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Often called unappreciated and perhaps underrated, Giants left fielder Barry Bonds further cemented his place in history as one of the greatest players of all time by joining the elite 500 home run club Tuesday night at Pacific Bell Park. He is the fourth Giant in the 17-member fraternity founded by Babe Ruth. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the certain Hall of Famer pounded a 2-0 fastball from reliever Terry Adams into a portion of the San Francisco Bay known as McCovey Cove over the right-field wall. It gave the Giants a 3-2 lead in the game. As he saw the ball soar over the wall, Bonds jumped up twice and raised his arms in triumph as he began his trot around the bases. Arriving at home plate, Bonds hugged teammate Rich Aurilia and made his way toward the dugout before joining his wife, father Bobby Bonds, godfather Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and other family members behind home plate for a brief ceremony. Bonds took a microphone and spoke to the sold-out crowd. "First of all, I gotta thank my parents for having me. I want to thank Willie Mays for being here, and Willie McCovey. Most of all, thanks to all of you; I love you and I'm proud to be in a San Francisco Giants uniform." After the game, Bonds said the feeling as he watched the home run was "indescribable." "I can't even tell you what I was feeling," Bonds said. "It was just the perfect moment. It seemed like the ball was frozen in air. For a second, I couldn't believe I hit it. It seemed like the fans and everyone here, we all did it together." "It's a heck of a feat, a tremendous feat," said manager Dusty Baker, whose day off for Bonds the previous week kicked him out of an 0-for-21 slump and into a career-best five-game homer streak that culminated with No. 500. "It's up there" on the list of great baseball moments he's witnessed, noted Baker, who was in the on-deck circle when Hank Aaron hit his record 715th home run. "It's right near the top. I made one mistake, and I won't make this mistake again: When he hit No. 400 in Florida, I mistakenly gave the lineup card to Chris Speier's son, Justin, because that was his first appearance in the big leagues, and his dad was a former Giant and I remember he was a batboy here. I was excited for him, but after I gave it to him, someone said, 'Barry didn't want it?' I said, 'Oh shoot, I already marked it up and everything.' So I won't make that mistake again." Fittingly, Bonds' history-making bomb came with the retired numbers of three other 500-homer hitters looking down upon him, and two in attendance (Mays with 660 homers and McCovey with 521) at the post-homer ceremony that featured fireworks and the unveiling of a commemorative banner on the left-field wall. "This is a history night," said Mays of his godson. "It's not a night for individuals; it's a night for the Giants. It's about the history of the Giants and where we stand at. I think we're right there with anybody. We got four guys at the 500 mark, and that's tremendous." Mel Ott, currently 15th with 511 homers, is the third Giant in the vaunted circle of long-ball hitters and became the first National Leaguer to join the list in 1945. The Giants are the only team with four players who have hit 500 home runs; the Yankees are second with three: Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle. Flash bulbs exploded with every pitch to Bonds in hopes of capturing the memorable blast. Fans jockeyed for position in the outfield bleachers and atop the right field Arcade, while boats and all manner of watercraft circled in McCovey Cove, in case the long ball became Bonds' seventh Splash Hit. "When I touched him [after he rounded the bases], he was still shaking," said Mays. "That tells me that he now realizes what history is all about." The Giants will honor the nine-time All-Star on "Barry Bonds Day," July 1 against the Cardinals and Mark McGwire, the only other active member of the 500 home run club. Averaging 33 homers a year for his career and 40 a season with San Francisco, Bonds stands a good chance of passing seven other players on the all-time list this season, including McCovey, Ott, Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx. Having seen all 324 of Bonds' homers as a Giant, which places him fourth on the franchise's all-time list, is Baker ever in awe of the superstar's exploits? "Sometimes. After a while, you just accept that that's him. It's not like when I was with Hank [Aaron] and I was 23 years old. Now I'm 50, so I look at things in a little different light now. I probably will [marvel at it] when it's over and I retire and he retires. It's like when you watch your kid, you don't realize your kid's growing. I left on a 10-day road trip and then I told my wife how big he's gotten. When you look at them every day, you don't realize how they're growing." "Barry's a great player," said former Pirates teammate and current Cardinal Bobby Bonilla, whom Bonds counts as one of his best friends. "It's a huge milestone. Huge. ... He was one of the best ballplayers I ever played with, no question about that." Bonds cracked No. 300 off former teammate John Burkett in 1996, who was then a member of the Florida Marlins. With that shot, he become the fourth player in the 300 homer/300 stolen base club, joining Mays, father Bobby Bonds and Andre Dawson. No. 400, struck two years later while visiting the Marlins (off Kirt Ojala), made him the founding member of the 400/400 club. Bonds needs 28 stolen bases to become the charter member of the 500/500 class. "I knew it wouldn't be the last one he hit," said Burkett. "He's a great player." "Barry would be the No. 1 pick if I had a team," he added. "I think he's gotten a bad rap as a lazy player. He works as hard as anyone out there." By knocking his 500th homer at home, Bonds provided a treat that no San Francisco fan had experienced before; both Mays and McCovey recorded their hallmark long ball on the road, Mays in 1965 at Houston and McCovey in 1978 at Atlanta. Adams joined an exclusive, if ignominious club that includes former San Francisco stars Juan Marichal and Mike McCormick -- men who served up homer No. 500. Marichal ushered Eddie Mathews into the club in 1967, while McCormick -- exactly one year later -- served up Hank Aaron's 500th. Bonds' first long ball came June 4, 1986, at Atlanta off Braves pitcher Craig McMurtry, while Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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