It's that elusive World Series ring. And starting this week, he gets yet another chance to win that piece of jewelry Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson waited so long to earn.
Fresh off his first batting title and certainly headed to his record fifth MVP trophy, Bonds is hoping this will be the year. Because at 38, he won't get many more shots at the World Series.
Following a regular season tinged by tragedy and tarnished by strike talk, baseball fans can at least focus on the fun part: October.
``I have no nerves,'' Bonds said. ``I think the playoffs are just more thrilling. You're more nervous on opening day. That nervousness is from having 162 games to go to the postseason. You do get excited about this part of the year.''
The postseason begins Tuesday, and many of the game's old, familiar faces are back for another run.
There's Curt Schilling and the Big Unit trying to help the Arizona Diamondbacks repeat as champions when they take on St. Louis. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are all warmed up in Atlanta, set to face Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. And Clemens starts Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium against Anaheim.
Plus, these playoffs feature a lot of newcomers.
The Minnesota Twins, who play Oakland, and Anaheim do not have a position player has who ever appeared in the postseason - it's the first time that's happened since the 1969 New York Mets. The eventual World Series champion Mets, that is.
Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia played on two championship teams with Los Angeles. He thinks his Angels will do fine, too.
``I've found that there's no way to really pass on my playoff experience to these guys. The only way to get it is to be in the playoffs,'' he said. ``But there's nothing that says that a team that doesn't have playoff experience isn't going to do well in the playoffs. And with the makeup of our club, I'm very confident that we'll be all right.''
Bonds can only hope he does so well.
Clearly one of the greatest players ever, he has just one mark against him - his postseason failures.
The single-season home-run king has been in the playoffs five times, and his teams in Pittsburgh and San Francisco have never won even one round. He's a big part of the reason - he's hitting only .196 with one home run and six RBIs in 97 at-bats.
``It preys on his mind the more you guys bring it up,'' Giants manager Dusty Baker said. ``You're not going to stop people from talking about it. But instead of people bringing up the positives, they seem to bring up the negatives.''
``Personally, leave all those negatives back in past years. Don't bring them forward with you. Barry's on top of his game - .370 is a good week or a good month. Over a season, that's a lot of hitting. The law of averages are on his side,'' he said.
The Giants head into the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak that won them the NL wild card. Bonds is looking forward to this opportunity, starting Wednesday afternoon at Turner Field.
``It's a great position to be in, but these are little series,'' Bonds said. ``We've seen it before. I can have a five-game slump, I can have a seven-game slump, I can have a two-week slump. Anything can happen.''
Including a big series against the Braves, provided they don't simply walk him. He broke his own major league record with 198 walks, including 68 intentional.
Bonds has enjoyed exceptional success against Atlanta's top three pitchers. He's hit eight homers off Maddux and closer John Smoltz and is batting .321 lifetime against Glavine.
The Cardinals also figured to see plenty of pitching as they take on the Diamondbacks. One star that St. Louis will not see: big hitter Luis Gonzalez, who got the hit that won the World Series last year but then separated his left shoulder in an outfield collision last week.
The Yankees, who were denied their fourth straight title by Gonzalez's hit in November, return to the playoffs with a revamped lineup.
Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius retired, Tino Martinez went to St. Louis and David Justice landed in Oakland. But the Yankees added Jason Giambi, who's eager to play his first postseason game in pinstripes.
``There's definitely an aura here. No doubt about it,'' Giambi said Tuesday.
``You see it year after year, they way they came back from 2-0 against us last year, all the last at-bat wins they got in the World Series. That's a lot to battle when you've never been through it before,'' he said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/10/189475