San Francisco Giants News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A king without his crown _ what a strange sight. A day after his most remarkable triumph yet, Barry Bonds had no cap. And he already was late for the team photo. ``I don't have a hat,'' the slugger said loudly, moments before rushing from the clubhouse to right field to take the picture. ``I need a hat.'' On cue, longtime Giants equipment manager Mike Murphy scurried across the grass to deliver the necessary ...

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Barry Bonds' pursuit of the home run record likely will resume back in San Francisco on Monday night. Bonds was held out of the Giants' starting lineup Sunday for the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers, though manager Bruce Bochy said the slugger would be available to pinch hit if needed. ``He's fine. Just give him a day today,'' Bochy said. ``Nothing more than that.'' Bonds has 753 home runs, two from tying Hank ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Roger Clemens says he'll do anything to help the New York Yankees, and he proved it Sunday by coming out of the bullpen for the first time in 23 years to face Barry Bonds. Clemens made his first regular-season appearance as a reliever since he was a rookie with the Red Sox in 1984, walking the San Francisco slugger on five pitches before yielding one run in the seventh inning of the ...

Rod Beck was a menacing sight on the mound, with a bushy moustache and a searing stare that intimidated batters throughout his 13-year career as one of baseball's best closers. Yet his friends in the game knew Beck as a hardworking teammate and a jovial character whose early death saddened players all around the major leagues. Beck, an all-star relief pitcher who earned 286 career saves, was found dead in his home Saturday. He was 38. ``He was ...

Don't expect too many cheers this season as Barry Bonds pursues Hank Aaron's home run mark of 755, perhaps baseball's most important record. But expect controversy as the San Francisco Giants outfielder faces accusations of steroid use, taunts for alleged cheating and likely boos in every game he plays on the road. There's no feel-good story to be found here. Bonds, 42, enters the season with 734 career home runs ...

Barry Bonds is willing to wait for a significant portion of his paycheque until after he's done playing for the San Francisco Giants. ``That was very important to us to arrive at a deal. It was almost the only way we could arrive at a deal,'' Giants general manager Brian Sabean said Monday without officially announcing Bonds' new contract. ``There was definite give and take. If we hadn't been able ...

Twenty-four states filed a brief on behalf of two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, telling a federal appeals court that public interest demands the recognition of a journalist's right to protect confidential sources. In papers filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, the states, led by New York, challenged a federal judge's order to imprison the reporters who refused to testify about who leaked them secret grand ...

Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants reached agreement on a US$16-million, one-year contract Thursday night that will keep the controversial slugger in the Bay Area to take aim at baseball's home run record. The deal includes four performance bonuses that could make the pact worth a total of $20 million, according to a source. While Oakland, San Diego, St. Louis and other teams showed interest in signing the 42-year-old ...

The San Francisco Giants finalized a US$16-million, three-year contract with catcher Bengie Molina on Wednesday to replace Mike Matheny, who might not play again because of a concussion. The deal to acquire Molina had been in the works for several days, and general manager Brian Sabean called Matheny's representative Wednesday to let him know the club was moving forward. ``With Mike's situation still up in the air ... the long ...

Barry Bonds swept through the lobby at the winter meetings, and Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was hospitalized as baseball's annual gathering neared its conclusion. Jason Schmidt appeared headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ted Lilly decided on the Chicago Cubs and Andy Pettitte chose to pitch next year, setting off bidding between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. In the first big deal of the session, the ...

The San Francisco Giants were nearing deals Monday that would bring back infielder Rich Aurilia and reunite centre fielder Dave Roberts with his former manager in San Diego, Bruce Bochy. The Giants didn't expect to announce any signings until later this week, or perhaps not even until the baseball winter meetings in Florida starting Dec. 4. General manager Brian Sabean has been helping out the family of former Orioles 20-game ...

The Oakland Athletics need a designated hitter, and they aren't going far for one potential candidate to fill the spot: Barry Bonds. A's general manager Billy Beane has had conversations with Bonds' agent Jeff Borris about the 42-year-old slugger, who has played the past 14 seasons with San Francisco. Oakland lost Frank Thomas on Friday when he finalized an US$18.12 million, two-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bonds, who became a free agent after the season at ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers did their part to win the NL West, beating San Francisco 4-3 Sunday in what might have been Barry Bonds' final game for the Giants. The Dodgers clinched at least a wild-card spot Saturday, and began Sunday tied with the San Diego Padres in the division race. The Padres played at Arizona, and held the tiebreaker over the Dodgers based on head-to-head record. Ramon Martinez hit ...

Greg Maddux pitched the Dodgers back into the playoffs, a key second-half piece on the club's remade roster put together to bring Los Angeles back to respectability after an awful 2005. Maddux outdueled star rookie Matt Cain, hit a single and even stole a base as the Dodgers won their sixth straight game, beating the San Francisco Giants 4-2 Saturday. After winning the NL West in 2004, the Dodgers went ...