It's Over for Barry Bonds, Yankees, Yogi Berra Says

"It ain't over until it's over," Yankees immortal Yogi Berra has often been quoted as saying, and for unemployed home run king Barry Bonds, it's over.

Berra -- special advisor adviser to the Yankees front office -- said Monday in comments to MLBnewsonline that any chance of Bonds signing with the team is dead.

"They're not going to do anything with it," the former Yankees catcher, coach and manager said flatly at the conclusion of National Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y. The returning 1972 Hall of Fame inductee dismissed any speculation to the contrary as "a lot of paper talk."

A confidential clubhouse source at the same said that the speculative signing of Bonds had been a subject under consideration at the urging of team Co-Chairman Hank Steinbrenner, but that it had been rejected largely after the team had weighed the terms of the deal.

Though the source last week said a proposed contract had been drafted, it could not be learned whether it had been tendered to Bonds or his agent Jeff Borris. General Manager Brian Cashman had earlier been reported in The New York Times as virtually confirming Borris had been contacted, saying without elaborating: "I would not say that I have not."

Borris had claimed Bonds was working out and would be ready to face major league pitching in 10 days.

Bonds has maintained his innocence as he he faces trial next March on federal charges of justice obstruction and lying to a grand jury about his alleged abuse of performance enhancing substances.

Bonds had been the subject of vague speculation that he was under consideration to be signed by the Red Sox and Diamondbacks, but had been directly confirmed as being up for discussion last week as Steinbrenner and the Yankees brain trust met in Tampa. But the idea was undermined shortly thereafter when the team traded prospects to acquire Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady.

A key impetus to sign Bonds in the first place had been that no prospects would be be given up to acquire him, as Bonds contract was not renewed last year by the Giants and he was unattached to any team.

Pointless to Sign Barry Bonds, Says Pete Rose

All-Time hit leader Pete Rose says free agent slugger Barry Bonds should be considered innocent of crimes until proven guilty and thus should not be prevented from playing baseball, but it would be pointless for the Yankees to sign him.

"He could play, but is he going to be effective?" asked Rose during a storefront autograph session coinciding with National Hall of Fame induction week in Cooperstown. "...I don't care what any body says, you need spring training and he's let it go on too long. When I played I needed two weeks just to get callouses on my hands."

Bonds is preparing to defend himself a federal indictment charging him with purjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a grand jury about performance enhancing drugs. Rose is seeking reinstatement to the major leagues after being banned for betting on the game, and has formerly served time for income tax discrepancies.

The three-time batting champ and all-time record holder with 4256 hits questioned whether Bonds would even have a position to play with the Yankees, and doubted whether the longtime National League veteran could make a dramatic switch to the American League as a designated hitter.

"It's a pinch hitter. That's what it is. You're asked to pinch hit four times in a single game, and that (kind of hitter) is a difficult breed," Rose said in an exclusive interview with MLBnewsonline.

Rose, 67 -- wearing a beige ostrich skin hat with matching cowboy boots -- scoffed at Bonds' agent Jeff Borris' claims that his 44-year-old client would be ready to face major league hitters in 10 days. "You just can't get ready that fast, as good as he is, at that age," Rose said.

Bonds has been the subject of speculation that he would sign with the Yankees, a rumor underscored by a recent MLBnewsonline report from a confidential clubhouse source that the team had drafted a proposed contract which would be offered to Bonds once injured right fielder Hideki Matsui is declared out for the season. Matsui is continuing to try to make a comeback and has put off season ending knee surgery.

Co-Chairman Hank Steinbrenner has since acknowledged that the Yankees front office has discussed signing Bonds. However, cryptic comments by General Manager Brian Cashman have been interpreted in some quarters as indicative that the proposition to sign Bonds is no longer on the table.

Rose considers Bonds one of the top five all-time greatest players along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, but contends he would be a superfluous addition to the Yankees as the team is playing well enough without him.

"You don't fix what ain't broke."

Cashman Won't Deny Talk to Barry Bonds' Agent

In an already widely quoted report in The New York Times -- the city's quaint left-wing alternative newspaper -- Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman in a cryptically circumspect response stopped short of saying he had not spoken to Jeff Borris, Barry Bonds' agent.

“I wouldn’t say I have not,” Cashman was quoted as saying with discernable hesitation. Then he added: "I don’t want to take this down the wrong path.”

Clearly, whatever Cashman intended to convey by his comment, he hardly could be expected to desire another rash of internet rumors that the Yankees are about to sign Bonds. And still -- even with the acquisition of outfielder Xavier Nady -- it cannot be altogether ruled out that Cashman yet would find room for the free agent home run king.

Has the team reversed course? Has another option been chosen? Is Bonds still on the table? It would seem one is left to draw the conclusion: Where there is smoke, there is more smoke.

Though the prospect of signing Bonds appears more and more remote, team Co-Chairman Hank Steinbrenner, after all, is on the record as having confirmed Bonds would be under consideration, whether briefly or not so briefly.

The key is that a confidential source already had intimated to MLBnewsonline that Cashman had his legal department draw up a proposed contract to have inked and ready for Bonds' signature once right fielder Hideki Matsui was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. It would be difficult to imagine that Cashman had that far without at least a cursory communication with Borris.

The main question remaining is, what does it all boil down to now? It would be a simple matter merely to deny any interest in Bonds, yet the team continues to stop short of so doing, even to the point of neither confirming or denying the speculation on the record when flatly confronted.

One thing for sure, if the Yankees fail to sign Bonds at this point, the whole matter must be filed under the topic: Anticlimax.

Xavier Nady Deal Clouds Barry Bonds Picture

The Yankees trade of four minor leaguers to acquire Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady appears to cloud the outlook for the team to acquire free agent home run king Barry Bonds, as a key impetus of the theoretical Bonds deal was to have been the avoidance of giving up prospects.

Though the Yankees had virtually confirmed a recent MLBnewsonline report that the Yankees were contemplating a contract for Bonds, it would appear that the Nady deal might have superseded other considerations, especially since the team traded away coveted young pitcher Ross Ohlendorf, plus additional prospects Jose Tabata, Phil Coke and another, unnamed minor leaguer, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman.

As a matter of course the consummation of the deal awaits a medical evaluation of all the players.

Nady -- in the midst of a career year with 13 homers and 57 RBI while hitting .330 -- bats right-handed, meaning that the Yankees still might want Bonds to hit from the left side of the plate. But just exactly what the team is up to now would be anyone's guess.

Before the deal had been reported, Co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed the team had been discussing Bonds, but indicated the former Giant was only one of a number of options, according to the Associated Press.

An inside source previously had told MLBnewsonline that a Bonds contract had been drafted, but that it would not be tendered until it became clear that right fielder Hideki Matsui would be out for the season. Matsui is still attempting to avoid season ending surgery, and will reach a crossroads in about one more week, according to various published reports.

In addition to Nady, the Yankees also will acquire reliever Damaso Marte from the Pirates.

Yankees Consider Barry Bonds, But Wait for Now

An unnamed participant emerged from a meeting of the Yankees heirarchy at Tampa late last night, telling The New York Daily News that free agent home run king Barry Bonds is being considered but that the team's top executives "aren't ready to jump on that."

The report followed an acknowledgement by team co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner before the meeting that Bonds -- currently facing a federal indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice -- would be discussed. But after the group broke up, the unnamed executive said Steinbrenner talked about Bonds but "wasn't pushing it," according to the News.

Because of the lateness of the meeting, the report made it only into the city edition.

In a report from a contributor writing under the pseudonym Bronx Bomber, a confidential clubhouse source told MLBnewsonline last week that a contract had been prepared in anticipation of offering it to Bonds, but that it would be withheld until it became clear that injured right fielder Hideki Matsui would miss the remainder of the season. The loss of Matsui would leave the team without a key left-handed hitter, a void Bonds likely could fill.

Matsui continues to put off making a decision on season-ending knee surgery, opting for rehabilitation. The Yankees, however, are bracing for the worst, the MLBnewsonline source has previously reported.

Others participating in the talks are co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner, president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman and special adviser and former general manager Gene Michael, ESPN said.

Jim 'Mudcat' Grant Likens Barry Bonds to Obama

Former two-time All Star and author Jim "Mudcat" Grant likens home run king Barry Bonds to a high profile politician, explaining that it is as though the former Giants slugger has become a target of mudslinging while standing for public office.

"He's like Barack Obama or John McCain or President Bush or anybody else," Grant, 73, said during his ongoing appearance in Cooperstown, N.Y. for weekend National Baseball Hall of Fame induction activities. "When you run for election you open yourself to all kinds of criticism, abuse and slander -- dirt really."

In an exclusive interview with MLBnewsonline, Grant asserted that Bonds is entitled to a constitutionally guaranteed presumption of innocence of charges that he lied before a federal grand jury. The public should not jump to conclusions, Grant said.

"Barry Bonds says what he says and he's willing to go to court to prove it, and I don't think we have a right to say what is going to be the outcome," Grant said. "When I played people had opinions and opinions were opinions, but nowadays everybody has an opinion and they think they are right. They don't look at it as an opinion anymore. They look at it as if they know what they are talking about."

Grant, who resides in Los Angeles, played for seven major league teams from 1958 to 1971, including a seven-year stint with the Indians. He is the author of "The Black Aces," a book about African American major league pitchers, and was a personal friend of Barry Bonds' father Bobby Bonds, who died in 2003.

"We all (should) think Barry Bonds is innocent; everybody's innocent until you're proven guilty," Grant said. "Barry has a right to defend himself."

