Bonds finished his career with 762 home runs when the Giants declined to bring him back for the 2008 season. He was tried in federal court in 2011 for perjury about his alleged performance-enhancing drug use and was found guilty on one count of obstruction of justice, which he is fighting on appeal. Bonds, 48, talked with Giants officials about coming back as an organizational hitting coach, and he’ll be on the ballot for the first time for the Hall of Fame in 2013.
The son of late Giants outfielder Bobby Bonds and godson to Hall of Famer Willie Mays, Bonds sat down to talk with MLB.com recently at AT&T Park.
MLB.com:It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since your run at Aaron.
Bonds:It seems like it was right around the corner. It was a good period of time. It was a good time. Despite all of the things that were going on, it was still fun. It was fun to perform in front of the fans. It was great to be in my Giants uniform doing it. I wish at the same time we could have won the championship. That was important. Through it all was fun, a lot of fun.
MLB.com:What do you remember most about it?
Bonds: We could be here for a long time if you wanted me to remember everything. All I can remember is trying to remain focused through the whole thing. Everybody was intense about it. Everybody was there. You go from one state to the next. Every stadium was sold out. You try to give your best for everyone. You try to get as much rest as possible. You try and answer the same questions over and over again. You try to give the best answers you can at the moment, but at the same time you’re thinking about what’s best for you and the team. And then, trying to put on a great performance and hopefully things go right. At times, I felt like a person caught in the middle of it, trying to do something special to help your team win, but also doing something inspiring for the fans to see.