John Shea, San Fransisco Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Barry Bonds will be the only Giants player who'll keep his locker -- in his case, lockers -- for the 78th All-Star Game. Everyone else's stuff must be packed away to clear space for the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Prince Fielder and Trevor Hoffman.
The All-Star Game is coming to San Francisco a week from Tuesday, and Bonds has his invitation. Thanks to a swing of nearly a quarter-million votes in the past week, Bonds was elected to the National League's starting lineup.
"This is the best one. It'll probably be my last, too, so it's kind of awesome," Bonds said. "It means more because I'm at home. This is my town. This is my house. You can't say enough for being at home. It's just great. This is the one I'll remember forever."
Pitcher Dan Haren is Oakland's lone representative. It'll be the first All-Star Game for Haren, who has led the American League in ERA much of the season and improved his record to 10-2 by beating the Yankees on Sunday.
Bonds was selected to his 14th All-Star Game but will be making his 13th appearance (he was voted in by fans in 2000 but missed the game because of injury). A week ago, he ranked fourth among NL outfielders, 119,000 votes behind Alfonso Soriano. Sunday, when the results were announced, he had passed Soriano by 123,000 votes to join Griffey and Carlos Beltran in the starting outfield.
The Giants vigorously campaigned for fans to vote on the Internet -- where someone technically could vote nonstop by constantly creating e-mail addresses -- and had ballpark personnel wear stickers urging fans to keep voting for the left fielder.
If Bonds wasn't selected by fans, he would have needed to be picked by manager Tony La Russa because Bonds wasn't getting the players' vote, which determines most of the substitutes. The top five NL outfielders, according to the players' vote, were Matt Holliday, Griffey, Carlos Lee, Beltran and Soriano.
"Yeah, I'm surprised," Bonds said of getting the starting nod. "I thought I played good enough to make the team but didn't think I would start. This is great. I'm having a big ol' party Monday, so it'll be fun. I just can't say thanks enough to the fans in San Francisco."
Long ago, Bonds reportedly had planned to co-host (with rapper Jay-Z) a bash at Roe, at the intersection of 3rd and Howard, a week from tonight, the same time as Major League Baseball's gala at Pier 30/32.
Whether Bonds makes an appearance in the Home Run Derby before his party is undetermined. Early in an interview Sunday, he said, "I don't think so. I don't have anything to prove in that." But later, he left it open, saying it'll depend on how he feels after the seven-game trip through Cincinnati and St. Louis.
"I'll make that decision then," Bonds said.
The decision isn't totally his. MLB does the inviting. It'll be four players from each league, and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, though he's not an All-Star, was asked to participate as the reigning champion. That would leave three NL spots, and MLB traditionally asks the guys leading in homers.
Fielder tops the league (and said he wants to be in the derby) and is followed by Adam Dunn (who wouldn't get asked as a non-All-Star), Griffey, Howard, J.J. Hardy, Dan Uggla (another non-All-Star), Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols.
Bonds ranks ninth. As it stands, theoretically, three All-Stars would need to decline for Bonds to be asked. Of course, fans spending big money for tickets might be irked if Bonds isn't a participant, and a special consideration could be made, especially if ESPN heavily suggests that Bonds blasting balls into McCovey Cove would help ratings.
Either way, it could put Commissioner Bud Selig in an uncomfortable spot once more. He already is hesitant to say whether he'd attend the game in which Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's homers record, all the while awaiting results of a steroid investigation focusing on Bonds.
Meantime, the Giants' campaign paid off.
"I think his performance on the field made a difference," executive vice president Larry Baer. "If he didn't have the performance, he wouldn't be starting and probably wouldn't be on the team. The most important thing is performance instead of pounding our chest saying the front office did this.
"Look, we're the San Francisco Giants, and the game's in our park. To have our player running out to left field at the start of the game is something we'd like to have happen and we're proud of."
Booed in other parks, Bonds is largely loved in San Francisco, where fans generally overlook his connection with the BALCO steroids scandal. Curiously, many fans voiced their frustration when Bonds was re-signed in the offseason for $15.8 million, having heard from management that the roster would get younger after consecutive losing seasons.
The Giants remain old and in last place, and Bonds is the major threat. He's hitting .304 with 16 homers and 40 RBIs while ranking first in the league in on-base percentage (.516) and walks (84) and second in slugging percentage (.603). But in 12 All-Star Games, he's hitting .200 with two homers and seven RBIs.
E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Ken Griffey, Jr.
2007 All-Star Rosters
NATIONAL LEAGUE
STARTERS
C- Russell Martin- LAD
1B- Prince Fielder- MIL
2B- Chase Utley- PHI
3B- David Wright- NYM
SS- Jose Reyes- NYM
OF- Carlos Beltran- NYM
OF- Barry Bonds- SF
0F- Ken Griffey Jr.- CIN
RESERVES
CATCHER
Brian McCann, Atlanta
INFIELDERS
Miguel Cabrera, Florida
J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee
Orlando Hudson, Arizona
Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs
Albert Pujols, St. Louis
Freddy Sanchez, Pirates
Dmitri Young, Washington.
OUTFIELDERS
Matt Holliday, Colorado
Carlos Lee, Houston
Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia
Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs.
PITCHERS
Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee
Brian Fuentes, Colorado
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia
Trevor Hoffman, San Diego
Jake Peavy, San Diego
Brad Penny, L.A. Dodgers
Takashi Saito, L.A. Dodgers
Ben Sheets, Milwaukee
John Smoltz, Atlanta
Jose Valverde, Arizona
Billy Wagner, New York Mets.
Derek Jeter
AMERICAN LEAGUE
STARTERS
C- Ivan Rodriguez- DET
1B- David Ortiz- BOS
2B- Placido Polanco- DET
3B- Alex Rodriguez- NYY
SS- Derek Jeter- NYY
OF- Vladimir Guerrero- LAA
OF- Magglio Ordonez- DET
0F- Ichiro Suzuki- SEA
RESERVES
CATCHERS
Victor Martinez, Cleveland
Jorge Posada, New York Yankees
INFIELDERS
Carlos Guillen, Detroit
Mike Lowell, Boston
Justin Morneau, Minnesota
Brian Roberts, Baltimore
Michael Young, Texas
OUTFIELDERS
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay
Torii Hunter, Minnesota
Manny Ramirez, Boston
Alex Rios, Toronto
Grady Sizemore, Cleveland
PITCHERS
Josh Beckett, Boston
Dan Haren, Oakland
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
John Lackey, L.A. Angels
Gil Meche, Kansas City
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston
J.J. Putz, Seattle
Francisco Rodriguez, L.A. Angels
C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland
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