Top > Sport > 2006 > December > 2006-12-11

Bonds stays with Giants

Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a one-year, $16 million contract. Thus, Bonds will continue his chase after Hank Aaron?s career home run record wearing the same uniform he has worn throughout the record breaking years of his career, as well as his most embarrassing.

Bonds, 42, has 734 home runs in 20 professional seasons, 21 big shots away from matching the record for most home runs in a career. Playing 130 games last year, his 14th with the Giants, Bonds hit 26 homers. However, the superstar slugger has been tainted by allegations of steroid use. A federal prosecution is still under way into his enhancement drug associations. The nation of baseball will be able to follow Bonds in his race for the record books while certainly split over the sports value of the entire ordeal.

Even after failing to sign any of the off-season big name free agents, the Giants` choice of signing Bonds makes little baseball sense. Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee and Manny Ram?rez have either signed elsewhere or are not heading to the Bay Area, thus leaving the Giants short of a clean-up bat. San Francisco fans are likely also the only fans who would cheer Bonds with every home run he hits, and not boo throughout his final, record-breaking season.