Please Sign Barry Bonds

Has anyone noticed anything missing this summer? I am sure most of us have. Whether people want to admit it or not, most of us do miss watching Barry Bonds play the game of baseball.

Most people may not want to admit it, but we miss watching the high-flying HRs and the emotion and energy that Bonds gave nearly every fan when he stepped up to the plate.

If everybody hated Bonds as much as they say, then why did they care so much about him? Why was so much attention drawn to him last summer when he chased the career HR record? Why did he sell-out stadiums? Why did everybody still talk about him? And why did everybody stop what they're doing just to watch him when he was at bat?

Fans, admit it. If you watched the highlights and games, barely anybody was buying a hot dog or going to the bathroom when Mr. Bonds was up to bat. When he hit a HR even the most horrified Bonds haters didn't seem to mind standing up and clapping, but only to rephrase back to booing once he crossed the plate.

What is it? What does Bonds have that others don't? How can so many people hate this man so much and still care so much to watch him play the game?

As you can see, I am a Barry Bonds fan. I've been a fan of his and the San Francisco Giants nearly all of my life. While I wouldn't want to see him back in a Giants uniform, I would love to see him in just about any other uniform.

I admit it, I want to see him play this summer. I want to see one of the greatest baseball players walk the field one last time. I want to see booming HRs again. I want to see one of the best hitters of all time and someone who knows the zone better than anyone that has played the game.

But the truth is, nearly every fan of the game wants to see Bonds play again. We may not want to admit it and even if he does return, we all know there would be nonstop booing. We all know we would all still drop our hot dogs and beer or turn the channel just to watch him one last time.

Counting down 2007: A year of Scandal

Here are my top 7 sports scandals in 2007 counted down from 7 to 1.

7. Marion Jones' Fall from Grace

In October, seven years after winning a record five Olympic track and field medals at the Sydney Games, and after years of passionately denying that she had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about her use of steroids. The spectacular fall from grace by the woman who was the golden girl of the Sydney Olympics culminated in the return of the five medals she won at those Games. Jones will be sentenced in Jan. 11.

6. Sean Taylor Murdered in His Home

Just as 2007 began with the grim news of an NFL player cut down in his prime (Darrent Williams), so did the year end. In early December, football mourned the loss of Washington Redskins standout safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed in his Miami home by armed intruders whose apparent motive was robbery. Taylor, the father of a baby girl, was only 24. This came as a shock to the league and a team who was/is in the heat of the playoff hunt. Taylor was winning the probowl race at his position and just this week was announced as the winner of the starting spot. He left a family and a game, and he had so much left to give to both.

5. Barry Bonds Indicted

Barry Bonds became baseball's all-time home run king on Aug. 7, when he passed Hank Aaron by hitting career home run number 756. The record is considered tainted by myself along with many in the game who believe Bonds used steroids. On Nov. 16 the slugger was indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly lying to a federal jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Dec. 7 and remains the face of baseball's ongoing steroids investigation.

4. Mike Vick Goes Down for Dogfighting

In one of the ugliest episodes of a crime-ridden year for the NFL, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was exposed for his role in a dogfighting operation. Vick pleaded guilty to federal felony dogfighting charges and started serving his sentence in November. Vick could also be tried in Virginia on state-level felony charges. His football career is definitely in jeopardy.

3. NBA Gambling Scandal

When NBA referee Tim Donaghy was exposed for betting on games and providing confidential information to others, league commissioner David Stern called the crisis the "worst situation" he'd experienced in basketball. Donaghy pleaded guilty in August to two felony charges. The whole situation was a well-publicized mess and gave sportsfans just another turnoff to the NBA.

2. Spygate

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was apparently breaking NFL rules by videotaping signals that New York Jets' coaches relayed to their players during a Sept. 9 showdown in the Meadowlands. The incident, dubbed "Spygate," led to the Patriots being stripped of a first-round draft pick and a $500,000 fine for Belichick. The Patriots are definately a dynasty, but is the team's reputation now tarnished? I say yes, but it depends on who you ask.

