BARRY MANIA
Bonds says there are far worse things than steroids, such as cocaine and heroin

Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, March 5, 2005


Mesa, Ariz. -- Barry Bonds' testicles have not shrunk and his hat size has not grown. So said the man himself as he ratcheted up his attack on critics.

While the Giants were in Tempe, Ariz., to open the Cactus League on Thursday, a rehabbing Bonds chatted with a reporter from the Oakland Tribune and another from ESPN, who is assigned this year as a full-time Bonds beat reporter. Bonds' comments were reported on the news organizations' Web sites Friday.

While again not admitting to steroid use, Bonds rationalized it.

"You're talking about something that wasn't even illegal at the time," Bonds said. "All this stuff about supplements, protein shakes, whatever. Man, it's not like this is the Olympics. We don't train four years for, like, a 10-second (event). We go 162 games. You've got to come back day after day after day. We're entertainers. If I can't go out there and somebody pays $60 for a ticket, and I'm not in the lineup, who's getting cheated? Not me. There are far worse things like cocaine, heroin and those types of things.

"So we all make mistakes. We all do things. We need to turn the page. We need to forget about the past and let us play the game. We're entertainers. Let us entertain."

The stories suggest Bonds was amused by speculation that his head has grown, a sign of human growth hormone use. He said his hat size has remained a constant 7 1/4 or 73/8. Shrinking testicles is a sign of steroid use. Bonds said those are the same size, too, "and work just the same as they always have."

Bonds returned to a theme from his Feb. 22 news conference, asking what is cheating? He wondered if it's cheating to make a shirt in Korea for $1.50 and sell it for $500. He also said, "You can't see, things look fuzzy, so what do you do? You go get glasses. Is that cheating? You get glasses so you can see, so you can do your job. What's the difference?"

On the other hand, Bonds said, "I tell my boy (Nikolai), if I see you doing steroids, 'I'll bust you up.' "

Bonds further said he doubted Congress would invite him to testify about steroids after hearing the "crazy (stuff)" he said at his news conference.

High and low: Noah Lowry seemed genuinely bummed that he allowed five runs (three earned) over two innings in his first Cactus League game Friday, an 8-3 loss to the Cubs. Manager Felipe Alou seemed genuinely thrilled with the two shutout innings from Jesse Foppert, saying, "That made the day. It was a hell of a trip to Mesa."

Alou suggested Foppert, coming back from "Tommy John" elbow reconstruction surgery, will make the Opening Day roster as a reliever if he stays healthy.

"When you see a guy throw like that, I don't think you're thinking minor leagues," Alou said.

Foppert followed a scoreless inning from left-hander Jeff Fassero, who relieved Lowry. The young lefty allowed five hits, including a two-run Nomar Garciaparra homer, as he was unable to get his changeup down. That is Lowry's money pitch, and he said, "That's something I'm not too worried about. It will come around. It always has."

Lowry nonetheless sounded disappointed with his effort in the meaningless game, saying, "It still means a lot to me. Every time you compete you try to do your best. You're working on stuff, but at the same time you want to get outs and throw well."

Briefly: If the Giants carry 11 pitchers they will have room for an extra bench player. Alou favors a sixth outfielder, citing the age of the three starters. ... Last year, Matt Herges did not allow a run in 12 spring innings. This year, he allowed one to his first batter, Dave Hansen, who homered. ... Alou expects Michael Tucker (back spasms) to be ready for game action by Sunday. ... Adam Shabala, a 27-year-old outfielder who hit .314 for Triple-A Fresno last season, is making a strong early impression, with three hits in his first five at-bats.

Bonds has gotten to the point that nearly every thing he says is worth laughing at.

Well, he DID say that he is an ENTERTAINER now.

Athlete? I guess not.

Barry Balco Bonds

Larry Ponds....what a joke.

Those that play videogames will get that joke.

-Sunny

fuck Chris Dowd

isn't it John Dowd?

yup, sorry.

i change it to bonds, then I strike his ass out with the heat

That guy is on the juice for sure.

That's what they need in video games now, the "juice factor". It could just be a slider or something that you can move up or down for each player. The more "juice" they are on, the better they get every season.
Why are video game makers missing out on this?

sales would go through the roof!

crack is wack

Barry is wack (the bad kind of wack)

barry is outrageous.

barry doesnt have shit on Chuck