European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday november 22, 1992 sports the stars and stripes Page 29market drives Bonds into real estate by George Vecsey the new York times this was during the National league championships in Atlanta last month. A Man got into a taxi and the Driver said he had just taken Barry Bonds out to a Swanky suburb where Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown the singers make their Home. Bonds had not been indulging in some afternoon Star gazing either he had been talking to real estate agents. Well it beats spending All Day at the movies or bumping into the four Walls of a hotel room. But this was More than an afternoon diversion for Barry Bonds. He has been investigating the real estate Market in some of America s major cities. A i sold my House in Pittsburgh already a Bonds said wednesday Only minutes after he was named the National league most valuable player for the second time in three years. He won those awards for the Pittsburgh pirates but he will win no More in that town because Bonds coolly told the world Bonds wednesday that he was Long gone from that Gritty old steel town. A i love that club a Bonds said. A i love Leyland. Everybody knows that. In a not a Crystal Baller but the pirates had their chances. Six and a half years. They had their because the pirates could not match the Money in North americans biggest television markets their most valuable player is gone. This is the Way it works in the Days of free agencies. It is fair for the talented players j involved but it is cold nevertheless. Bonds admitted last evening that he had embarked on other House Hunting jaunts not Only in Atlanta but in Chicago and new York. He a from Southern California so he did no to need to Check out the Region where television Money Falls off the Trees like so much Citrus fruit. Come to think of it what part of new York did he visit a Connecticut a Bonds said. A a it a the closest place to Yankee stadium on the somebody on the mass Telephone press conference noted that most Yankees tend to live in new Jersey and Bonds replied that Connecticut a was the Only place my Friend took Atlanta still sounds like the front runner if we can judge by the Friendly body language during the National league series. Around the batting Cage Bonds jostled with some of the braves like Deion Sanders and David Justice and Terry Pendleton his major Competition for the map. Baseball players Are mostly one big brotherhood and usually find ways to communicate even with anti fraternization rules on the books. But this was beyond the Norm. This was a Man giving some clues that he was outta Here. While All this was happening the pirates were currently involved in a championship series with the braves. Bonds Wasny to deliberately dogging it by any Means. He was in terrible pain when for the third straight year he could not dominate the league series. He had done what he could for the pirates with a powerful september Rush creating a .311 batting average and 34 Home runs and 103 runs batted in and a third . East title. For Good reasons the voting for the map award must be posted on the last Day of the regular season and that worked out for Bonds once again. Bonds had slumped badly in the l to and 1091 league series and this year he seemed to remind his teammates of his frustrations by telling them a a in la get you to the playoffs. Now you be got to get me through them and ill see we win the world it did no to work that Way. Bonds worried face and anxious lunges at Home plate established a pattern Early in the series. He started to make Contact and the pirates carried a 2-0 Lead into the seventh and final game but the braves scored three runs to win the Pennant. A i wish wed won the world series a Bonds said wednesday As if Jim Leyland were still his manager As if Pittsburgh were still his Home. He will prove his value to the pirates by defecting by taking the Legal Freedom to go for the big Bucks. Bonilla went to the acts last season so Bonds departure will leave the pirates with Only Andy Van Slyck left from the Best Outfield in the major leagues just one year ago. It Isnit As sad for Bonds As it is for the town that has been in the major leagues for All of this Century. The pirates cannot compete with a dozen other television markets so they lose an map. Baseball could combat some of this inequity by sharing its Cable television income or instituting a salary Cap. But that would require the owners to think of themselves As having common interests which clearly is beyond them. That leaves the spectacle of Bonds holding his celebratory press conference wednesday not in the offices of the pirates but in the Beverly Hills office of Dennis Gilbert the agent who will negotiate his new contract with some new team. Then the House Hunting can resume. Barry Bonds will be Able to afford a Good neighbourhood. Excitement whiffs on Low Ball draft by John Eisenberg the Baltimore Sun the Best moments of tuesdays expansion draft easy no question were when esp Cut to those bewildered fans in Denver and Miami standing around with Blank expressions after their clubs latest selections were announced. The Cable network was hoping for some excitement in baseball a newest hometowns. The Aba and drafts can get loud for at least a. Few seconds when a team picks a hot player and some fans gathered in a ballroom Start hollering and putting hog snouts on each other. But this time the Rockies and marlins spent their big Day perfecting the Art of the obscure draft pick and the fans gathered in Joe Robbie stadium and a Denver convention Center just became More confused and depressed As the selections drifted Between unspectacular unknown and unbelievably useless. A did they say Dennis Martinez All right Man Dennis Martinez awesome a a no i think they said Jose Martinez. Cah. I done to know him do you a Quot in a not sure. I done to think so. But maybe Dennis real name is Jose. You Wmk something like a yeah maybe poor people. They wanted Jack Morris and Danny Tartabull they got Doug Bochtler and Pat Rapp. Or is it Patt rap of had to feel for them. 1 hese people had waited forever put their season ticket Money in escrow gone to the exhibition games and cheered jumped through All the hoops. Then on the Day they were finally Able to assign some takes to their figment they had to Coront the first Law of being a baseball Tan your owner is always going to spend 1 1 t less Money than you think he to. 7 my Clark alright Jack Clark a no they said Jerald a Jerald Clark who she Isnit he a Boxer or something a a i done to know. I think he a a Pitcher. we be clapping a of course they were wrong to carry any expectations. This was an expansion draft. But it had a tease. Some top players were unprotected because of their salaries. Had the Rockies or marlins been willing to foot a $30 million payroll they could have had a Good team. Maybe a contender. Such As this lineup 1 Steve sax 2b, 2 Shawon Dunston is 3 George Bell of 4 Danny Tartabull of 5 Eddie Murray in 6 Matt Nokes a 7 Charlie Hayes 3b, 8 Junior Felix of. With Morris Bruce Hurst and Bob Welch in the rotation and Lee Smith closing. Not a bad bal club although admittedly a somewhat Grumpy one. Anyway both teams turned Down just about All of this proven Talent and drafted for a the future a which Means Young and cheap. It made the front offices look smart. Building with prospects is the Way to do it. Certainly a team picking All those veterans would have nothing to show for it in five years and a team picking prospects would. Or at least might. But sorry its All just a Little too Earnest for me this time. A a who a Ryan Hawblitzel Quot a just shut spending expansion picks on prospects does no to make As much sense As doing it in a regular draft. If you take a Bunch of double a players no matter How talented you re Lucky if half reach the majors with maybe one or two becoming starters. The percentage of attrition is High. And that Means a lot of tuesdays picks were wasted. The truth is that Many of these prospects will not go far. A few have Talent such As David Nied but most have holes. You will notice their sex teams were so excited about them that they did no to mind unloading them. Pima Florida Marlin fans hoping their team had drafted Perfec game Dennis Martinez above from Montreal got new York Melsa minor leaguer Jose Martinez instead. So instead of wasting picks Why not Start out with a Nied or two then take a Tartabull and Dunston and a few More names create a Little excitement and establish a foundation its not going to take that Long to build a contender in the sad no East. And the new teams Are still going to wind up getting their Best prospects from the regular draft anyway. The Rockies and marlins said they went Young but what they mostly went was cheap. Particularly the Rockies whose payroll will be just $4 million. And this Young business is a myth. A lot More picks were spent on former prospects than current ones. A i counted Only nine players 22 or younger among 72 picks a one executive said. A it was meanwhile a respectable team could have been built a for a average major league payroll. To the Fine fans in Denver and Miami Welcome to the big. And now you know its their Money not yours. A Andres Berumen a a a in a going to get the
