Barry Bonds
Full Name: Barry Lamar Bonds
Birthdate: July 24, 1964
Birthplace: Riverside, California, USA
Occupation: Major League Baseball Player
Profile: Holds the Major League Baseball home run record with 762
and the single-season Major League record for home runs with 73 (set in 2001).
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_bonds
Number of Quotes: 61
All you guys lied. All of you guys said that I went in there and said I wanted to be a
celebrity. All of you guys are going to say I'm a horrible person, anyway, so why does it matter?
Speaking to reporters, expressing his frustration and sense of being misrepresented by the media.
And like I said, after I retire, I'll have a lot more time to—to do things with you guys,
and—and I'll have a lot more time to—to, you know, to—to be more open with you guys.
From a 2004 press conference, showing a rare, more conciliatory and reflective side toward the media.
As an athlete, you only have so much time. The window only has so much time and then it closes. You have to take care of yourself the best you can.
Baseball is a lot like life. It's a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in both.
Baseball is just my job.
But to be the best, you must face the best. And to overcome your fear, you must deal with the best.
Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.
Everybody's going to write what they want to write. I can't control that. I can only control what I do on the field.
Everyone in society should be a role model, not only for their own self-respect, but for respect from others.
I am a great player. Now, I want to be a Hall of Famer. I want to be a great Hall of Famer.
I could learn how to press Record
on a tape recorder and write for a newspaper or a magazine.
I don't know. I'm not a tape recorder. I don't remember everything.
His frequent response during his 2003 grand jury testimony regarding the BALCO scandal when asked about specific details.
I don't know. I'm not an expert. I'm a baseball player.
Another common refrain from his grand jury testimony, distancing himself from knowledge of specific substances.
I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention.
Another response from his grand jury testimony, highlighting his evasive strategy.
I don't know what my future is.
I don't know what you guys say, but at home, life is way different from baseball.
I don't think you can ever be a complete ballplayer without that World Series ring.
Expressing his desire to win a championship, a goal he never achieved.
I don't want to be a Major League coach.
I have a chef who makes sure that I'm getting the right amounts of carbs, proteins and fats throughout the day to keep me at my max performance level.
I have never seen anything. I have never seen any records. And if I have, I don't remember.
Regarding allegations and documents about his alleged steroid use.
I hit it off the scoreboard? I thought I hit it in the water.
After hitting a massive home run, showcasing his confidence and power.
I just clear my mind, like I'm in a fog. I don't hear anything. I don't see anything. I'm just looking for that little ball.
I keep telling you guys, I'm not trying to hit home runs. I'm trying to get a pitch I can hit hard.
I like to be against the odds. I'm not afraid to be lonely at the top. With me, it's just the satisfaction of the game. Just performance.
I love California. I'm a California kid. I was raised here. I love the weather. I love the people.
I love the game of baseball. I love the history of it. I respect the history of it.
I never stop looking for things to try and make myself better.
I think everyone needs to be a role model, period.
I think some of the pressure comes from the expectations of other people. Like if your father
played baseball, they expect you to be the big lifesaver or something when you play a sport.
I want to be part of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame, but I don't want to be
part of the kind of Hall of Fame that's based on voters' beliefs and assumptions.
I was a momma's boy. I didn't get anything from Dad, except my body and baseball knowledge. The only time I spent with him was at the ballpark.
I was born to hit a baseball. I can hit a baseball.
I'd like to help educate kids about the Major Leagues - what to anticipate, what to expect, what they'll need to do to prepare themselves.
I'm a very private person. My life story isn't for everybody.
I'm an expert in baseball and I don't even have a job. I'm an expert, more so than a lot of people out
there. It should be my career until I'm dead. I should be one of the instructors. I think I've earned it.
I'm going to go back to the Bay Area, this is my thing, and I'm just going to open my own
school of baseball. Find a facility, find a place and just teach kids. That's what I want to do.
I'm not afraid to be lonely at the top.
I'm not trying to be Babe Ruth. I'm not trying to be
Henry Aaron. I'm just trying to be Barry Bonds.
I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just trying to get dressed and get out of here.
A typical response to reporters in the locker room, illustrating his often-strained relationship with the media.
It's called talent. I just have it. I can't explain it. You either have it or you don't.
It's not the name that makes the player. It's the player.
Let them investigate. Let them. I have no concern about it.
His public stance during the federal investigation into BALCO.
Making the Hall of Fame, would it be something that's gratifying because of what I've sacrificed? Sure.
Baseball has been a big part of our lives. We've sacrificed our bodies. It's the way we made our living.
My career is an open book, but my life is not.
My father is my hero. Everything I am, and everything I've become, is because of him.
Speaking about his father, former MLB star Bobby Bonds.
My godfather was a great man. You don't let anyone tarnish that.
Referring to Willie Mays and defending him from criticism.
Nobody is going to put more pressure on me than I put on myself.
So, what are you going to do now? You wanted me to jump rope? I'm not a horse. I don't do tricks.
A defiant remark to reporters after hitting his 71st and 72nd home runs in 2001, responding to their constant demands.
The boos really motivate me to make something happen.
(variant:
Those boos really motivate me to make something happen.
)
The only thing that matters is winning. All the individual stuff is nice, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't win.
The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
A quote often attributed to Hank Aaron that Bonds has
repeated, reflecting his hitting philosophy.
There is nothing better than walking out and hitting a home run.
There's not too many rich black people in this world.
This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, besides dealing with the media.
Said during his pursuit of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, highlighting his contentious relationship with the press.
This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period.
Spoken after breaking Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball all-time home-run record
with his 756th career homer amid rampant speculation that he has used steroids.
Those boos really motivate me to make something happen.
When I finish playing, I think I'd like to coach college baseball.
When you're a baseball player, you're a baseball player. That's what you do. That's what you love.
You can't script this. It's unbelievable.
After hitting his 756th career home run to break Hank Aaron's record in 2007.
You wanted me to say it, so I'll say it: I'm Barry Bonds,
and I'm the best hitter in the world.
Young players need to know how to take care of themselves for life after baseball.
Last on Earth
