by Melody Bish

Created on: June 11, 2009   Last Updated: June 14, 2009

Apparently Barry Bonds' baseball career is over, both due to injury and steroid scandal. The Pittsburgh Pirates initially drafted Bonds in 1985 and by the 1986 season Bonds was promoted to starting centerfielder. As the son of Bobby Bonds, known for both his speed and powerful bat, expectations were heavy and comparisons developed immediately between him and his famous father. Throughout his career with the Battling Bucs, Bonds hit for power - with his best year homerun wise in 1992, when he slammed thirty-four home runs leading Pittsburgh to the NL Playoffs. Importantly, during his career as a Pirate, Bonds was a significant base stealing threat; he also received a significant amount of heat from the media for never leading the strongest PIrate teams since the 1979 World Championship squad. As 1992's season began, much of the news coming out of Pittsburgh's Spring Training Camp in Bradenton, Florida surrounded the final year of Bonds' contract and whether any chance remained of him signing a contract extension with the Pirates. As the media pressured Bonds for both answers to his failing as a leader and queried him constantly about his free agent plans; it was at this point, with a barraging media, Bonds essentially stopped talking with press, who wrote negative articles about him and envisioned the Pirate team as a better team sans the drama Barry Bonds brought to the team.

During that last year with the Pirates, Bonds took the initiative to visit the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to speak with minority students and encourage them in their careers. At the end of his discussion, I had the chance to personally speak with Bonds and, frankly, he could not have been more engaging and polite; discussing baseball with me and signing autographs not only for me but also for my uncle recovering from open heart surgery in a Pittsburgh hospital. One thing that did strike me was Bonds' size; he was not wide shouldered and, though muscular his pectorals were not bulging from his shirt.

Upon signature with the San Francisco Giants, Bonds cited his godfather, Willie Mays' career with the Giants and his desire to finish out his career as a Giant. While a spotlight was on Barry, more press focused on the battle between the Cardinals' Mark McGuire, and the Cubs, Sammy Sosa, to eclipse Roger Maris' season record of 61 home runs. Rather unnoticed, Bonds became the pre-eminate home run hitter in baseball and smashed the season record for home runs with an astonishing

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