By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

It was a warm night in San Francisco, something that will make Mark Twain

very itchy. . It was exactly at 9:25 PM PDT

when #25 came to the plate in the

bottom of the sixth inning against young

righthander Kip Wells. Bonds used his

maple bat…the count was 2 balls and

1 strike, then….A 2 balls 1 strike fastball down a little

bit inside but good enough for Barry

Bonds to join what might be the most

exclusive club in all of Sports,the 600-800

Homerun club. Hank Aaron(755)

Babe Ruth(714),Willie Mays(660).

It was a pleasure for me to be present

at the historic night at Pac Bell Park and

call the Homerun , a line-drive that

sailed over the centerfield fence and

landed behind-to-the-right of a TV

camera 421 feet from Homeplate.

I remember other situations,hits and misses

I have seen and called over Spanish

radio. In 1987 a young firstbaseman

for the Oakland Athletics hit his #49

and lead the American League. That was

towards the end of the season and

49 HR for Rookie Big Mac(McGwire) was

the most by an American League player

since Harmon Killebrew’s 49 Homeruns

with the Twins in 1969 (in 18 years).

I was at the microphone for LBC

Network(US & Latinamerica over 400

station-network)for the NLCS extra

inning spectacular at Shea Stadium

New York, when Mets Robin Ventura

won the game against the Mets with

a Grandslam, that later was ruled a

game-winning single,because Ventura

in the middle of the celebration never

reached second base. I was also at

the microphone in 1986 World Series

with the CBS Hispanic Radio Network

with veteran announcer Juan Vené

(now in New York) when a groundball

from Mookie Wilson went right through

the legs of Red Sox firstbaseman

Bill Buckner. That might have been

the play that at the end gave the 1986

World Series to the Mets. The Canseco

40-40 season was unique and a first.

And I have also worked/called a few

World Series when the A’S were involved.

And how can I forget a cripple Kirk

Gibson hitting the ball “over the head and

fence”of José Canseco from an Eckersley

pitch in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium

to give the Dodgers a dramatic win over

the A’S in the 1988 World Series.After

that it was all downhill for the A’S in that

World Series. I have never seen the

famous L.A. fans with their gold chains,

beach balls and suntans so excited.

Even more than when O.J driving his

white Bronco was been chased by the

L.A. police Department all over the

famous L.A. freeways.

But this shot by Barry at this time in

the history of the game with all the

problems,contraction and negative

talk inside the most beautiful Sport

man has ever invented, might have

been the best “pick-me-up”and warning

to a Sport in serious trouble.

The Barry Bonds 600 Homerun at

Pac Bell Park in San Francisco on

Friday the 9th of August 2002, was

a blast to remember for a man that

at the time of this column is just

155 Homeruns away from catching

Hank Aaron’s 755 HR record. Bonds

says he cannot reach that plateau,

but It was just last season that he

reached #500 and finished an

amazing season (one of the very

best in history,for any player in

any era)with 73 HR, the current season

record.

So, he might not ever get the chance to

play in a World Series, but like him or

not, we are living in Barry’s world and

watching one of the greatest of all

time.On that night at Pac Bell Park

in the middle of thousands of people

(41,897)and thousands of cameras

flashing everytime Barry came to

the plate all was right with the world.

Nobody was talking baseball strike,

the Stock Market, Iraq, the rising number

of murders in Oakland, any girl abductions

or another President in trouble in

Colombia. This was baseball at its

best. This is the way the gods of baseball

intended it to be,one man with one bat

hitting one ball over one fence for #600.

Oh yes ! Final score of that historic night?

Pirates 4 Giants 3. But how many of the

41,897 present will remember the final

score? The truth is that we all love a hero,

baseball might be the ultimate team

sport, but there is nothing comparable

to a man that can hit the ball as hard and

as far as Mr. Bonds. It is quite an

spectacle. Bonds family(including his

father Bobby a great Giant himself)were

all present)Willie Mays “The Godfather”

was there also,as well as representatives

from the office of Major League Baseball.

The man that caught the 600 Homerun ball

in centerfield was Jay Arsenault,a 36

year old fan from Vacaville. He had a

bloody face when he emerged from

the pile of humans on top of him trying

to get the prized souvenir. This was

something that my partner on the

broadcast, Erwin Higueros,saw and

mentioned as Bonds and the Giants

were having a Fiesta on the field.

For those that admit Barry is one of the

10 greatest players of all-time, but

cannot stand Barry for many reasons,

all I can say, this reporter never really

liked Bonds attitude and I have seen

many things with the Giants and Bonds

home and on the road that I didn’t

like. However, some of the “all timers”

in this business, like Harry Jupiter a

retired baseball writer in San Francisco

told me Ted Williams was also a tough

person to deal with. Even Joe DiMaggio

wasn’t a “walk in the park:.

So, let’s get real now. Barry Bonds should

be admired by his job as a baseball

player not by his personality or by

the color of his skin or because he is

arrogant or because he is a jerk.

Frank Sinatra was called all that and

then some, but a couple of years ago

he was selected as the #1 crooner

of the XX Century. And Sinatra even

forgot the lirics to the National Anthem

prior to a game at Dodger Stadium.

But he sang and entertained millions for

over 50 years. Barry Bonds is also

an entertainer and the 41,897 this night

at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco should

also understand that.

Finally. Barry Bonds said after the game

that it was a real thrill to hit the #600

in front of over 41,000 of “my friends”.

If that is the case, he has more friends

that I think.

And after the end of the 2002 season

that he might finish with 45 to 50

Homeruns all Bonds will need is

to play 3 more years and average

around 52 per season to catch

The Hammer. Hey Bonds…you

can rest the hamstring for 5 1/2

months and report to Scottsdale

for Spring Training by mid-March.

You still have time.

————————————————————–

Amaury Pi-González is on his eight season

as Spanish Radio Play by Play Announcer

for the San Francisco Giants over

KZSF 1370 AM”La Caliente”. Previously

for 17 season Play by Play for the Oakland

Athletics. Works the Postseason for

LBC Spanish Network and Fox Sports

International as well as the Caribbean

World Series. His columns are also

on www.latinobaseball.com as well

as bilingual newspapers accross the

country. Amaury is Vice President of

the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum,

a non-profit organization founded in

San Francisco in 199.