1. The Mitchell Report

Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada,Andy Pettitte, and Eric Gagne, amongst many others, were named in the long-awaited Mitchell Report on Dec. 13, 2007. It was largely an All-Star roster linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs that put a question mark, if not an asterisk, next to some of baseball's biggest players and moments. We have still yet to see or hear what reprecussions will come of the report. However, I personally feel it is a step in the right direction for upholding the integrity of the game.

Atleast I Can Blog When I Have the Wind Knocked Out of Me

I wonder if The Babe knew. Everytime he rubbed his face, he was stabbing the game that he (Ruth) loved and protected in the back.

A punch in the gut is the only way that I can describe my feeling for Roger Clemens association with steroids. I hate steroids and cheating and love the game of baseball. I was very excited for the Mitchell investigation to come out because I felt like it was a necessary step to protecting the integrity of the game that we all love.

I was expecting a lot of names to be mentioned. There were a handful of names that I, in fact, really wanted to be mentioned. Roger Clemens was definitely not one of them. There were also names that I wasn't expecting at all, like Chuck Knoblach. I guess this explains his inability to throw from 2nd to 1st, and is almost humorous.

I always liked Roger Clemens. The only thing I ever had against him was the fact that he played(S) for the Yankees. I always admired his talent and renown work-ethic. This changes everything. How sad is it that the best hitter and pitcher of our generation (who could both be argued as the best all-time respectively) have both been named as users of performance-enhancing drugs? I just can't get over it. I knew Bonds would be on there and all you readers know how I feel about him and his steroid use. Now, I assume these accusations and findings are going to have to be proved in court for anything significant to happen, but just the fact that Roger Clemens has 9 pages of the report dedicated to him, including personal testaments to injecting him.

Where can baseball and baseball fans go from here? Well as a fan this certainly changes my perspective on a lot of players out there, especially Mr. Clemens. I've always felt like a large part of the blame should be pinned on Mr. Selig and MLB officials who, in the 90's, knew this was happening, but let it slide. It is true that they harbored this mess but the players chose to cheat. Whether you are a Chuck Knoblach or a Roger Clemens, you chose to cheat and to associate yourself with cheating. As a fan I'm a little upset about Mitchell's findings but I'm also very anxious to see what Mr. Selig and MLB will do about this report.

I hope that this is what turns the game around. While I am shocked and disappointed I am, in a sense, a bit relieved. This was the right thing and this was what needed to happen to protect the integrity of the game. I hope that every move from here on out is a step in the right direction.

Congratulations To Barry Bonds

This is probably going to surprise a lot of people....hell I'm surprising myself right now. With Ming on vacation and unable to post I have no choice but to be the one to post on historic HR # 756 in the career of Barry Bonds.

Readers accustomed to my Bonds hating material brace yourself:

I would like to start off by saying congratulations to Barry Bonds. Regardless of all of the steroid talk and suspicions you have to be one hell of a player to hit 756 HRs and I hold him to be the best player in the last 50 years of the game to either use or not use steroids. Look, I don't particularly like him as a person or a player, but that doesn't matter because like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball's new home run king.

While Selig wasn't there (because he's a giant baby) Mays was and along with his family the whole ceremony deal was pretty nice. I love Hank Aaron's congratulations to Barry Bonds after the home run was hit. I believe it exemplifies the class of Hank Aaron, and no matter what Bonds did or didn't do regarding steroids, Aaron will forever be respected for his performance and class.

Does this bother a lot of baseball fans (myself included)? Yes, it does. Does Bonds' mark deserve an asterisk next to it? I don't really know. It would make a lot of fans who don't like Bonds happier. However, I feel like fans will surely keep debating which slugger they consider the true home run champion. Bonds fans will say Bonds. Some will continue to cling to Aaron while other, older rooters will always say it's Babe Ruth.

There are plenty of fans,myself included, already hoping for the day that Bonds' total (whatever it is) gets beat. Rodriguez may have the best chance, with his 500 home runs at age 32 far ahead of Bonds' pace. For now, however, Mr. Bonds will reign supreme in the world of the longball.

Congratulations....It's over....now let's try to move on.

