elementropy: Choke, You Cheating Bastard

Monday, July 16, 2007

Choke, You Cheating Bastard

Bonds Rips Bonds
By Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports
July 15, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO – Remember the joyful, playful Barry Bonds who welcomed one and all at the All-Star Game only five days ago?

He's buried under an 0 for 20 slump, including a humiliating series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that included three losses and a flurry of strikeouts, double-play ground balls and pop-ups by the player Giants manager Bruce Bochy calls, "our go-to guy."

So Bonds ripped Bonds.

"It's an embarrassment for me to be wearing this (bleeping) uniform, the way I'm performing," he said after angrily telling television crews to turn off their cameras.

"Now, get away."

Reporters standing at his locker lingered for one more question.

So Bonds cursed Bonds.

"I said it's an embarrassment for me to wear this (bleeping uniform), the way I'm playing," he repeated.

He waved his arm at the throng.

"Now, get out of here."

The reporters dispersed, and good thing. Anybody in Bonds way might have suffered the same fate as the laundry cart that blocked his way to the trainer's room. He knocked it over, its wheels spinning in the musty air.

The Giants spun their wheels for three days against their rivals to the south, and Bonds spun his heels, swinging and missing, swinging and nicking only the top or bottom of the ball. He remains at 751 home runs, four from catching leader Hank Aaron on the all-time list, and the way he's going it might take a while. His last homer came July 3.

Bochy opined that his slugger might have been "a little pull conscious," but Bonds dismissed the suggestion to reporters, saying, "That's not it."

Bonds had a flight to Chicago to contemplate what the problem might be. As for the Giants, nothing is expected to help their plight. Two series on the road against the resurgent Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers aren't likely to serve as a balm.

"Getting swept at home shouldn't happen," Bochy said. "I don't know. Maybe (a road trip) will help us. We certainly aren't playing the type of baseball we need to play here at home."

The Giants couldn’t muster much offense against Dodgers fill-in starter Brett Tomko, and they were held scoreless by four relievers over the last four innings in the 5-3 loss.

Bonds popped up against closer Takashi Saito to end the game. He struck out with two runners on base to end the seventh. He popped up with a runner on third to end the fifth. He stranded runners in the first and third as well.

His most solid contact was with a laundry cart. His most pointed criticism was directed at himself.

The All-Star Game was a distant memory.