Bonds -- currently under consideration to be signed by the Yankees -- is scheduled to go to trial in March on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, but has steadfastly denied knowingly taking steroids. Though he has 756 home runs to his credit, Bonds so far this season has found no takers for his services.

Yankees Discussing Barry Bonds, AP Reports

Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner -- in a statement possibly underscoring an exclusive report last week by MLBnewsonline -- has acknowledged that free agent home run king Barry Bonds will be among the subjects undertaken during a meeting of the team hierarchy in Tampa over the next few days.

"I'll mention it. We'll cover everything. No stone will be left unturned," Steinbrenner told the Associated Press in a report carried by ESPN.

Steinbrenner's statement could be interpreted as suggesting that this would be the first time the Yankees have considered signing Bonds. However, the aforementioned previous report by an MLBnewsonline contributor writing as " The Bronx Bomber" quoted a confidential clubhouse source saying that Bonds has been under consideration in recent days, and that a proposed contract was already being composed.

Before tendering the contract, the team was only waiting to see whether injured right fielder Hideki Matsui would be out for the season, the source said.

Others participating in the talks are co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner, president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman and special adviser and former general manager Gene Michael, the AP said.

Though majority partner George Steinbrenner resides in Tampa, there was no indication he would participate.

A team spokesman previously would neither confirm nor deny the MLBnewsonline report about Bonds, though it was generally ridiculed in legitimate media and across the blogosphere.

Matsui -- on the disabled list with a knee injury since June 23 -- is still attempting a rehabilitation regimen to see whether he can put off surgery until after the season. The surgery would likely sideline him until next spring or later.

Barry Bonds Deal Hinges on Hideki Matsui

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is in the process or has completed a proposed contract offer for free agent slugger Barry Bonds, an offer that hinges on the medical condition of left fielder Hideki Matsui, a confidential source within the Yankees organization told MLBnewsonline.com.

Having signed former Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson, the Yankees remain perhaps the most logical destination for Bonds, providing a left-handed bat once it is clear Matsui is out for the season, the source said.

"When you hear that Matsui is out for the season, that's when the contract will be offered to Bonds," the source said.

The Yankees would neither confirm nor deny the report. "We have no comment on any reports," team spokeman Michael Margolis told MLBnewsonline.com.

A number of other media outlets, however, cast considerable skepticism on the original report, including the New York Daily News:

"....There's no truth to a pinstriped pursuit of Bonds, according to a Yankee official, who said, "It's all nonsense."

The rumors even made their way down to Wall Street, the official said. The official had calls from friends who work there.

At the same time, Yahoo Sports quoted Bonds agent Jeff Borris saying, "I'm not in negotiations with the Yankees. I'm not in negotiations with anybody." While possibly true, the Borris comment would not necessarily be at variance with the facts as outlined by the confidential source.

Cashman favors signing Bonds to a 1-year deal with options not only because of his demonstrable skills from the left side of the plate, but because he comes without contractual obligation to another team, the source said.

Moreover, the Yankees would not have to give up prospects as trading chips, as the team would be forced to do to acquire other talent being shopped throughout the major leagues, the source said.

The Yankees were awaiting a decision from doctors as to whether Matsui would require surgery that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. The source said that the team had already braced for the worst, and that Bonds was the key option as a replacement.

Clarification on Barry Bonds' 'Talks' with Yankees

(See update, 7/18)

The Bronx Bomber's report that former Giants outfielder Barry Bonds is in contract negotiations with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman comes from a source within the Yankees organization, though not through conventional channels.

The variously reported denials eminating from the office of Bonds' agent Jeff Borris give us pause, but the world of free agent signings and negotations, historically being one of thrusts and parries, blocks and feints, cannot absolutely be taken at face value. There is no intent here to cast aspersion in Borris' direction. However, it is only logical that he would seek to deflect any notion that his client has a done deal with the Yankees rather than risk discouraging other suitors.

There is no reason to believe any news or speculation from this source has ever been wrong. The source has described what is tantamount to a news blackout imposed by the front office as a result of a longstanding edict from George Steinbrenner that absolutely no information from unofficial outlets will be tolerated.

Yet, within this isolated culture it is impossible to entirely forbid an exchange of knowledge which may or may not leak from the core of the club's inner sanctum.

MLBnewsonline.com publishes news and other confirmed facts, but also is a conduit for ephemeral rumors which may or may not pass the traditional authentication test that might be imposed by mainstream media. At this time, the Bronx Bomber's source has not backed away from his assertion, and until such time as that occurs we have no reason to retract it, even though it has created a good deal of healthy skepticism.

Further complicating the matter is Mr. Steinbrenner's edict that absolutely nothing should be permitted from unofficial sources under penalty of suspension or dismissal, and therefore no concrete denial can be anticipated from the Yankees.

