Barry Bonds' Wall of Fame celebration cake had everyone talking
Saturday was a big day for Barry Bonds. After being welcomed back into the San Francisco Giants organization as an adviser following years of strained and tense relations, baseball’s all-time home run leader was honored with a spot on the club’s Wall of Fame.
Bonds, who smashed 762 home runs over his storied but controversial career, including 586 over 15 seasons with San Francisco, became the 49th player to receive this special honor from the Giants. Now his plaque will be displayed on AT&T Park’s brick wall that faces King Street, while his legacy with the franchise should finally be considered secure.
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That’s definitely a moment worth celebrating, and that’s exactly what Bonds and his family did on Friday night.
Like any good celebration, Bonds’ celebration included cake. But this wasn’t any old congratulatory cake. This was a Barry Bonds congratulatory cake, complete with what could easily be confused as a Hall of Fame plaque design.
Great dinner with family and friends last night. Love you. #familyfirst
A post shared by Barry L Bonds (@blbonds25) on Jul 8, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT
As rich a story as that would have been, many keen observers were quick to point out the differences between that plaque and the plaques on display in Cooperstown.
For example, take a look at Ken Griffey Jr.’s Hall of Fame plaque.
As many of those same people suggested, and as the Giants later confirmed, it was actually Bonds’ Wall of Fame plaque.
7 NL MVP Awards
8 Gold Glove Awards
14 All-Star Selections
762 Home Runs
2,558 Walks
1 New Wall of Fame Plaque#BondsWOF | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/auc7NuokGm— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) July 8, 2017
That’s not nearly as controversial because it actually pertains to this honor. Had he been sending a subtle message to the Hall of Fame, well, that would have been something we could all sink our teeth into.
Who knows, this may actually be the highest honor Bonds receives in his post-playing career. That’s because allegations connecting him to performance-enhancing drugs have effectively blocked his path to Cooperstown, and despite his reconciliation in San Francisco it appears he won’t be given a similar reprieve by the Hall of Fame voters.
Maybe that will change over time, but for now anyway let’s just allow Barry Bonds this one cool moment and his well-deserved piece of cake.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
