Ladies and Gentlemen… you’re 2006 World Series Champions…. the St. Louis Cardinals!

No, really…

Barry Bonds, it appears, will no longer be a San Francisco Giant. Espn is reporting that the embattled slugger will file for free agency as soon as allowed (after the World Series is over) and no negotiations have happened between Bonds and the Giants. This would appear to mark the end of Bonds 14 year tenure in the city by the bay.

Now, normally I’m sure there would be at least a few teams willing to take a flyer on a 42 year old slugger, however, this is no ordinary slugger. Bonds is booed in every city the Giants play other than San Fran. Over half of fans in a recent poll said that they hoped Bonds would NOT break Hank Aaron’s all time home run record. Basically, he’s not exactly going to be embraced by the fans of any team that signs him. Add into that mix, the fact that Barry has often said he wanted to end his career with the Giants and this seems like a poor decision to me.

The Giants’ vice president told reporters “Every signing is going to be an undertaking. Whatever we do with Barry, it’s got to be a mutual fit. We’ve got to want him and he’s got to want us.” And as I said, I think Barry would be foolish not to want the Giants. Even if he had to play for a significant discount or even the league minimum for vertans, Barry would be wise to re-sign in the only city with fans who would accept him. This will be an interesting story to watch unfold.

I’ll leave you with a couple of cartoons from toonrefugee.com (used by permission):

and a suggestion for next year’s All Star Game logo: