Barry Bond’s Formative Years

Michael Williams

Barry Lamar Bonds was born on July 24, 1964. Form the very start, Bonds had an excellent athletic pedigree. Barry’s father was Bobby Bonds, the baseball All-Star, and his godfather was Willie Mays, the Hall of Famer and Bobby’s teammate.

Because of the influence of his father and godfather, Barry Bonds grew up with baseball on his mind. Some of Bond’s earliest memories are of his dad and Mays giving him baseball advice. With their help, he soon blossomed into an excellent ballplayer.

Both Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays poured some of their expertise into shaping the mind of the young Bonds. They not only gave him little tips to improve his game, but they also motivated him to work harder then everyone else. They pushed him to the limit, challenging him to do better each time. Barry recalls that he had push-up contests with this brother – whoever won got more ice cream.

Since the beginning, Bobby Bonds was the foremost supporter of his son’s talents. Even after he had become a well-known, nationally-recognized athlete, he would come to watch Barry’s Little League games.
The older Bobby, so as not to draw away attention from his son, would watch the game from within his parked car. He knew that if he tried to watch from the stands, all the attention would be on him.

These days, Barry Bonds overshadows his father’s achievements, but it is no understatement to say that the elder Bonds had a positive effect on Barry’s life. Without Bobby Bonds, Barry would certainly not be the player that he is today.