Barry Bonds dedicates new job to dad Bobby, godfather Willie Mays

Bob Hille

Barry Bonds dedicates new job to dad Bobby, godfather Willie Mays image

Barry Bonds, back in baseball after an eight-year absence, told MLB.com in a wide-ranging Q&A that he's dedicating the 2016 season to his late father, Bobby, and his Hall of Fame godfather Willie Mays.

But the main reason he'll be the Marlins' hitting coach is much-maligned owner Jeffrey Loria.

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"I didn't ever think this was something I wanted to do. You know me, when he asked me, it was like I wanted to click on the phone and say, 'Hello? Are you serious?' But Jeffrey Loria was very kind about it. He told me, 'Barry, when you think about it, you have so much to give the game, you have so much to offer to baseball, and you can teach these kids.'"

Thus, the change of heart.

"I need to try this. I'll never know if I like it unless I try," Bonds said. "Baseball, that's my thing, that's who I am. With everything I've done as a hitter, I'm the best at that. I wouldn't have been able to do it unless the opportunity came up. So I figured, if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it the way my dad would have done it. I've got to be in the trenches with them.

"I could come in for a day or two and give them tips and things, but what happens when a guy really loses it and you're not there? See what I mean? So I kind of want to honor my dad for what he did. Honor my godfather [Mays] for what he did."

Now Bonds will share his knowledge as part of first-year Marlins manager Don Mattingly's staff as a way of "giving back" to baseball: "I needed to give back. I'm 51 years old and I'm not getting any younger. So Donnie said, 'I really want you, Barry.' And that was it. I told him I'd do it."

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).