Nigth after night, game after game, Barry Bonds comes up with the tying runs in scoring position or with a chance to hurt the other team in a myriad of ways.

What do you do if you are the opposing manager?

Walk him, let him hit and pray he doesn’t hit one out, hope he hits the ball at somebody who isn’t sitting in the bleachers?

Here’s what I think.Friday night Bonds came up against the A’s with a chance to get his team back into the game in the sixth inning.

The Athletics were leading 3-0. The Giants had runners on first and third none out, Tim Hudson on the mound.

Hudson had retired Bonds in his last at bat, but had given up a double to Barry in the first inning, although he had Bonds off balance on the swing.

Do you walk Bonds and load the bases with none out or take your chances that Hudson could keep Bonds in the park (after all Bonds is only the tying run and it’s the sixth, not the ninth inning)?

Art Howe showed nerve in allowing Hudson to go right after Bonds.

The manager’s bravado was rewarded as the slugger grounded into a twin killing with the run scoring.

Fast forward to the eighth inning. The A’s still lead the game 3-1. Hudson is in the dugout, now an interested spectator.

The Giants have Rich Aurilia on first with two out. Bonds strides to the plate.

Art Howe exercises his option and removes the screwballing righty Jim Mecir in favor of sidearming lefty Mike Venafro.

The A’s have won seven games in a row and are living the good baseabll life. Things are going their way right now.

Venafro doesn’t have overpowering stuff by any means.

Everyone in the park sat on the edge of their seats.

The manager could have walked Bonds, bringing up Jeff Kent. He could do that and still leave Mecir in the game.

Howe decided to take his chances with Bonds and tempt the baseball gods.

Submariner Chad Bradford was ready in the pen to face the next hitter Jeff Kent, if needed.

He will be needed.

Venafro got two quick strikes on Bonds. The crowd sighed in disbelief that this slight lefty was taming the mighty Casey, I mean Barry.

Two more pitches and the count reached 2-2. If Venafro was going after Bonds, Venafro would have to come in with his next delivery.

He was and he did.

Bonds uncoiled the swing that has destroyed the strategy of managers for two seasons.

The ball flew on a certain path towards the deepest part of right centerfield.

It was either going out of the park or would hit high up on the wall, 421 feet from home plate.

Aurilia ran easily, knowing he would either trot in on the homer or score standing up on the extra base hit.

The ball, much to Art Howe’s relief, struck the wall, bouncing crazily away form Terrence Long, who had no idea which way the carom would fly.

Venafro sighed as he backed up third.

Bonds was in with a stand up triple. Giants trail 3-2, with Kent coming up.

Here’s the dilemma Howe faced. Walk Bonds, putting the tying run on base. Or pitch to the most feared slugger of the last forty years with the game on the line.

I’ve seen this quandry play out countless times at Pac Bell Park.

More often than not, Bonds comes through with an extra base hit that prolongs the rally or actually hits a home run to either tie or win the game.

Manager’s are paid to win games, not entertain fans.

If it was up to the paying customers, Bonds would always be allowed to hit.

Hell, Roger Clemens under orders from Joe Torre walked Bonds repeatedly last weekend in New York and was booed, but his team won the game.

Here’s the kicker. Kent follows Bonds in the batting order.

Kent is hitting .277 with 8 homers and 34 RBI. His slugging average is roughly 1/2 of Bonds’ .825.

The answer: You are playing with dynamite every time you pitch to Bonds with the game on the line.

I’ve seen the best managers do it.

If you are going to lose the game, make Jeff Kent beat you, not Bonds.

It’s funny, before a series the opposition braintrust always says they will not let Bonds beat them if he has a chance.

Once the game starts and situations develop, they stray from that committment and pitch to Bonds nonetheless.

My advice: unless Sparky Lyle, one of the toughest lefthanded relievers of all time, is in your bull pen, I don’t care who you have today if it’s not Lyle, do not pitch to Barry Bonds if he can win or tie the game with one swing of the bat.

Move the tying run into scoring position with a walk to Bonds. Don’t go “right at him.”

I can’t wait to ask Art Howe today about his reasons for pitching to Bonds. I’m sure his decision was based on sound baseball fundamentals, but I am curious as to how he feels today about the Venafro- Bonds match up.

The A’s dodged a major bullet and won the game 3-2, Chad Bradford came in struck out Kent in rather easy fashion to end the threat.

Challenging Bonds is not the way to go.

He is unreal and all it takes is one swing to make you a believer.