My World In Sports: Big Night For Baseball as I Return Home

Now, back from vacation the sports world has given me plenty of lemons to make lemonade. So what else but "My World In Sports" to recap the last 24 hrs. Vacation was great but it's good to be back. Now lets get down to business.

Bonds is cheered in San Diego
Well most of you readers know where I stand on the subject. I'm sure you also all know that Bonds tied Hank Aaron as the all-time HR King last night. I was a little surprised that they cheered rather than booed in SD. But I'm happy for him I guess...Even though it may be hard to dispute that he didn't cheat. Even happier for the 33-year old plummer who caught the ball who probably will never have to fix a toilet ever again! Look,It's inevitably going to happen so I hope he can break this record as quick and painlessly as possible. Although I'm guessing that they'll wait and try to get him to do it in SF. We know Selig is going to be there now so I just hope he just hits it ASAP so we can kind of stop talking about it a little.

Arod Drops the Abomb
Just like Bonds tying Aaron....we knew it was coming. Arod became the youngest player to hit 500 career HRs. He hit 500 about a year sooner than Jimmie Fox in what turned out to be a HUGE night for baseball and in baseball history. I think it now probably becomes increasingly obvious to most baseball fans that Arod has the best chance to catch Bonds (wherever that may be) and how seriously good Arod really is. I personally think that Arod should crush Bonds' record someday...especially if he can continue to stay healthy and DH in the AL as he gets older. Also, a move out of the big apple probably wouldn't hurt him as a player either.

NFL Preseason Kicks Off Tonight
It will be pretty refreshing to see a little pigskin fly tonight (8 ET on NFL Network) with the Steelers playing the Saints in the HOF Game. The NFL Network is airing 52 Games in 29 days...which is pretty sweet because I get the NFL Network, so I'll be tuning in. Don't expect to see a lot of Brees, Bush, Roethlisberger, and Co., but it will be nice to just see some football on TV. To prepare you readers may want to check out some Fantasy Football Quicklooks!

That's what I have to say about the bigtime stories in sports in the last 24 hours. Any you think that I missed? What are your thoughts on the big HRs, and the exciting start of the NFL Preseason? Given the circumstances was this one of the biggest, if not THE biggest night, historically, in MLB history?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find Out What It Takes For Me

Find out what it takes for me to respect Barry Bonds. I think our blog is really unique to the topic in such that Ming is such a huge Bonds fan and I am quite the strong opposite. I've taken my fair share of scruff for being so anti-Bonds on TSF. So, I got thinking about what it would take for Bonds to earn my respect. I'm going to share....

This is going to sound crazy but for Bonds to earn my respect he would need to lay down the bat. Now, I am much opposed to quitters and I am a huge fan of hard workers with set goals. However, Bonds cheated and that makes it different. He knows he did and basically everyone in the sports world knows he cheated. Therefore, I think it would be most noble for him to stop chasing the record.

Bonds is a HOFer. He was a hall-of-famer before the steroid talk and way before he started really chasing Aaron. He should let the real record stand and take his place as the 2nd bets HR-hitter in MLB history and a member of the MLB HOF. He is doing more harm than good to the team, his body, his legacy, his family, and the game. He is getting old and crabby (as recent quotes prove). He seems like he is playing - and claims to want to play next season- purely for the purpose of personal records.

Lay down the bat, quit yelling at reporters, become more of a family man, and graciously accept the asterisk that should (and maybe someday will) be displayed next to his name on the HR-list.

Whether you like Bonds or not most fans don't respect the man and the player who is Barry Bonds. What would it take for Bonds to earn your respect as a player and as a person?

Giant Issues

Today we're going to talk some MLB. My San Francisco Giants keep proving they're one of the worst teams in the Majors.

Last nights game vs. the Yankees definitely proved that as well. They continue to struggle at the plate. They just can't put up any runs and when they do, they can't ever hold a lead. I think it's time to make some changes in this organization. In my eyes, everything is revolving around Barry Bonds, especially the HR chase. Which needs to stop.

