Thursday night was a night of honoring Negro League legends as MLB traveled to Rickwood Field in Alabama, where many of the league’s pre-integration stars showed off their skills.
But while Barry Bonds and others were on the trip to honor the Negro League stars of the past, he made it clear he still outshone them.
Before the Cardinals took on the Giants, a discussion panel that included modern MLB legends like Derek Jeter, Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., David Ortiz and the godson of the recently deceased Willie Mays spoke about the importance of Rickwood and the MLB’s presence, but they also talked about how they would play against the Negro League legends.
Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter asked Bonds specifically how he would approach an at-bat against Negro League great Satchel Paige.
Bones’ answer did not disappoint.
“Me?! Gone,” he said. “You’ve gone mad, Jeter. Gone. Simple as that. Gone. Read it on ESPN.
“I have to believe in myself. If I don’t believe in myself, who is going to believe in me?”
DEREK JETER: Tell me right now, what would you do with Satchel Paige?
Barry Bonds: Me?! No more. You’ve lost your mind, Jeter. No more!
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/CbKycyDyM3
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 20, 2024
Ken Griffey Jr. in particular seemed amazed by Bonds’ bravery.
“I’m gonna drag bunt,” Griffey said, “and run to first base.”
Bonds and his 762 home runs and other hitting feats are well known. Mind you, Paige was way ahead of his time. He was rumored to have regularly thrown the ball at 100-105 mph. Even more impressive is how Paige maintained that dominance throughout his career. Paige broke into the Negro Leagues in 1927 at age 20. He had a 2.39 ERA that season. Over two decades later, in his first year in the MLB with what was then the Cleveland Indians, Paige nearly matched his 1927 ERA with a 2.48 ERA.
And he did it against an MLB rival.
Bonds has been rightly accused of taking steroids, but before he gained 40 pounds and started hitting the ball so fast it reached Mars, he was an All-Star and an MVP and MVP candidate nearly every year of his career.
Either way, Bonds isn’t lacking in confidence.
