Whats Next For Barry Bonds And The San Francisco Giants

Now that the week of Barry Bonds being in San Francisco Giants camp, as a special hitting instructor, is over. Whats next for Bonds and Giants relationship?

While in Giants camp this past week, Bonds talked to a lot of the regulars about the mental side of hitting. Bonds said he wasn’t trying to change each hitters approach

"It was more trying to get each individual where he wanted to be comfortable. Picking my brain isn’t going to help you none. You have to be yourself as a hitter. All I tried to do was provide some tips."

Didn’t matter if you were a rookie or former MVP and 2 time World Series Champion, Bonds still had an impact on some players. Buster Posey had this to say about Bonds

"“I thought he had some good information that he shared with us,” Posey said. “You just try to listen as much as you can and try to take something away that will help you.”"

While I was in Scottsdale, I left the day after Bonds arrived, I tried to get a good view of what he was doing and who he was talking to around the batting cage.

The first day I noticed Bonds spent a good amount of time talking, and laughing, with new Giants left fielder Mike Morse

At one point while talking to Morse, Angel Pagan and Pablo Sandoval joined in on the conversation.

This picture I referred to as “Class is in session”

We will not know exactly what kind of impact that Bonds had, on the hitters this past week, until the season is underway.

Back to my original question and thought, What is next for Bonds and The Giants?

Now that there seems to be a mending of the relationship between the former player and team. Will there be some sort of ceremony in the near future celebrating what Bonds did during his 15 seasons with the Giants? In my opinion, I think this was a step in the right direction to something being done.

I think that the team should go all out in regards to celebrating Bonds. Retire his number 25, put up a statue on the walkway in between the right field wall and McCovey Cove and definitely add his plaque to the Wall of Fame outside of AT&T Park. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle mentions in his blog yesterday, in regards to the Wall of Fame

"Former managing general partner Peter Magowan established the criteria for the Wall of Fame: nine consecutive years as a Giant, or five years plus at least one All-Star appearance. Baer said there was another criterion. The player had to be retired, and Bonds has not formally done so."

Also as Schulman points out

"But it seems silly to have a Giants Wall of Fame that includes Marvin Benard and not Bonds, no matter what people outside the Bay Area think of him."

I mean, look at these numbers from Bonds while wearing the Giants uniform

Yes Henry, it is downright silly and wrong to have Benard on the Wall of Fame and not Bonds. It does sound like the idea is being discussed

"Even if Bonds does not don a uniform again this year, there could be a ceremony to place him on the team’s Wall of Fame along the King Street side of the stadium. Team president Larry Baer said this has been discussed, even before this spring, and could happen this year or next depending on Bonds’ availability."

I’m also wondering, now that the Giants have welcomed Bonds back, what will happen with the Hall of Fame voting next January? Will Matt have to write another article like this or will he be writing how the writers finally got it correct in voting the 7 time MVP Single Season and Career Home Run King into the Hall of Fame.

I look forward to seeing how this story transpires and hope that we do in fact see number 25 back on the field one last time, and honored around the ball park as he should be.

I now ask all of our loyal readers: What do you think is next with Bonds and the Giant?