This team is getting older by the second I mean you have Ray Durham, Omar Vizquel, Mark Sweeney, Bonds, and Dave Roberts who are all 35 and older. It's time to get some young talent in there. The Giants could be utilizing Fred Lewis or some other young guy who could catch fly balls in LF that Barry misses by 5 feet. Bonds is flat out embarrassing in LF and it's time for them to start bringing in some young talent. Maybe they should consider moving him to 1B or not playing him at all.

As for pitching, I think they brought up Tim Lincecum a year early. He started off the year well, but now he is struggling and is continuing to get shelled. He would have been better off pitching in AA or AAA this season instead of getting throttled in the Majors.

Back to Bonds, this needs to be his last year with the Giants. They cannot continue to waste their money on him. It is a must for them to bring in some young talent for the future this off season or maybe even later in the year.

Red Sox continue to dominate
Just wanted to talk a little bit about Boston. On paper, no one can beat these guys; not Detroit, not Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, nor the New York Mets. They just continue to impress. Their bullpen is phenomenal, the starting rotation is awesome (especially Matsuzaka), and the whole lineup is producing as well. I really think no one will stop them come the end of the regular season. As of right now, they're my pick to be in the World Series.


Any other thoughts on the Red Sox or Giants?

Take Your Pick: Who Can a Fan Like Me Start to Root For?

So, Barry Bonds hit his 748th career homer putting him 7 shy of Hank Aaron for what is probably the most heralded record in all of sports. I hate Barry Bonds and if you are a repeat reader you probably know that already. Anyways, I am starting to come to the realization that this is probably going to happen and instead of killing myself when it does I decided that I need a guy to root for. I need to find the next player who is going to beat Barry's steroid-injected ass (pun intended) in the HR standings. So take your pick and help me figure out who is the going to be the best guy to take the record away from Barry.

Personally Arod is my guy. You have Arod at 492 having hit his 27th HR of the season tonight against the Mets. Arod currently ranks 24th all-time but in my opinion probably has the best foreseeable chance to surpass Bonds of all current players. He is 32 years-old right now and if you disregard this year's 27 HRs he needs 8 seasons with a rough average of 36 dingers a season. Now I think it will take him even less than that because he is obviously going to hi more than 36 this year. So, really at the most I think he would have to play until he was 40. If he can stay healthy and stay with the Yanks so he can DH as he gets older I think he can do it.

This is so sick and perverted but I'm going to have to start cheering for a Yankee...Arod no less. I've always thought of him as a bit of a sell-out (think of him going to Texas completely for the $$) and is now noticed as a cheating bastard. However, I think he's my guy. Now, I'm not by any means going to go get myself an Arod jersey. I'm just rooting for him to bring Major League Baseball -along with myself- out of a state of misery as fast as he can.

My second choice is Albert Pujols. He's only got 266 right now but is only 27. If he can continue to hit his average of 42 HRs a year he could be at 770 when he is 39. So he's got a good shot, but I'm still taking Arod over him. Some goes for him. If he can get away from the Cardinals and onto a team where he can do some DHing down the road that will increase his chances as well.

Active players ranked above Arod in HRs are Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Ken Griffey Jr. In my opinion both are just way too old to be considered a serious threat to surpass Bonds someday. No way for those 3.

Also, guys who I think can be overlooked include , Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, and Chipper Jones. Manny is ranked 25th with 480 but is 3 years older than A-Rod so he's not my pick....plus he doesn't even care. Basically the lowdown on everybody else is that I think they are just too old. They are high on the list but there's just no way they can play long enough with their production to be seriously considered.

If I wouldn't take Arod or Pujols I would rather take my chance with a young kid like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera. They are so young though that it is just a real risky pick. There are too many intangibles to consider to try and accurately project if and when they could be in position to pass Bonds.

My Picks
1. Arod
2. Pujols
3. Someone young like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera

Agree with my Picks? Who is your pick to surpass Bonds on the all-time HR list (however many that may end up being)?

Road to History

Barry Bonds hit his 747th homer and moved within eight of Hank Aaron's career record with a two-run shot during the Giants' 4-3 win over Toronto on Monday night, only the second home run since May 8 for the slugger and his first this month.

