SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- When Barry Bonds donned a San Francisco Giants jersey for the first time Thursday, it was with a bow to his father, not his godfather.
Bonds, who joined the Giants for $43.75 million last week, decided to turn down godfather Willie Mays’ offer to unretire his No. 24 jersey so Bonds could have the number he wore for six years as a Pittsburgh Pirate.
Instead, Bonds will wear No. 25, the number his father, Bobby, wore for the Giants from 1968-1974. The younger Bonds said he wanted to preserve Mays’ number for posterity and honor his dad at the same time.
“It would be a shame to take that number down. It would be a great honor for me to wear this number right here,” Bonds said, holding up the No. 25 jersey as his father and mother stood by. “I'd rather be in left field looking at [Mays'] number instead of wearing it on my back.”
“I'm not a spoiled rotten brat here.”
Both Bonds said Mays was allowing Barry to resurrect No. 24 as a gift to his godson. But some newspaper columnists and fans calling in to radio talk shows criticized the idea, saying Mays’ number should remain in its place of honor at Candlestick.
Making his first appearance at his new baseball home on a foggy, rainy day, Bonds recalled his memories of Candlestick as a boy, shagging fly balls in the outfield, stealing gloves and getting into trouble. As an adult, Bonds hasn't been as fond of the windswept ballpark, once calling it “a pit.” He's changed his tune now, saying his main complaint was with the visitors' dugout and inconvenient bathroom facilities.
“We didn't have a heater and bathrooms, so it was kind of tough for us,” he said. “As for the playing conditions on the field, . . . there are a lot of ballparks that are no different than Candlestick, but we had a bathroom. If I have a bathroom, I'm happy.”
The two-time National League MVP beamed as he spoke about joining his new team and expressed his admiration for new teammate Will Clark. “You've got Will to thrill and now you've got a killer B, and it's going to be a great year,” Bonds said.