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Bonds Finally Gets His Number Retired

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San Francisco, CA – Almost eleven years after Barry Bonds retired, the Giants finally retired his number (25).  In a lavish and unforgettable ceremony, the best player the franchise ever saw took his final bow in front of a sellout crowd.  Wearing his #25 jersey Bonds trotted out on the field for one last time.

The Giants spared no expense, a one-hour ceremony wasn’t enough time to relive an amazing 22 year career.  Also fitting that San Francisco chose to honor Bonds during their homestead against the Pittsburg Pirates.  Bond began his baseball career with Pittsburg in 1986.  For only the 10th time in the franchise’s history, the Giants are retiring another jersey.  Bonds historic career with the ball club began from 1993-2007.  

Bonds won seven National League MVP awards, eight Golden Glove awards and was a 14-time All-Star.  He holds Major Leagues Baseball’s all-time record for home runs (762) and walks (2,558).  The best power hitter in baseball was no match for anyone during his time.  San Francisco’s current manager Bruce Bochy shared his memories of Bonds.

“A lot of good memories of Barry,” Bochy said.  “He saw the game in a different way.  Over 700 home runs was just incredible.  He was the guy you talked about, he was the guy you walked with the bases loaded.  No one was handled as carefully as Barry was ever.  You look at the intentional walks and that’s how good he was.  That was the deal, don’t let Barry beat ya.”

Photo by William Hammons

In a magical celebration at AT&T park, the Giants brought back some of the greatest players to honor Bonds tonight.  Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and Willie McCovey.  Dusty Baker and Jim Leyland, Bonds former managers shared some kind words as well as Mays. 

“Without question he is the best player I ever managed in my 22 years as a major league skipper,” said Leyland. “Let all of us be thankful that we had the opportunity to see one of the greatest players that’s ever lived for so many years.”

“When people talk about, ‘Oh, who’s the best ballplayer in the world?’  I don’t care,” said Mays.  “I played my 20 years, 22 years, whatever it might be.  Give somebody honor, that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame is a type of fraternity that, when you get there, you’ll say, ‘Man, how did I get here?’  And I want him to have that honor be something that happens to him.”

“Vote this guy in!” Mays added.

Photo by William Hammons

It was an incredible sendoff that Bonds deserved.  The emotion was overwhelming for the retired player as he thanked his family, teammates, former managers, executives, friends and the fans.  Bonds got teary eyed when thanking his father, not knowing why he was so hard on him in his younger years but now understanding what it took to blaze a trail of greatness as he did in baseball.

“I am overwhelmed with emotions as the reality of this day sets in,” Bonds said.  “This may come as a surprise to a lot of people, but as a child I didn’t even want to play baseball.  I wanted to play all sports — basketball, football, ride my bike, all the things that kids do.  But once my mom signed me up.  I got my first taste of what would be my lifelong passion.”  

“I always questioned why he was sympathetic to others, while I was out there working my butt off,” Bonds remembered of hid late father (Bobby Bonds).  “Every time I’d say something like, ‘Hey, Dad, I hit two home runs today.’ He would say, ‘Good. Hit two more tomorrow.  Doesn’t seem fitting to be here without my dad,” said Bonds wiping tears from his eyes.

“Thank you San Francisco, thank you for making all my dreams come true,”

Baker who was Bonds former manager from 1993-2002 was also a close friend of Bonds late father.  Baker brought some laughter as he remembered Bonds working in the wee hours before everyone got to the ballpark but also recalled Bonds often times sleeping when others took Batting Practice because he was too tired from working out early in the morning.  Baker’s words were heart felt when he took a walk down memory lane reminiscing about the days when he played baseball in Riverside, CA with the older Bonds.

“I thought Bobby Bonds was the greatest prep-school athlete I had ever seen in my life until one day Bobby Bonds told me that ‘my son is going to be greater than me,'” said Baker.  “I couldn’t see that at the time, because I hadn’t seen Barry play much before he went to [Arizona State].  But he told me, my son — and I told Barry this — is more dedicated and works harder than he did, and Bobby was right.”

Bonds still hopes to one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame despite the unexpected ending to his career.  Until the time comes he’llalways have the remarkable memory of the phenomenal sendoff the Giants gave him.  Bonds had an undeniable, exceptional career, his story won’t end here tonight.  Great players like Bonds don’t fade away, their memory lives on and who knows maybe one day we’ll see him in Cooperstown.  

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

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Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

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Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

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Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).
Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.comScout.comRivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

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“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.

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