when the Tigers break out this slump, the only two teams in the AL that I can see competing with them are the Yanks and Red Sox. They will be very dangerous. If they decide to bring in Bonds, they would have to sit Jacque Jones thus allowing the left field and DH spots to alternate between Sheffield and Bonds. That would work just fine.

     Now that I've talked about the teams that I think would severely miss out by not signing Bonds, I need to address the elephant in the room. Barry Bonds is being blackballed from the game. First of all, we don't have any hard evidence Bonds used steroids, and even if we did, how would we know to what extent steroids improved his hitting? Steroids make you stronger and bigger, which are probably the two least important aspects in the art of hitting a baseball. Look at Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Neither of those guys were bulky, but they had amazing eye-hand coordination. Not to mention they had swings that allowed for hitting home runs. If you think about it, any major league player can hit a lot of home runs if they wanted to, providing that they have a swing that utilizes good bat speed, extension and hip movement. Putting all your weight into your swing is very important in hitting homers. Ask any power hitter. What's the difference between putting 190 lbs. or 240 lbs. into a good swing? Nothing. Although  mathematically there's an obvious difference, baseball-wise there isn't. Both weights are good enough for driving the ball. Remember, Barry hit 46 homers in 1993 when he only weighed about 190 lbs, so obviously he had no trouble clearing the fences even at that weight. If you watch films of Barry's career, you'll notice his gradual weight gain, but more importantly, you'll see how his stance has changed drastically. In his earlier years with the Pirates, Bonds had more of a crouched stance, which doesn't allow you to put all your weight on the ball. Once he became a Giant and worked out with his dad, his stance became taller thus allowing him to put forth all his weight. Of course, Barry always had a level swing, but that slight change in his stance did wonders. I can go on about this for pages but who really cares? The media will always ignore the facts in the midst of destroying a human being's reputation while the gullible American public joins in on the crucifixion. Bonds is well respected and liked by the players and coaches. You can see it in the pre-game warm ups. Barry is always talking and joking around with his teammates and players on the opposing teams. 

      So what gives? There were other players in the Mitchell Report who are on a team, other players who have tested positive who are also on a team, and Bonds' trial won't start until sometime next year. The stats speak for themself, Barry is still among the elite hitters in baseball. The guy had 28 homers in only 340 AB's, got on base 48% of the time, and led the league in walks last year. And he did all of that on sore knees thanks to his 110 starts in left field. In fact, Barry only started 116 games, the other 6 games he DH'd. It's painfully obvious that Bonds can still hit and, in my opinion, he's not that bad in left field. There are still some left fielders worse than Bonds, like Manny Ramirez and Adam Dunn. As a full time DH, Barry would be at his best. Believe me, every owner and general manager understands everything that he can offer when it comes to winning and filling seats. Would he actually fill seats? Of course, he's Barry Bonds. A 1 year $10 million contract or even a lesser dollar amount with more incentives is a small price to pay for what I call the "Bonds package." What is the "package" exactly? Just what I mentioned, a great player, a proven player, a ticket seller, and most important, the most feared hitter in the game. Just imagine Bonds on a good offensive team where he can get on base, score runs, and reward the other hitters with RBI. Yes, Bonds is still the most feared hitter in baseball because the walks speak for themself, and any team that falls short in the playoffs or getting there would not have if they had signed Barry Bonds. Mark my word. So I ask again, what gives? Well, whatever powers that be in Major League Baseball (and I don't mean team executives) don't want him to play because it will make the league appear that it's active in pursuing what they believe to be a drug-free scenario. While there are still and will always be drug-users in baseball, Major League Baseball has chosen the sacrificial lamb. And who better to be the lamb than Barry Bonds?