1991 Baseball called for a lot of things – unmeasurable home runs, creative haircuts and some ridiculous outbursts. It was Spring Training in 1991 and the reigning NL MVP – Barry Bonds was coming off of a season that resembled one of current MLB Star – Mike Trout. Bonds tallied a .301 Batting Average, 33 HRs, 104 Runs, 114 RBIs, 52 SBs and a .970 OPS.
It was a historic season and Bonds was far from pleased about his contractual situation and it showed vividly. The 26-Year Old Star didn’t come to Spring Training with any effort and it was noticeable throughout the organization. Bonds had made it an obvious point to go through drills non-chalent, was disrespectful to coaches and had just shown up an assistant coach and former Pittsburgh Pirates Manager – Bill Virdon.
As it goes back then as it does now, Jim Leyland is possibly one of the toughest men to ever wear shoes. Managing Barry Bonds had never been a walk in the park, but as Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Leyland had every right to call out Bonds. The two personalities consistently clashed until Bonds’ exodus to San Francisco after the 1992 season.
Leyland was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1996, won two Manager of the Year awards with the Pirates in 1990 and 1992 and developed All-Stars such as Barry Bonds, Tim Wakefield, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla in Pittsburgh before a fire sale in the mid-90s soured him with new ownership. During his tenure, the Pirates went to the NLCS in three straight seasons – 1990, 1991 and 1992. You get the picture, the guy was as much of a winner then as he is now (Yes, we know that he has retired). The bullet points speak for themselves, you listen to a guy with that pedigree whether you are coming off of a NL MVP Season or if you are a FNG.
This information has gone under the radar throughout the years, however the Pittsburgh Pirates actually pulled out of a trade which would have sent Barry Bonds to the Atlanta Braves nine months prior to his contract expiration in 1992. The deal was done: Barry Bonds for Pitcher – Alejandro Pena, Keith Mitchell and a Player To Be Named Later. At the final hour, Manager – Jim Leyland caught word of the situation and flew into the front office causing a scene beyond explanation. After that, Pittsburgh pulled out and there went that. Atlanta was confident that in receiving Bonds they would have signed him to a long-term deal. Imagine Atlanta with Bonds and the three-headed monster of a pitching staff. Baseball history truly changed from one outburst and a last minute phone call negating a deal.
Before we get anymore side-tracked … Whether it was Leyland wanting more out of Bonds, expecting him to set an example or simply just his fiery personality shining through, we recommend watching a rare piece of baseball footage that you probably have never set your eyes on. In other words, hit play and watch Jim Leyland rip into Barry Bonds and use more f-bombs than Joe Pesci did in the movie Casino. Enjoy!
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