Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Giants: Barry Bonds arrived Wednesday, said he might not decide until next winter whether to play in 2007 and made it clear he wants to remain with San Francisco if he does extend his career. "San Francisco is my home. That's the love of my life right there," Bonds said. "The fans there, the people there, everything about it is just great for me. Thinking that there could be a possibility, just hypothetically, to go somewhere else and DH or something like that, I really don't want to think about that at this time right now. I know I can swing a bat. I take a lot of pride to be on that field and stay in this uniform."
Yankees: Owner George Steinbrenner predicted his team's five-year World Series drought will end this October. "We're going to win it this year," he said. "We're going after it." Steinbrenner walked into the manager's office while Joe Torre was talking with reporters. When a reporter asked, "Who is the best owner in the majors?" Torre pointed at Steinbrenner. "Who's the best manager in the majors?" Steinbrenner then said, before pointing to Torre. Steinbrenner then sat down on a sofa and listened to the rest of Torre's daily media session. "I can't do much to teach him anything, but I'm just there so he knows he's got my support," Steinbrenner later said.
Braves: Chipper Jones was missing something when he reported to spring training -- nearly 20 pounds. Jones said his weight dropped from 228 to 210 while he had stomach flu. "If I turn sideways, I disappear until I stick my tongue out," he joked. Jones' belt, which fit last season, was hanging loosely when he got dressed before the Atlanta Braves' first full-squad workout. "I'm looking to put back on seven or eight pounds," he said.
Blue Jays: Center fielder Vernon Wells probably will miss the first round of the World Baseball Classic because of a left leg injury. Wells, who won his second straight Gold Glove last season, is among 30 players on the U.S. roster for the tournament, scheduled for March 3-20. "He tweaked his quad a couple of days ago lifting," manager John Gibbons said. "He'll have to take it easy for a week, two weeks. He still has plenty of time to get ready."
Rangers: Outfielder David Dellucci decided not to play for the Italian national team. "I'm not going," he said. "I'm 100 percent Italian and my family makes a trip there once a year. That made it a tough decision. This year we've made a lot of additions here and there is a lot of excitement about the direction we're headed. I just want to be here from the beginning."
Cubs: Right-hander Mark Prior could be pitching off a mound by the end of the week. Prior has had elbow problems during the past two spring trainings. "I think we're going to a pretty extensive throwing program Friday and see how he reacts on Saturday, and go from there," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "There's a good chance he'll get on the mound Sunday, but if he feels real good, we might venture that on Friday. But we'll see." Right-handers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller played catch, throwing about 120 feet. "It's been impressive to where they are up to now," Rothschild said. "They're throwing the ball with pretty good force behind it. It's not so much what they can do today, but can they feel like they can do it again tomorrow? That's the basis we pretty much use to go forward." Chicago is optimistic Prior can start in one of the first exhibition games in early March. The Cubs hope Wood can be ready to pitch in big league games in April and that Miller can be available by May.
Associated Press