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CNN Live Saturday

San Francisco Slugger Barry Bonds Chases McGwire's Home Run Mark

Aired June 23, 2001 - 16:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds is also making headlines. He leads the major leagues with 38 home runs; a record prior to the All Star Break. Is he chasing Mark McGwire's single season record of 70 homers?

CNN/"Sports Illustrated"'s Ozzie Smith sits down with Bonds for a rare one-on-one talk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OZZIE SMITH, CNN/SI CORRESPONDENT: At 37, you're supposed to be slowing down. Last year you hit 49 home runs. This year, you're on a pace to break Mark McGwire's single season home run record. First of all, do you want the record? Secondly, is it possible? And third, what is it going to take to accomplish that feat?

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS OUTFIELDER: OK, first question, no, I do not want the record. The reason -- second of all, I want his ring. Not his ring, my own ring, World Series ring. That's what I play for, Ozzie.

That's Mark's record. He's a lot bigger and stronger than all of us, as you know. The thing is, with all the balls I hit, Ozzie, I have to hit them. I don't mis-hit. Maybe I get lucky if we're in Denver or someplace like that where you can mis-hit, but I have to hit them.

Mark hits a ball, it goes 550 feet. That's up there somewhere, you know. He mis-hits a ball, it goes 402 feet, which is still past the yellow line that's still a home run.

SMITH: But what do you account for this thing lasting so long?

BONDS: I can't explain it, Ozzie. I tried to figure it out on my own. No one wants to talk to me. My godfather, Willie, won't talk to me; my dad won't talk to me; my friends don't want to talk to me. You know, it's the loneliest thing I've ever gone through in my entire life. My wife says, whatever, just go play.

I think my kids -- my daughter is the only one -- my middle daughter, Shakari (ph), is the one who says you can do it daddy, and she's always giving home run tips. You know, put your hands up high. If I don't get a hit or hit a home run, your hands are too low. Get your hands up. Get your hands up.

JON MILLER, ESPN COMMENTATOR: Deep to right field, number 500; it's in the water!

BONDS: Right now, I'm so mentally drained at times, I go home, I sleep all day, my hands are sore, I just -- my brain is just -- I used to have to take Nyquil to go to sleep. I will kill Nyquil right now. I can lay down at any point in time and I'm knocked out.

SMITH: Is that like from the adrenaline high and stuff that you're getting as you're going through this thing here?

BONDS: I think so. You know, Ozzie I'm going to tell you something and I've only told only one other person and I know I'm on camera so everybody else is going to hear it, too: I have never been in my lifetime -- and you know how much love I have for you and the respect I have for you and the way you were able to pick up things.

I've never been able to refocus this fast in my whole entire lifetime and career. I've always felt if I got out of focus, it's going to come back here and there and I think maybe I'd take a little bit for granted and said, OK, I'm going to slump. Forget it, no big deal. But right now, if I miss a ball, I can replay the same exact time that I hit that same ball out of the ballpark and it's like something just went in my head and I can sit on the bench and I can sit there and I can remember it. I couldn't -- you know, I never made a point to remember everything.

SMITH: Well, talk about some of the things that maybe you did in the off-season that can address the power surge.

BONDS: You know, I've always had power, Ozzie. I have 500 home runs, so I've always had power. I'm not Hank Aaron, because I'll never hit 750 home runs, but Hank never hit 50 home runs in his career. He's always been 30, 40 consistently throughout his career. So I've always been like -- I've always felt I'm the Hank Aaron type of home run hitter, but I'm the all-around player like my godfather, in a way, too, as well.

SMITH: Barry, would you talk to Mark McGwire about what the pressure was like coming down the stretch or Sammy Sosa, for that matter?

BONDS: My think about Mark, I would talk to Mark is how do you feel when you're not winning or you're not in first place? How do you enjoy something when everyone else around you is not enjoying anything? You know, I don't want to separate myself from my teammates. That's the hardest thing for me right now.

SMITH: Let's talk about your volatility a little bit with the media.

BONDS: I think I can handle them better, a little bit better than I could then because it was...

SMITH: Then when you were younger? BONDS: Than when I was younger, yes, because it like when you're on top, they love you. Then when you're not on top, they don't like you and I couldn't understand it. How could you come at me and say, oh, you're cool and the next minute, Barry did this, and I'm like this is the same person I sat in my locker that just wrote one thing and now he's writing something -- you know, you take it to heart. I think you take it to heart.

I don't take it personally anymore. I think when I got married to my wife, I think that changed me. My wife is probably one of the neatest ladies I've ever met in my entire life. I love her from the bottom of my heart.

SMITH: I know her, too, and she's too good for you.

(LAUGHTER)

BONDS: You're right. You know that song, I don't know why you got me, baby?

SMITH: You seem to be more at peace with yourself now.

BONDS: I think it comes with age and maturity, Ozzie. When you're young, you're trying to find out who you are as a person and then you have all these vultures at the same time. They're all nice to you at the beginning. You know how it is. Everybody wants -- oh, I can make you this.

SMITH: Do you remember what I told you? Do you remember what I told you? What did I tell you?

BONDS: I don't remember everything. You told me so much in my lifetime about keeping my head on straight, about preparing myself the way I'm supposed to, about carrying myself like a gentleman; you know, remember those that are truly faithful to you, because those are the ones that are going to tell you the truth. I think when I secured my family's life is when peace came to me because, I think, I don't need baseball anymore.

SMITH: You don't?

BONDS: I need it for myself, but my family is fine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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