Barry Bonds: NL Player of the month
SAN FRANCISCO -- Most feared, most fearsome and most featured player in baseball today?
Not too many arguments about this one: Barry Bonds.
Managers agree, hence the frequent infield shifts on the Giants slugger. Pitchers, too, what with the intentional and quasi-intentional, don't-throw-it-NEAR-the-guy walks. Opposing fans give Bonds the verbal business through boos and seemingly endless chatter in the left-field bleachers.
Got news for ya -- it's not working.
Bonds has proved he is rarely distracted by outside influences, and during July he hit a league-leading .415 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs to earn National League Pepsi Player of the Month honors.
The 39-year-old veteran helped San Francisco maintain its big lead in the NL West over that span, as he also led the league in walks with 26, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .581 on-base percentage as well as scoring 25 runs.
The Giants had a nine-game winning streak during July and were 19-8 overall.
On July 12, Bonds tied a Major League record when he hit 30 homers for the 12th consecutive year, matching the mark set by Jimmie Foxx from 1929-40. He currently leads the Majors with 34 homers, a .511 on-base percentage and a .727 slugging percentage.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Most feared, most fearsome and most featured player in baseball today?
Not too many arguments about this one: Barry Bonds.
Managers agree, hence the frequent infield shifts on the Giants slugger. Pitchers, too, what with the intentional and quasi-intentional, don't-throw-it-NEAR-the-guy walks. Opposing fans give Bonds the verbal business through boos and seemingly endless chatter in the left-field bleachers.
Got news for ya -- it's not working.
Bonds has proved he is rarely distracted by outside influences, and during July he hit a league-leading .415 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs to earn National League Pepsi Player of the Month honors.
The 39-year-old veteran helped San Francisco maintain its big lead in the NL West over that span, as he also led the league in walks with 26, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .581 on-base percentage as well as scoring 25 runs.
The Giants had a nine-game winning streak during July and were 19-8 overall.
On July 12, Bonds tied a Major League record when he hit 30 homers for the 12th consecutive year, matching the mark set by Jimmie Foxx from 1929-40. He currently leads the Majors with 34 homers, a .511 on-base percentage and a .727 slugging percentage.