Bonds had not hit a HR in 77 AB's since hitting No. 746 back on May 27 vs. the Rockies. In Bonds' previous 36 games from April 29 to June 10, he hit only four homers after hitting 10 by May 5.

On a side note, New York Daily News Sportswriter wrote a column on Throwing Back Barry's ball? Encouraging for whoever catches HR ball No. 756 should throw the ball back in protest.

We all know Barry will not hit No. 756 away from San Francisco. Bochy will sit and limit his AB's until they play at home. Plus, 9 of his current 13 HR's have all come at AT&T Ballpark.

Follow the Road to 755 & 756 right here at The Sports Flow

The Sports Flow will be trying very hard to live-blog HR's 755 and 756. We will keep you updated with Bonds' HR chase and count as the season progresses.

If this isn't a choke, then I don't know what is...

So I was watching my Giants take on the Mets Tuesday night on ESPN. This is another good thing about the Bonds' HR chase (in my opinion obviously), more nationally televised games.

The game was pretty much dominated by the pitching and defense from the middle until close to the end of the game. Rookie sensation Tim Lincecum had a solid outing for the Giants in a no-decision with 7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 8 K. Oliver Perez had a great performance as well for the Mets lasting 7 Innings as well with 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, and 8 K.

Did I say solid pitching till the end of the game? Well atleast until the 12th. And then there was Armando Benitez.

Let me recap the 12th inning...

Giants finally broke through in their part of the 12th, Omar Vizquel started it off with a walk. Then Fred Lewis bunted Vizquel over to third after Vizquel advanced to second after a wild pitch. Mark Sweeney was then HBP. Randy Winn then grounded out while Vizquel scored, beating out the tag to take a 5-4 lead.

Then this happened...

Bottom of the 12th, Benitez walked Jose Reyes to start it off, then after multiple pick off attempts and foul balls, Benitez balked. I thought it was a questionable call. It looked like he was just doing what every other pitcher does; the ump proclaimed "he started and stopped", but to me it looked like he was just moving his left leg back closer to his right leg after getting the pitch call from catcher Bengie Molina.

So Reyes advanced to second, then Endy Chavez sacrificed him over to third. Carlos Beltran then grounded out to 2nd basemen Kevin Fransen. So two done, tying run on third and Carlos Delgado to the plate. Benitez then hesitated and made an obvious flinch, balking again bringing Reyes home to tie the game. There was no questions about this balk though, this one was blatantly obvious.

Then of course, the next pitch Delgado sent a walk off HR over the RF fence. I mean when was the last time a player balked twice in a game? How about twice in a month? I mean wow, Benitez choked horrendously. This got me wondering... why did the Giants ever trade away Joe Nathan?

Take Your Pick: Bonds vs. The Field for 2007 NL MVP

I'm definitely not The Sports Flow's official Bonds fan here (that's ming), I'm more the official, complete and total passionate Bonds hater. Anyways, I found myself in a conversation with a manager at work about a week ago. The conversation revolved first around the Brewers pummeling his Pirates, but then shifted towards this year's NL MVP race. Granted it's really early to be talking about this but can anybody other than Bonds win the NL MVP right now!?

As we speak right now it looks like Arod will make a pretty strong case for the AL MVP this season. However, the NL race MIGHT be a bit more open. If and when Bonds hits that fatal blast that sends the sports world into a downward spiral will that make him a lock for some after-season ass kissing? Let's look at stats.

Right now Bonds is batting: .301 AVG, 11 HRs, 23 RBIs, with 40 BBs and an OBP of .511. He's only K'd 15 times all year while slugging .699and this is in a total of 93 ABs.

Let's look deeper.
HRs: t-3rd --> He's tied with Dunn and trails my beloved Prince and sexy JJ.

BBs: 1st

OBP: 1st

SLG: 1st

K's: 1st --> I'm guessing...the list stops with players who have only K'd 17 times making him literally off the charts.

