Barry Bonds Voted Into Bay Area Sports Hall Of Fame; Remains Hopeful For Cooperstown
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Baseball's home run king and former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, whose induction into baseball's Hall of Fame has been denied by the voting sportswriters, has been elected into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
In his first year on the ballot, Bonds was the highest vote-getter among those included in the BASHOF class of 2015: his former Giants manager Dusty Baker, former Golden State Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, skier Jonny Moseley, and golfer Roger Maltbie.
"It's great. Being a Bay Area guy, it's awesome. It's wonderful," Bonds told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The BASHOF is a nonprofit organization that calls itself a "hall without a hall;" aside from recognizing local sports figures it main purpose it to raise funds for Bay Area youth sports programs.
BASHOF inductees receive a bronze plaque of their likeness at the annual awards banquet, which is then featured at the United Airlines terminal at SFO International Airport before being placed permanently at the stadium, university or other location where the inductee made his or her mark.
For several years, Bonds and other players tainted by steroid accusations such as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have been snubbed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, whose members vote on Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame candidates.
The Serra High School graduate told the San Francisco Chronicle he remains positive about getting eventually elected to the hallowed hall in Cooperstown, New York. "I believe eventually the right thing will be done," Bonds told the Chronicle.
"I don't even compare the two. I'm from here in the Bay Area. This is my home. This is my pride and joy," said Bonds.
The Giants said over the weekend that Bonds would assist the team as a hitting instructor once again, possibly expanding on his spring training role with the team last year.
Bonds has also tutored suspended New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and former Giant and current Washington National infielder Kevin Frandsen.