Fairly odd story about Barry Bonds’s rich friends in USA Today yesterday. I suppose it’s not a bad thing to see a positive angle for a much-maligned player.
There was one interesting, rumor-related part – Bonds was close to signing with a mystery club last winter, and it was the Rangers. Maybe this kind of "outside the box" thinking by Jon Daniels could result in a trade for Jason Giambi, or comebacks for Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez. Let’s be honest – teams only care about steroid use to the extent that it gives them bad PR or wasted dollars. I forget where I read it but it does seem strange that Sammy Sosa’s 600th home run is being viewed in a positive light but Barry’s quest for 756 is the opposite. If Sammy passes Willie Mays in two or three more years, will baseball celebrate?
Anyway, back to the Rangers rumor. I vaguely remember the Bonds/Mystery Team thing last winter, but thought it was made up by his agent. We got swept up in the Mystery Team phenomenon with studs like Steve Trachsel and Tomo Ohka last winter as well. In the past two years, we have heard such teams as the Padres, A’s, and Cardinals connected to Bonds. The Cards seemed like the Mystery Team for a few hours, but Walt Jocketty quickly denied it.
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