These all look great but you might say that 3rd in HRs isn't enough. OK, well to put things in perspective he's tied with Adam Dunn who also has 11 HRs but 54 Ks as to Bonds mere 15! For RBIs he's middle of the road and he's doing all these HRs, RBIs, Rs, and BBs on about 50 less ABs then everyone else atop the HR and RBI charts. If he can keep this up is there anyone who can rival him for it even if my Bash Bro's from Brewtown keep up their end...which would be rare. Throw in these stats with breaking THE record. Yes THE record, maybe in all of sports and is there any way that he doesn't win it. This is all besides the whole steroid issue and I'm trying to stay away from it so let me simplify it with as little rage as possible. Bonds will break the record...Bonds will probably then win NL MVP...Bonds will deserve neither.

The field is decently strong. Headlining in opposition of Bonds right now I like: Todd Helton, Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins, Chipper Jones, Miguel Cabrera. Ok look, the field is incredibly hard to predict. It all depends on who does what and how teams do later in the year. But will it even matter? Because, unfortunately with Bonds, barring a god-forsaken injury, will break the record and then I find it pretty tough not to see Bonds as this year's NL MVP.....I'm disgusted.

Week Review in Sports

NBA
The playoffs got underway Saturday as Lebron James and Co. defeated the Arenas' less Wizards 97-82. Oh Wizards, what could have been...

Larry Hughes had an impressive night with 27 points and 7 boards. While Antwain Jamison paced Washington with 28 points and 14 boards of his own. With no clear-cut favorite in the East, don't be surprised if you see the Cavs in the finals.

Nets 96 Raptors 91
Richard Jefferson scored 28 points, Kidd nearly had a triple-double and the Nets stopped a late rally to beat the Raptors 96-91 on Saturday in Game 1 of the series. The former Raptor Vince Carter was not welcomed on a return trip to Toronto. Carter scored 16 points but shot just 5-of-19 from the field. But Jefferson stepped up to make 11 of 21 shots.

Bulls 96 Heat 91
Chicago stuck it to Miami late in the game to steal the win. Luol Deng scored 33 points, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni each hit two free throws in the final 19 seconds, and the Chicago Bulls held off the Heat Saturday in Game 1 of their opening-round rematch. The Heat trailed 92-91 after Dwyane Wade found Udonis Haslem for a layup with 38 seconds left, but Gordon hit two foul shots with 18 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Wade missed a 3-pointer and Nocioni hit two more free throws with 9.8 seconds left for the final score.

Rockets 84 Jazz 75
Tracy McGrady finished with 23 points. Before his outburst, the Rockets relied on Yao Ming, who finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Utah led by nine at halftime and was ahead 49-41 before Houston went on an 8-2 run, fueled by seven points by McGrady to get within two. A jump shot by Deron Williams made it 53-49 before a 3 by Shane Battier put Houston within striking distance. Houston then when on to control the rest of the game and never looked back.

MLB
Indians get one hit, still top Contreras, White Sox.
C.C. Sabathia pitched 8 powerful innings as his Indians took down the White Sox 2-1. Oh and by the way they got one hit. Sabathia had 5 IP and gave up 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 10 K.

Meanwhile, Jose Contreras was even more impressive and still lost. He threw 5 IP gave up 1 H, 5 BB, and had 3 K. The Indians' only hit was Grady Sizemore's double in the first off Contreras. Cleveland took advantage of three errors and some walks to take two of three in the series.

Mark Buerhle no-hits Rangers
The Chicago White Sox left-hander faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Working quickly and efficiently in a dominant performance, Buehrle allowed only one base runner. He walked Sammy Sosa with one out in the fifth inning, then promptly picked him off first base. I was very surprised with this as Buerhle has not been his near self in about 2 seasons. Before this last appearance he's been too jittery with his pitching and K to BB ratio.

Barry Bonds inches closer to Aaron
Bonds hit his 4th, 5th, and 6th HR's of the season against the Cardinals and Diamondbacks. He moved within 15 HR's of the record. Bonds has been as healthy as he's been in about 3 seasons now, which leads me to believe he will hit at least 35 HR's this season.

D-League
Just thought I'd mention the NBDL because of my hometown team Dakota Wizards, who defeated the Sioux Falls Sky Force 115-113 Saturday night. I attended the game myself and I thought they were going to fall after the way they played throughout the game. The Sky Force had a 7-12 point lead for most of the game and whenever the Wizards would get within 5-6 points, Sioux Falls would go down and score again. The Wizards finally tied it up with about 2:48 left in the 4th quarter and held on as Renaldo Major scored 29 points in the win.

