“Emotional, Exuberant, Alive”: Top Barry Bonds Performance Once Resulted in Rare Praise From an Unlikely Source

For the MLB world, Barry Bonds is a name that is pictured as tough, rigid, and emotionless. It is because his conservative personality has limited his interaction with the world. And put him in the category of a ‘loner’ with a small circle of friends, and even with them he failed to connect on many occasions. Not only this, but it also limited his interaction in the clubhouse, creating a scenario that Bonds is not playing with the team but alone. Though all this may not be true.

There were many occasions when Bonds shared his emotions like any other individual. And whenever it happened, it brought people around him closer. The book, Barry Bonds: A Biography (Baseball’s All-Time Greatest Hitters) shares one story that made one of his teammates give him unlikely praise.

When Barry Bonds Let His Emotions Flow

When it comes to raw power, there is perhaps no better player than Barry Bonds. He was a leader and could change the results single-handedly. And because of it, his presence on the team was much bigger. But the only problem was that, after the success, Bonds was on his own. And even after winning, he seemed emotionless. But it all changed after San Francisco won the NL Western Division pennant.

On pages 59-60 of the book, the author, John Bloom explains this change. It reads, “Jeff Kent praised Bonds’ performance. Barry’s been a big part of this all year. You don’t hit 40 homers and drive in 100 runs without being a big
part of it. It just can’t happen.”

As Kent was a competitive rival of Bonds, his praise meant a change. And that was the case. Bloom writes, “The last month of the season, Bonds was emotional, exuberant, alive. Nobody knows what took so long, and the Giants are simply glad it happened. The distance from the field to the top of the dugout isn’t much, but when Bonds made the trip, he traveled a long way. Suddenly, he was not aloof. Suddenly, he was giving the people what they’ve been waiting for—emotion, excitement, a sense that he is one of them.”

It was a welcome change as Bonds opened himself and showed his rare side to his teammates. It also revealed how much Bonds cared for the team. But it was not the only instance where he fought for his crew.

When Bonds Showed Phil Plantier His Giants Spirit

Barry Bonds was a man of his word who respected his teams all his career. He defended them even during the off-season. The same happened during a practice session when he played with the Giants.

Read More:- Rare ‘Nice’ Side of Barry Bonds Once Shone Through With a Surprise $500 Gesture

The slugger encountered a small problem in the form of Padres outfielder Phil Plantier. Plantier was in the batting cage inside Scottsdale Stadium and Bonds wanted him to leave. But he did not respond well enough. It angered Bonds, who confronted Plantier, which later became a talking point in the clubhouse. And his aggression helped him win over his teammates, who appreciated his act for the team.

Maybe he wasn’t the robot everyone always made him out to be!

Watch This Story: From Unforeseen Beginnings to Unstoppable Greatness – The Story of Barry Bonds