After a "long and rocky hiatus," Barry Bonds and the Giants reunited yesterday with the "announcement that the home-run king has been named a special adviser to the CEO," according to a front-page piece by John Shea of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Bonds will report to President & CEO Larry Baer, "at least technically." The move "opens the door for things that didn’t seem possible when Bonds last had a job in the organization as a player" in '07, when he was "under investigation in the BALCO steroids case." Bonds "always was welcomed by AT&T Park fans," but he "wasn’t fully acknowledged." Though Bonds "helped revitalize the franchise in the ’90s" leading up to the ballpark's groundbreaking, "you wouldn’t know it by walking around the place." There is "very little in the way of reminders that Bonds hit 586 of his record 762 homers as a Giant." But Shea writes, "That will change." A ceremony "will be held this season to include Bonds on the team’s Wall of Fame, and his number ... will be retired at a later date" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/22). USA TODAY's Sam Boeck notes Bonds has "made appearances at AT&T Park for playoff and opening-day festivities over the years, but was not directly involved with the organization until a weeklong stint as a special instructor at spring training" in March '14. His role will be "only a bit more formal this time" (USA TODAY, 3/22). In San Jose, Andrew Baggarly writes Bonds' relationship with the Giants had been "contentious" and his return "took years to negotiate." Baer said of adding Bonds, "Down the line, we’ll plan for other things. It’s not like this is a one-year deal to see how this goes. It’ll be for a long time" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/22).
ON THE MOVE? In Arizona, Joshua Bowling reports the Giants "could move their year-round training operations from Scottsdale to Phoenix." A March '16 letter from Scottsdale to Phoenix city officials "opened the door to explore the Giants' use of the training fields near Phoenix Municipal Stadium on the Scottsdale-Phoenix border as a new training facility." But even if the Giants "take over the Phoenix facility, the ball club’s spring training presence will remain rooted at Scottsdale Stadium, where the team has played" since '84 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/22).
