Barry Bonds is back in a Giants uniform as a spring training instructor and Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com writes that “his every word was met with rapt attention” from players.
For instance, outfielder Michael Morse got some tutoring on his swing and afterward told Baggarly:
Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? The guy’s amazing. To have Barry Bonds watching me hit? I can cross that off my bucket list.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford also gave Bonds’ tutoring positive reviews and got a rare glimpse at the seven-time MVPs current swing:
Looks the same. Swing looks good. He claims he hasn’t swung a bat in six years. ... Everything that I heard him talk about this morning is keeping your swing as simple as possible, and he explains it in the simplest ways.
And last but not least, a story about Giants minor leaguers Nick Noonan and Roger Kieschnick meeting Bonds:
Bonds watched them take BP in their own group and offered constant comments as they shuffled in and out of the cage. They got so carried away that they had to hustle back into the clubhouse and run to catch the bus to play the Reds at Goodyear. They would’ve missed it if a car hadn’t been illegally parked and blocking the driveway.
Something to consider next time you read a column about Bonds being a universally despised monster.