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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Mel Antonen

Aired August 10, 2002 - 09:34   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Joining the ranks of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds makes another milestone and makes his way right into the history books and the to 600 Club.
Joining us on the telephone is "USA Today"'s Mel Antonen.

This is exactly what the doctor ordered, at least as it applies to baseball, isn't it, Mel?

MEL ANTONEN, "USA TODAY": This is a very exciting, history- making moment. I'm happy for Barry Bonds, I'm happy for baseball. And the fact that, you know, it's just such a glorious event, the fact that he reached 600. It doesn't happen very often, 31 years ago was the last time.

WHITFIELD: Which is hard to believe, but I suppose a lot of players feel like if there was someone who was going to make that mark 31 years later, it was going to be a Barry Bonds.

ANTONEN: Well, yes, you know, two years ago, or three years ago, Barry Bonds was not considered one of the elite home run hitters in baseball. He was a high average hitter who was a good runner. In the last couple of years, you know, last year he hit 73 home runs, he vaulted into this position. And now he has the chance to chance Hank Aaron, you know, his all-time record is 755.

WHITFIELD: Was that his intent, to become this, you know, well- respected slugger, particularly from the past couple years, and, you know, follow his godfather, Willie Mays's footsteps?

ANTONEN: Well, I don't know if it was his intent, but he's always been one of the best players in baseball, and I think you can make an argument now that he was one of the best players in the history of the game.

His goal is to win a World Series championship. He hasn't done that yet. So I think the World Series championship means more to him than a home run record. He's got four more years to win a World Series championship. He's signed through 2006. So, you know, he's age 38, time is running out.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And seeing how much this excited fans, I mean, we saw a piece earlier, and perhaps you even saw the pictures of how people were scrapping over that baseball. Perhaps, do you suppose, with a threatening strike now, will Barry Bonds making it into the 600 Club, do you suppose, give the owners or perhaps even the players' union some pause?

ANTONEN: I hope so. I hope they appreciate how much events, players and home runs like last night mean to the fans. If you take this type of excitement away from the game and away from the fans, they've done it so much, it's really going to be a public relations nightmare if they do it again. They're trying to negotiate now over the weekend. They're a long way apart on a lot of key issues.

So we'll just have to wait and see. But I think if you see the excitement in what a home run and what a pennant chase can do, you would hope the owners and players would realize that a work stoppage would be dreadful.

WHITFIELD: Later on, in a month in San Francisco, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron will all be honored during a service there. Do you suppose it's going to be a pretty emotional ceremony for Barry Bonds, it'll finally sink in, if it hasn't already this morning?

ANTONEN: I think it will. Can you imagine hitting 600 home runs and joining your godfather and your idol, Willie Mays,in one of baseball's most elite clubs? The home run is -- you know, the 600 home run club, there's only four in the history. One, you know, one since -- we've been playing baseball for a century, and there's only been four guys to do it. So Barry Bonds got to be very excited this morning.

WHITFIELD: How awesome. All right, thank you very much, Mel Antonen, good to talk to you again, from "USA Today" this morning. Thanks a lot.

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