The Wizards now advance to the NBDL Championship to take on the Colorado 14ers, which will be held Sunday, April 29. I'll be there and will do a recap of the game right here on The Sports Flow as the game concludes.

755: From the Eyes of a Bonds Fan

There are very few San Francisco Giants fans outside of the San Francisco area. I just happen to be one of the few.

On Tuesday, Barry Bonds started a season which will be his most scrutinized and most exciting all at once, as he pursues to break the most sacred record in all of sports.

First off, the question is will he make it long enough to hit the 21 (22 from the start of the season, but he hit one last night) HR's needed to pass Hank Aaron? I think he will get it done this season, Bonds is as healthy as he's been in about 3 years. And he had an impressive spring with 7 HR's in 18 plate appearances. I think he will hit 35+ this season.

I always hear people bicker, complain, and lash out towards their hatred of Barry Bonds. Saying steroids made who he is; "He wouldn't have near as many HR's as he does without steroids." But too many people are discrediting his ability. I just finished a book about Bonds's career and his life outside of baseball as well, titled: Love Me, Hate Me by James Pearlman. It's a great read and you will know what I am talking about once you read it. But you will also find some pretty disturbing things as well.

But I need to clarify to the people who look at Bonds with doubt and skepticism. I don't think steroids made him a superstar. Steroids didn't bring him to history's door. And if you followed him in the early to mid 90's you would understand more clearly.

Sure, if he used them, they may have helped his power, and yes they probably did help his body recover quicker. But there is no drug in the world that can help a hitter distinguish between a 96 mph fastball and a 93 mph slider. There is no drug that teaches plate discipline. There is no drug that improves hand-eye coordination. And that's a fact!

Baseball isn't like other sports such as football, where players are useless without strength or size. Conditioning doesn't mean as much in baseball as it does in other sports. Bonds was a great hitter long before his head became inflated and his biceps got big and buff.

He never struck out a lot, and he always drew an amazing number of walks. He stole 52 bases at age 26 and hit 46 home runs at 29. He was heading to the Hall of Fame long before steroids came into question. And the thing about Bonds is, all the other alleged steroid users have tapered off and Bonds still puts up good numbers. So it isn't all about steroids.

As for 755, he's going to break it sometime. The more HR's he hits the more pissed people get. Why not celebrate the record? I mean he's one of the best hitters ever. I think it's time to celebrate Bonds and his HR's. Because steroids or not, he's one of the best players of all time.

( I know I will face some scrutiny with this article, and some hateful comments on this, but hey, bring them on. I want to hear some of your own insight.)

Bonds finally signs with Giants

Barry Bonds finally signed his $15.8 million, one-year deal Thursday, ending more than two months of bickering between him and the San Francisco Giants over contract language.

Bonds will report to Spring Training on Monday and will participate in the first full-squad workout Tuesday. Bonds is only 22 homers shy of Hank Aaron's HR record of 755.

Bonds signed on Tuesday and it was then mailed to the Giants and then faxed to the commissioner for official approval. Bonds and the Giants came to an agreement on December 7, and the deal was then announced on January 29.

But his first contract enclosed a clause stating he’s responsible for promotional appearances and it was declined by the commissioner's office. Management and the players' association agreed last year during bargaining not to allow any language in new contracts regarding promotional appearances other than the standard clause in all player contracts.

Bonds has now filled the last Giants Spring Training roster spot. Bonds has been working out at UCLA during the off season and appears as healthy as ever, according to his agent and trainer. Bonds is coming off arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow after last season.

Bonds' 115 walks led the National League, extending his MLB career mark to 2,426. He hit .270 with 23 doubles, 77 RBIs and 74 runs scored in 130 games, amazing totals considering he was hitting .235 as late as Aug. 19. The double in his final at-bat of the 2006 season was his 99th hit of the year, pulling him within 159 of the 3,000th hit mark. The RBI count has him 69 away from 2,000.