Barry Bonds gets Hall of Fame call in Bay Area

Even while the baseball world turned on Barry Bonds, he remained mostly beloved in the Bay Area.

So it should come as no surprise that despite the challenges Bonds faces when it comes to getting into Cooperstown, he was a first ballot choice for the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Bonds is one of five inductees in the class of 2015, which also includes his longtime manager Dusty Baker. 

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Bonds, 50, Major League Baseball’s career home run leader and a seven-time National League Most Valuable Player, was an overwhelming choice for the Bay Area hall. In his first year on the BASHOF ballot, he received more votes than any other candidate. 

“It’s great. Being a Bay Area guy, it’s awesome. It’s wonderful,” said Bonds of his selection. “I’m from here in the Bay Area. This is my home. This is my pride and joy.”

Of course, due to his longstanding connection to PEDs, the National Baseball Hall of Fame hasn’t been quite as welcoming. 2015 was Bonds’ third year on the ballot and he received just 36.8% of the vote, a far cry from the 75% required for election. However, he remains hopeful that one of these years he’ll get the call.

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“I believe eventually the right thing will be done,” said Bonds.

Most recently Bonds was revealed to be working out with Alex Rodriguez and the Giants are expecting he will reprise, and perhaps expand, his role as a hitting instructor at spring training. 

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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr