Bonds returns as hero to adoring crowd

<p>SAN FRANCISCO — It is easy to be loved. I don’t mean to love someone else or to share love — stuff like that can be hard. I mean it is easy to be loved. Or maybe I’m talking about adoration, as in to be adored. I’m certainly talking about Barry Bonds.</p><p>He is good at being adored. It is a stance he’s perfected from a lifetime of work — allowing himself to be a love object of people who never met him and don’t know him and never will. He came to AT&T Park Saturday night for a celebration of 50 years of Giants outfielders, came after playing it coy as he always plays it coy, making people wonder if he would come from his Hawaii vacation — such an effort — or if he’d stiff everyone or threaten to stiff everyone. He finally made everyone appreciate that he deigned to show up. Playing hard-to-get ups the adoration factor.</p><p>The Giants threw a terrific celebration in a fancy tent out beyond center field near McCovey Cove and they invited the media. Bonds didn’t attend while we writers were there, but he came afterward. Someone who was there told me about it. Bonds slipped in unnoticed and sat at a table with Kevin Mitchell — wonderful guy Mitchell, former manager of the Sonoma County Crushers. Lon Simmons spoke to the group of former players and F.P. Santangelo spoke and Simmons asked Bonds to speak but he waved him off. I don’t mean in an arrogant way. I’m told it was a gesture of humility. I give him that.</p><p>Later, things became less formal and players mingled with each other — a tremendous bond exists between former ballplayers — and most made their way to Bonds, Jeffrey Leonard did and so did Felipe Alou and Darryl Hamilton and Ken Henderson and Candy Maldonado and others. And he was good with them. He smiled his smile — a lovely smile when he uses it — and posed for photos and signed balls and seemed gracious and acted natural and friendly.</p><p>After that, the old players came to the field and got introduced to the fans. It was a dignified ceremony and near the end, Bonds make an unexpected entrance through a gate in left field, joining Willie Mays as Mays walked in from the outfield, even holding Mays’ hand. Bonds had not been on the guest list because he never actually sent an RSVP, but here he was and the crowd cheered lustily. Surprise entrances are key in upping the adoration quotient. So the fans adored the unexpectedness of Bonds along with the sheer fact of him.</p><p>Mitchell spoke to the fans and so did Mays and when Mays left the podium the crowd chanted, “Barry! Barry! Barry!” It was like calling for an encore, although in this case Bonds hadn’t actually done anything to encore about. He grabbed the mike and spoke.</p><p>“It’s weird for me not to be in uniform with the Dodgers right there,” he said, pointing at the visiting dugout, pointing at former Giant and former Bonds antagonist Jeff Kent, who was on the top step listening to him. “You heard me, Torre,” Bonds said to Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who tipped his cap at Bonds. “I beat you before and I can beat you again. I haven’t retired. Thank you.”</p><p>With that, Bonds, who faces a March trial for lying to a grand jury, left the field to thunderous applause. Later, he spent two innings in the TV booth while sports writers waited outside in the hallway hoping for a word from the home-run king. I admit I didn’t wait. Not because I have any particular pride. I didn’t realize he was in the booth. But when he came out, his handlers hustled him away; so, luckily I didn’t miss anything.</p><p>He spent a long time sitting in the front row of the stands next to Giants owner Peter Magowan and they seemed to be having fun — they laughed a lot — even though Magowan didn’t want Bonds on the team this year. And then Bonds stood up and began to make his way out of the stands.</p><p>The crowd, which had been watching him — how would you like to be watched like that? — stood and pointed and cheered because Bonds the hero, their baseball hero, had made an appearance. They cheered him and wished him well in one of those sentimental moments we all accept in sports, one of those moments we allow ourselves.</p><p>And Bonds waved to the crowd. And Bonds smiled at the crowd. And Bonds allowed the fans to applaud and love him. He had demonstrated a good personality on the day, good with the former players and good with the loving fans. And if he had a personality like that all the time, he’d still have a job.</p><p>You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at 521-5486 or lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.</p>