ESPN paying a high price for this piece of Bonds history

After all the stories and columns, we still can’t figure out the Why:

It’s a stumper: ESPN is taking a beating for its Barry Bonds show, and losing money on it, too.

When we first called ESPN about “Bonds on Bonds” in January, before the series was public knowledge, its media relations staff was already trying to downplay the pay-for-access idea involving the controversial San Francisco Giants star.

ESPN knew that the $4.5 million deal with Tollin/Robbins Productions would result in bad press because T/R was essentially going to relay money to Bonds and also give Bonds editorial control. That didn’t stop them.

Still, even if many did not agree journalistically with the decision, one could look beyond that because ESPN is a business, so the show would produce great ratings and money, right?

ESPN officials, however, anticipated only average ratings. The 0.4 rating for the opening episode of “Bonds on Bonds” on April 4 was the same mark ESPN2 usually gets in that Tuesday 8 p.m. ET slot. Meanwhile, John Walsh, ESPN’s executive editor, revealed after the show’s premiere that ESPN would lose money on the deal.

“You are getting an unfiltered view of him, which, for us, is a legitimate piece of the man’s recorded history,” said Walsh, who added that he didn’t know how much money ESPN would lose.

So ESPN is suffering a black eye for its news division (whether perceived or real, it doesn’t matter) and losing money so Bonds’ recorded history can include his conflicted thoughts on being Bonds?

Does that make sense?

NEW GAMES FOR TIRICO: When ABC/ESPN’s Mike Tirico switched agents before the new year, his thoughts were on golf. Tirico had no hard feelings toward his agent of nearly a decade, Headline Media’s Michael Glantz, but he felt that IMG Media’s Barry Frank and Sandy Montag would be a better fit because of the uncertainty with golf at ABC/ESPN.

“I thought if something comes along the line that is related to golf, I would certainly have a better chance of staying involved with the sport because of my IMG representation,” Tirico said.

While ABC/ESPN has said goodbye to the PGA Tour, Tirico is going nowhere. Instead, since moving to IMG, he has become the voice of “Monday Night Football” and the No. 2 play-by-play voice on the NBA.

“It is complete irony,” Tirico said.

Was Tirico really thinking hard about leaving ABC/ESPN?

“I wasn’t looking to be on the first bus out of town, but you have to be smart in this business and you have to keep your options open,” Tirico said. “I just thought because I have become associated with golf over the last decade that [IMG] was the best fit for my talents at this point.”

NETWORK INITIATION: SportsNet New York has been rudely welcomed to New York by its cable competitors. SNY, which is jointly owned by the New York Mets, Comcast and Time Warner, has started slowly, with problems at times, including just staying on the air.

While SNY’s woes have been highlighted in New York sports media columns, they also have become a regular topic on WFAN-AM’s “Mike & the Mad Dog” show. The show is simulcast on YES, the New York Yankees’ network.

Meanwhile, MSG Network, which is now without baseball because of the two team-owned networks, spent a little less than $10,000 for the ad space behind home plate for all of spring training in Jupiter, Fla.’s Roger Dean Stadium, which houses the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins. The MSG ads were omnipresent on SNY’s Mets’ exhibition broadcasts from Jupiter, as if to say, “Welcome to New York, boys.”

The MSG ads also appeared on YES and ESPN telecasts.

Andrew Marchand covers sports media for the New York Post.