The rarity that is Barry Bonds may never come along again.
By Associated Press
Published June 25, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO - For just a moment, the muscle-bound slugger was a wiry, speedy kid again. Barry Bonds checked out Eric Gagne's deliberate delivery, saw an opening and sprinted to second base, stealing the bag without a throw.
The educated crowd at Pacific Bell Park on Monday night immediately rose in cheers. The San Francisco die-hards had stuck around in the chill until the 11th inning, hoping for just such a moment.
Only then did Bonds realize his latest feat: He became the first player in history to steal 500 bases and hit 500 homers.
"I think it's great, something I hope is going to be around a long time," said Bonds, who claimed he wasn't aware of it. "You never know."
But if Bonds spent any time contemplating his milestones, he'd see the true magic of his latest achievement: There might not be another member of the 500-500 club in his lifetime.
With the stolen base mired in irrelevance during this homer-happy era, most experts believe Bonds' 500 homers and 500 steals could stand for decades as an unmatchable feat.
"It's something that will be very difficult to accomplish, especially since people don't run very much any more," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "There might be another time, another era of baseball where that will come back - but you've also got to play for a long time."
The statistics prove Bonds has more versatility than any player of his generation, and perhaps anyone in history. There's no other player with 400 homers and 400 steals; Bonds' godfather, Willie Mays, had just 338 steals along with his 660 homers, while Bonds' father, Bobby, hit 332 homers and stole 461.
"I don't see anybody ever doing it," said Giants outfielder Jose Cruz Jr., who once had a 30-30 season. "It's unbelievable. To get 500 of each would take a really special player who was on a team that let him run all the time for a lot of years. It's hard to imagine."
Such an achievement might require the next candidate to transform his game and his body the same way Bonds did.
The next potential 500-500 man also will need the freedom to run - a rare quantity in today's game. Bonds' formidable talent makes him pretty much above direction from his managers.
"I believe Barry has had the green light 500 times," Alou said with a grin. "He was on his own (on the 500th steal). He's always on his own."
