GaryMrMets
06-10-2005, 01:21 PM
Bonds Fumes Over Comments by Kittle
By JANIE McCAULEY
.c The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A cheery Barry Bonds sprawled himself across a leather clubhouse sofa, stretched his leg and pronounced he was ready to talk - and after several minutes, the conversation turned from his surgically repaired right knee to Ron Kittle.
When told that the former White Sox slugger's new book quotes the San Francisco star as saying ``I don't sign for white people'' before a game at Wrigley Field 12 years ago, Bonds became infuriated.
``Who is Kittle? How long did he play? He played in our league?'' Bonds said Thursday. ``Ha! Do you guys believe that?
Do you guys know my life history a little bit? One, you insult my children, who are half-white.
``I was married to a woman who was white, so let's get real. I don't even know the guy. Tell him he's an ... idiot. Somebody said he wanted a piece of me. Tell him I'm at 24 Willie Mays Plaza and he can come get me anytime he wants to - with pleasure. Don't insult my family.''
In Kittle's book, ``Tales from the White Sox Dugout,'' he writes that he approached Bonds at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley Field about autographing three jerseys to be auctioned for a cancer charity. Kittle retired after the 1991 season, and Bonds and the Giants were in Chicago to face the Cubs.
``It's the truth. I don't lie,'' Kittle told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. ``I tell it as it is. It's unfortunate it happened. And I didn't bring it up to sell the books.''
The 1983 AL Rookie of the Year said the book's co-author, Bob Logan, asked him to write about the good and bad aspects of the game.
``This was one of the rotten things that happened,'' said Kittle, who claims he wrote the book before Bonds testified to a grand jury in the BALCO steroids investigation.
In the book, Kittle wrote: ``I walked up to Bonds at his locker, introduced myself and said, `Barry, if you sign these, they'll bring in a lot of money for kids who need help.' Bonds stood up, looked me in the eye and said, `I don't sign for white people.'''
Kittle wrote that former Giants infielder Matt Williams came between him and Bonds, and Williams said, ``Ron, that's the way he is.''
Kittle, who founded Indiana Sports Charity in 1989, told the Associated Press that he was so angry afterward that he tore up one of the jerseys in disgust. Then, he left the ballpark and drove ``about 150 mph'' to his daughter's softball game and sat there in shock.
``I go out of my way to do things for people,'' Kittle said. ``I would have rather had him say, 'Maybe another time.' I would have been all for it.''
While incensed over Kittle's accusations, Bonds said Thursday he was pleased with the progress of his recovering right knee. But he dismissed a report that he hit soft toss in the batting cage Wednesday, saying he was just playing catch.
He had done little baseball work as of yet.
``You'll see soft toss when you see those bats hanging up there,'' Bonds said, pointing toward his locker ``I've been swinging around with my heavy bat right now, trying to work on my hands.''
``Hey, Murphy, have I touched any of my bats?'' Bonds hollered to longtime equipment manager Mike Murphy. ``I don't even know where they are.''
Bonds has been sidelined all season following three operations on his right knee since Jan. 31, the most recent on May 2 to drain fluid and examine an infection.
Bonds said he isn't ready to guess when he might step back in the batter's box. He was scheduled for a routine doctor's appointment Friday to have his blood tested and another Sunday with Dr. Robert Armstrong. Trainer Stan Conte believes Bonds could be off antibiotics sometime next week.
Will he be back this season?
``I still don't know,'' Bonds said. ``You guys will know when I'll be ready. You'll see. There's no reason to discuss that stuff until I'm with my teammates on the field.''
Bonds said in spring training he could miss half the season or even the entire year, but has been more optimistic recently about a return. One popular timetable - though the club won't make any predictions - has Bonds returning sometime around the All-Star break. He turns 41 on July 24.
Bonds is third on the career home runs list with 703, 11 behind Babe Ruth and 52 from tying Hank Aaron's record. Bonds batted .362 last season with 45 homers and 101 RBIs and walked a major league-record 232 times on the way to his record seventh MVP award.
AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this story.
06/10/05 04:37 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By JANIE McCAULEY
.c The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A cheery Barry Bonds sprawled himself across a leather clubhouse sofa, stretched his leg and pronounced he was ready to talk - and after several minutes, the conversation turned from his surgically repaired right knee to Ron Kittle.
When told that the former White Sox slugger's new book quotes the San Francisco star as saying ``I don't sign for white people'' before a game at Wrigley Field 12 years ago, Bonds became infuriated.
``Who is Kittle? How long did he play? He played in our league?'' Bonds said Thursday. ``Ha! Do you guys believe that?
Do you guys know my life history a little bit? One, you insult my children, who are half-white.
``I was married to a woman who was white, so let's get real. I don't even know the guy. Tell him he's an ... idiot. Somebody said he wanted a piece of me. Tell him I'm at 24 Willie Mays Plaza and he can come get me anytime he wants to - with pleasure. Don't insult my family.''
In Kittle's book, ``Tales from the White Sox Dugout,'' he writes that he approached Bonds at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley Field about autographing three jerseys to be auctioned for a cancer charity. Kittle retired after the 1991 season, and Bonds and the Giants were in Chicago to face the Cubs.
``It's the truth. I don't lie,'' Kittle told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. ``I tell it as it is. It's unfortunate it happened. And I didn't bring it up to sell the books.''
The 1983 AL Rookie of the Year said the book's co-author, Bob Logan, asked him to write about the good and bad aspects of the game.
``This was one of the rotten things that happened,'' said Kittle, who claims he wrote the book before Bonds testified to a grand jury in the BALCO steroids investigation.
In the book, Kittle wrote: ``I walked up to Bonds at his locker, introduced myself and said, `Barry, if you sign these, they'll bring in a lot of money for kids who need help.' Bonds stood up, looked me in the eye and said, `I don't sign for white people.'''
Kittle wrote that former Giants infielder Matt Williams came between him and Bonds, and Williams said, ``Ron, that's the way he is.''
Kittle, who founded Indiana Sports Charity in 1989, told the Associated Press that he was so angry afterward that he tore up one of the jerseys in disgust. Then, he left the ballpark and drove ``about 150 mph'' to his daughter's softball game and sat there in shock.
``I go out of my way to do things for people,'' Kittle said. ``I would have rather had him say, 'Maybe another time.' I would have been all for it.''
While incensed over Kittle's accusations, Bonds said Thursday he was pleased with the progress of his recovering right knee. But he dismissed a report that he hit soft toss in the batting cage Wednesday, saying he was just playing catch.
He had done little baseball work as of yet.
``You'll see soft toss when you see those bats hanging up there,'' Bonds said, pointing toward his locker ``I've been swinging around with my heavy bat right now, trying to work on my hands.''
``Hey, Murphy, have I touched any of my bats?'' Bonds hollered to longtime equipment manager Mike Murphy. ``I don't even know where they are.''
Bonds has been sidelined all season following three operations on his right knee since Jan. 31, the most recent on May 2 to drain fluid and examine an infection.
Bonds said he isn't ready to guess when he might step back in the batter's box. He was scheduled for a routine doctor's appointment Friday to have his blood tested and another Sunday with Dr. Robert Armstrong. Trainer Stan Conte believes Bonds could be off antibiotics sometime next week.
Will he be back this season?
``I still don't know,'' Bonds said. ``You guys will know when I'll be ready. You'll see. There's no reason to discuss that stuff until I'm with my teammates on the field.''
Bonds said in spring training he could miss half the season or even the entire year, but has been more optimistic recently about a return. One popular timetable - though the club won't make any predictions - has Bonds returning sometime around the All-Star break. He turns 41 on July 24.
Bonds is third on the career home runs list with 703, 11 behind Babe Ruth and 52 from tying Hank Aaron's record. Bonds batted .362 last season with 45 homers and 101 RBIs and walked a major league-record 232 times on the way to his record seventh MVP award.
AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this story.
06/10/05 04:37 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.