PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There was a sign of humility in a certain throw home in his career, an acknowledgment of the fans, thoughts on Jim Leyland and why he was lucky to start in Pittsburgh. Here are the best quotes from Barry Bonds’ five-minute speech as he was inducted in the Pirates Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon at PNC Park.
Thankful to fellow Hall of Famer and manager Jim Leyland
“I got to meet a gentleman named Jim Leyland, which was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Bonds said. “You guys can say everything you want about this guy being hard, but he’s a lot softer than you think.”
“He allowed us to mature and grow. He allowed us to see the man in the mirror.”
Why you don’t hear from him often
“I don’t really speak that much. I always wanted my bat and my legs to do the speaking for me.”
“All I got to do is say ‘I got it’ so nobody runs into me. I got a guy on third base doing this (imitated signs from a Third Base Coach) and I don’t understand anything he’s freaking doing. That’s why Skip just gave me the green light.”
How his baseball career began
While his father (MLB veteran Bobby Bonds) and godfather (Willie Mays) were big influences, he said it was his mother who got him really interested.
“She was the one who told me to try out for that minor league team and see if I like baseball. I hit a home run through everybody’s legs and I came around the bases and said I like this. This is how my journey started.”
Why he wanted to play for the Pirates initially and not his hometown favorite Giants.
“I got drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and I can’t explain how excited I was. My dad was like, ‘why are you excited?’ I said because they are in last place and I’ve got a chance. They are rebuilding right now. This is a great opportunity.”
Bonds did joke about the throw in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS against Atlanta where former Pirates Sid Bream slid in safely
“I played with some good players-Van Slyke, Bobby Bo (Bonilla), (Jay) Bell, Sid Bream. I know you want to live on a Sid Bream. You all can live on a Sid Bream. I was just a little off line, but if you rewind that tape and you rewind it good, we struck (Francisco) Cabrera out before that play even got to me.”
Appreciate the boos
“Thank you to the fans here because you booed us when we needed it. We were always grateful for that. You cheer us when we needed your help. We always appreciated that too. We respected that.”
Love the City
Bonds three kids were all born at Magee Women’s Hospital in Oakland. He had a place on Mt. Washington and said he loved Pittsburgh.
“You could leave the front door open to your house and your neighbor tell you ‘your door is unlocked, we will get it for you’. What a better place to raise a family and be a part of a city and a community.”
Maybe they’ll be another Hall of Fame ceremony
“Thank you mom for still being here and alive through all these surprises that I’m getting. She’s all I have left. My dad is gone, it hurt. My Godfather just passed away, Hank Aaron. All the African-American athletes that I admired my entire life are gone. Not my mom, I hope you are around if another one comes. I just hope you are still here.”
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