Major League Baseball
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) During last year’s All-Star game, Barry Bonds put on a New York Yankees uniform for a picture with his son Nikolai, who wanted to wear his father’s San Francisco uniform.
“Gary Sheffield came by and said I looked like crud,” Bonds recalled on Monday night. “He said I looked better in a Giants uniform.”
Bonds agreed to $90 million, five-year contract with the Giants on Monday, and as a result he is all but guaranteed to remain in a San Francisco uniform until he retires. The deal also calls for a 10-year personal service contract-with the Giants to pay $1 million annually to the Bonds Family Foundation-after his playing career is over.
“We believe we have the best player in the game signed with the Giants for the next four years at least,” Giants owner and president Peter Magowan said. “I can’t say this day would happen, but both sides wanted it to happen. He has a decent shot at the home run record of Hank Aaron, the runs scored record, the walks record and 3,000 hits.”
Bonds had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history in 2001, hitting 73 homers to break the previous record of 70, set by Mark McGwire in 1998. The 37-year-old outfielder also had an .863 slugging percentage and 177 walks, breaking season records set by Babe Ruth.
“My heart has always been here,” Bonds said. “No amount of money would make me leave San Francisco, to be honest with you. I always wanted to stay a San Francisco Giant. Unless there was a blockbuster, out-of-the world offer, I wasn’t going to leave. All I want now is a World Series ring.”
Bonds, the first player to win four Most Valuable Player awards, became a free agent after the season, but the Giants were the only team to acknowledge a bid. He accepted the team’s offer of salary arbitration on Dec. 20, and the sides were set to exchange proposed salaries Friday for a one-year contract.
“Peter Magowan made my childhood dream come true,” Bonds said. “I’m so excited right now I want to call my godfather (Willie Mays) and tell him I get to play in his backyard the rest of my career.”
Bonds will receive a $10 million signing bonus to be paid through April 2004. He gets salaries of $13 million in each of the next two seasons, $16 million in 2004, $20 million in 2005 and $18 million in 2006.
“I took what I wanted,” Bonds said. “My main goal is winning. Through long hours of work, we were able to structure everything to benefit us and keep the Giants
competitive. I’m glad I was able to help myself and the organization. I want to win here.”
He isn’t concerned about getting too old to fulfill the deal.
“If I can’t play, I’ll leave gracefully,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
The average annual value of $18 million ties Bonds with Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for the fourth-highest in baseball, trailing only Texas shortstop Alex
Rodriguez ($25.2 million), Boston outfielder Manny Ramirez ($20 million) and New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter ($18.9 million).
“He did not require the optimum contract,” said Bonds’ agent, Scott Boras. “He just wanted to be placed in the group of top players. Tradition is a hard thing to negotiate, and his tradition lies with the San Francisco Giants.”
Only the first four years and $72 million are guaranteed. If Bonds doesn’t have 500 or more plate appearances in 2005, the team can void the final year of the contract.
If Bonds has 1,500 or more plate appearances combined from 2003 to 2005, including 400 or more in the final year, the last season becomes guaranteed.
National Basketball Association
COPPELL, Texas (AP) Wearing a navy blue denim shirt and a manager’s badge, Mark Cuban took orders, made change and served soft-serve ice cream cones at a
Dairy Queen on Wednesday.
“It might not be pretty, but it works,” the Dallas Mavericks’ billionaire owner said as he handed a cone to a customer.
Hundreds of people surrounded the suburban restaurant to be served lunch by Cuban, who was making good on a promise to the fast-food chain to be a manager for a day.
The company’s offer came in response to Cuban’s criticism of the NBA’s head of officiating: “I wouldn’t hire him to manage a Dairy Queen.”
The league fined Cuban $500,000 for the comment, the largest for an individual in NBA history.
“This is the best thing to happen to Dairy Queen since the invention of the Blizzard 16 years ago,” said Dean Peters, Dairy Queen’s head spokesman, who traveled from the Minneapolis headquarters for Wednesday’s event.
Fans and customers began lining up hours in advance. A carnival atmosphere surrounded the store, with inflatable play areas for children, portable basketball games and more than a dozen TV and radio stations broadcasting live. The store was giving away free ice cream.
National Football League
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry’s professional boxing debut is off.
Perry, the popular former NFL defensive tackle, was scheduled to fight heavyweight Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch on Feb. 2 at the Grand Casino in Gulfport.
But Perry is unable to fight due to medical reasons, the casino said.
Perry became a household name during his rookie year with the Chicago Bears in 1985. The 300-pounder started on the defensive line, but gained fame by
occasionally playing running back. He scored a touchdown in Chicago’s Super Bowl XX victory.