By now, he is more prodigious than Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio or Pete Rose.
His batting eyes equal the Superman peepers of Ted Williams but The Giant has a louder, longer bang than The Thumper.
He's a ballplayer superior to my lifetime hero, Henry Louis Aaron. That is difficult for me to write, having tracked Hank's every at-bat since 1953 when he was a 19-year-old minor-league second baseman in Jacksonville, where I was a mesmerized 14-year-old scoreboard number hanger.
The Giant has pounded me into submission. So, if you will, step up to the debate plate, because I'm ready to argue that Bonds, Barry Bonds has become the ultimate Giant, a better ballplayer than his own idol, Willie Mays.
I ponder an even stronger stance. A few more Barry smacks and I could be saying he has outdone baseball's most heroic, storybook icon, Babe Ruth.
If we search for reasons to downgrade Bonds, the nastiest evidence comes from his mediocre postseasons. Barry never has won a World Series. His average is .246 in playoffs and the Series with an unimposing nine homers in 142 at-bats.
Still, watching the man bash 73 homers in a season, then achieve a .370 batting average, as his vision and plate discipline generate a record wealth of walks, well, how do we not admire such modern art?
Best ever? Maybe.
Bonds is hard to like, much less love. His demeanor is frequently offensive. Arrogant jerk is a label well earned. I didn't want him to surpass Ted, Willie, Hank or Babe, but the Bonds numbers have become so overwhelming.
I'm won over to a point ... but no way I want Bonds to hit more career homers than my guy Aaron. Bonds is 39. I'm counting on a slowdown. Three more so-so homer seasons and he passes Hank. Isn't it my right to pull against Bonds if he gets close to The Hammer? I'm fine with him knocking past Babe's 714, but don't mess with Aaron's 755.
I wonder how a multitude of Bonds haters, including an overload of media, can deny he has become the most dynamic baseball weapon? Alex Rodriguez could get there but is far, far away. Bonds also is a remarkable base stealer. Defense exceptional in the outfield.
There are a bushel of reasons to demean Bonds, He bulged from 185 svelte pounds to a muscular 245 over 15 seasons. Eating what? Drinking what? Still, there've been no convictions and Bonds does sweat through constant weight training and does miles and miles on treadmills.
The more I see and learn, the more he convinces me. You know the heart is powerful, like his body, as homers go screeching into the sky, often in the most clutch situations. We learn too, about the heart, observing tearful Bonds palpitations in dealing with his ballplayer dad, Bobby, perishing from cancer.
What we should be doing is cherishing the experience of watching Barry. Roaring '20s people embraced being around for The Babe. More recent generations came to know the special experiences of witnessing Wayne Gretzky or Jack Nicklaus or Joe Montana or Martina Navratilova. Starry stuff to pass on to grandkids or future neighbors too young to have had the privilege.
Bonds ... greatest ever? Maybe.
DRAG BUNTS: Who's a better nominee for "Mr. Nasty '03," dirty linebacker Bill Romanowski of the Raiders or wise-guy, wreck-provoking NASCAR driver Kurt Busch? ... Paul Westhead, a predecessor to Phil Jackson as Lakers coach, now whistles in the boonies with the Long Beach Jams of the ABA, following two years of training hoop kids in Japan.
FOR PETE'S SAKE: New Englanders roar support of the dominating Dominican Republic native. Rewards are many for Pedro Martinez, whose salary is $15.5-million. But he whines often. ... There's no better pitcher; none more hurrahed in his home park, but Martinez even gets offended at hearing mini barbs on talk radio. According to Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal, a veteran WBZ reporter said Pedro talked of being fed up with Fenway, saying he might flee when his contract is done. Wipe your weeping with $100 bills, Pete. You're a great talent, but a sensible attitude and total effort are expected all the time. Red Sox mates were irked when No.45 skipped home to the Caribbean between starts, instead of sticking around to support his team. Donaldson wrote that, upon Boston's elimination from the '02 race, Martinez said he was "shutting it down," skipping his final start. It's a pain in the gut, and elsewhere, hearing a pampered superbaby.
