Just above the seats out in center field, a plaque with the number 756 and Bonds' name that stood about 5 feet tall occupied the brick wall. But a few days ago many people had noticed that the sign was gone, leaving many to question whether or not the Giants were just trying to erase their past of Barry Bonds all together.
But Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter commented that the sign had in fact been stolen (somehow.) "We're in the process of replacing it," Slaughter said. "We're not sure what happened. We're reviewing video, but haven't found anything yet."
I'm not really sure how a ballpark with multiple cameras that operate 24 hours a day can't capture somebody stealing a 5 foot sign with a giant 756 on it. But maybe it's harder than it sounds, because it sounds incredibly easy to catch somebody doing this. Or the Giants just aren't that interested in persecuting whoever did this and they'd rather get a new sign.
But this whole case brings up an interesting point: Barry Bonds isn't very relevant around AT&T Park. The only sign is this one, and its been stolen but San Francisco doesn't seem too eager to replace it. Bonds isn't only one of the greatest Giant players, but as far as statistics go one of the greatest to play baseball, ever. He hit his record breaking 756 home run at AT&T Park, won 7 MVP's, appeared in 14 all-star games, and is an 8-time Gold Glove winner. Yet there aren't any exhibits showcasing his legacy at the park. The Giants haven't even retired the home run king's number.
It's pretty obvious why this is. Bonds has been linked to steroids multiple times and ended up going to trial for it. In his last few seasons fans were booing him at home and throwing syringes at him. When he hit number 756, America didn't know whether to celebrate the moment in history or pretend it didn't happen. It was always expected that if anyone broke Hank Aaron's record, It would be one of those moments in history where everybody would remember where they were when it happened. I can say that I don't have any recollection of it, and it's really sad what the steroid era has done to baseball.