Information has since been reported that the Yankees have a tentative deal in place with Richie Sexson. Still, as Sexson is a right-handed bat, the signing of Bonds, a lefty, would not necessarily be precluded. We expect an update within 24 to 48 hours and will not hasten to draw any other conclusion at this time except to say the report has yet to be debunked.

- Publisher, MLBnewsonline.com

Source: Bonds-Yankees Deal Imminent

(See New Update 7/18)

Embattled former Giants slugger Barry Bonds has entered into formal contract negotiations with the Yankees, and a consummation of the deal is anticipated forthwith, a confidential clubhouse source told MLBNewsOnline.com.

The incentive-laden deal, being hammered out between Bonds' agent Jeff Borris and general manager Brian Cashman, will well exceed the major league $200,000 minimum but has a number of protective clauses to isolate the Yankees' exposure to the possibility of Bonds missing time due to legal distractions or recurring injury, the source said. (And until he reports that Barry Bonds is climbing the Empire State Building and the Navy is dispatching biplanes, I'm sticking with my source.)

Cashman was reported to have arrived at the decision to sign Bonds during the All-Star break when he determined that the all-time home run leader would be needed to replace injured left fielder Hideki Matsui, who is out indefinely with a knee injury. Cashman was persuaded largely because the team will not have to sacrifice any coveted prospects who had been targeted by various other potential trading partners.


Bonds faces a perjury indictment but is not schedule for trial until March and Borris has assured the team that barring other unforeseen entanglements his client is unencumbered and ready to play.

Randy Wolf's Preference May Not Include New York

With pitchers CC Sabathia and Rich Hardin off the market, speculation has intensified that the Yankees and Mets will continue to press for the acquisition of lefty Randy Wolf from the Padres -- but Wolf may have a thing or two to say about that.


Though Wolf's 14-team no-trade clause is widely believed to leave both New York teams as a possibility, the Southern California native native has had diminished interest in pitching for an East Coast team since leaving the Phillies, having recently explained to MLB.com that he left guaranteed money on the table for the chance to pitch along the Pacific.

"I wanted to play here and I thought I would be a good fit here," Wolf was quoted as saying.

Wolf -- whose one-year $4.75 million contract expires at the end of this season -- was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, attended Pepperdine University in Malibu and owns a mansion in the Hollywood Hills not far from the home of former San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds.

Wolf indicated he would consider staying in San Diego, which is little more than a two-hour drive from his residence, depending on traffic.

Wolf currently owns a 6-8 record with a 4.38 ERA , and has notched 12 quality starts in 19 appearances. The Mets are also rumored to be interested in his services, but West Coast teams may discover they have an edge.

Thanks MLB.com

Headline:  "Dodgers not interested in Bonds." - MLB.com

Thanks for that piece of breaking news.  You people are so wise.

Nolan Ryan Blocked from Signing Barry Bonds

Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks has repeatedly defended his hiring of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as team president, insisting the former superstar pitcher will be much more than a figurehead, as he has been empowered to make all his own baseball decisions -- except one.

What if Ryan decides to sign embattled free agent Barry Bonds? "I might have to overrule him on that one," Hicks said to reporters trailing him as he walked from the field area last week at Rangers camp in Surprise, Ariz.

Though surveys indicate a narrow majority of Rangers fans would be agreeable to signing Bonds as designated hitter -- Hicks said flatly that Bonds would not be a welcome addition to the team and that no contract talks were under way. Asked about Ryan choosing to sign Bonds, the 6-foot-6 Texan said Ryan "would never do it."

Ryan, 61, has agreed to serve as team president through 2011, but remained at the Rangers executive offices in Arlington, Texas, last week until joining Hicks and General Manager Jon Daniels when the three watched games from Hicks' box next to the Rangers dugout.

Hicks' statement effectively closes one more door for Bonds, who has been rumored to be seeking playing opportunities not only in Texas but in Oakland, Baltimore and Japan. Not all observers agree, but many believe the former Giants slugger will be unable to find work.

Top 10 Reasons Bud Selig to Miss Homer Record

Top 10 reasons Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig will miss Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home run record:

10. TV Land broadcasting month-long marathon of "Diff'rent Strokes" reruns.

9. Pet cat Fluffy suffered separation anxiety during last trip out of town.

8. Staying up late every night to write foreward to final volume of Pete Rose's autobiographical trilogy entitled: "My Secret Life as Bart Giamatti's Bookie."

7. Can't break previous lube bay appointment at Oil Can Boyd's.

6. Once-and-for-all going to stay home and sort those mismatched socks.

5. Initiating drug enhancement regimen to hit "home run" with Mrs. Selig.

4. Dog ate my plane ticket.

3. Bingo night at the lodge.

2. Doing my bit to conserve precious natural resources.

1. Checking to see if true Astros playing a woman named Loretta in middle infield.