Saint -- I play my props at Olympic. Seems like the chance of Bonds getting a walk are very high. I'd jump on that prop.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Barry Bonds has already walked nearly 3 1/2 miles this season. He can expect a few more free trips to first during the opening round of the NL playoffs.
The Atlanta Braves have no intention of getting beat by the game's most dangerous hitter.
``I don't know if you pitch to Barry if you have Babe Ruth hitting behind him,'' said Tom Glavine, who will start Game 1 Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. ``He's that good of a player.''
For all Bonds' accomplishments -- 73 homers in a season, 613 in his career, an unprecedented four MVP awards and probably a fifth on the way -- he is 0-for-5 in the postseason.
With Pittsburgh in the early 1990s, his teams lost three straight years in the NL championship series -- twice to the Braves. Since coming to San Francisco, Bonds has been on the losing side twice in the opening round.
``I don't even talk about it around him,'' said Atlanta outfielder Gary Sheffield, a close friend of Bonds. ``I don't bring up that type of thing because I know that's the one thing he wants most, because I know where his passion is.''
Bonds has been at his worst during the postseason. He is hitting .196 in 97 at-bats, with only one homer and six RBIs.
Contrast that with Bonds' numbers this season: an NL-leading .370 average, 46 homers, 110 RBIs and major league records for walks (198) and on-base percentage (.582).
``I think he's learning how to deal with it,'' Sheffield said. ``He's not a loser. It's not that he can't come through in a big game. It's just that the ball doesn't always bounce your way.''
Bonds is keenly aware of his reputation for choking in the postseason. He desperately wants to stifle his critics. He even talked about it Monday night when he visited Sheffield.
``When you won the wild card, you didn't even seem happy,'' Sheffield told his friend.
``I don't care about that. I just want to win the World Series,'' Bonds replied.
The Giants slugger showed his prickly side Tuesday. Initially, he was scheduled to speak before the Giants worked out at Turner Field, but when asked whether he was coming to the interview room, he replied, ``Never.''
Sheffield had some run-ins with media and teammates during his career, but his reputation has improved noticeably during his first season with the Braves.
He said Bonds is misunderstood.
``Barry's a fun-loving guy,'' Sheffield said. ``A lot of things he does and says, he doesn't mean. People give him a bad rap. But if you come back at him, he respects you a little bit more.''
Bonds showed a more tender side when he visited Sheffield's home, getting his first look at the Atlanta player's 3-week-old son, Jadon. Bonds is the child's godfather.
``He wouldn't even let me hold my own kid,'' Sheffield said. ``He told him he was going to teach him to play baseball for real. Going to learn from a real baseball player, not like his old man.''
While Bonds brushed off most interview requests, he did lighten up a little bit when asked about trash-talking with the Sheffield's son.
``Am I a better player than he is? Am I? Am I?'' Bonds quipped. ``I am better!''
The Braves plan on giving Bonds plenty of respect, despite his postseason failings. He has dominated Atlanta during the last two regular two seasons, batting .500 with eight homers in just 34 at-bats.
Bonds has a .321 career average against Glavine and isn't much worse (.305) against Greg Maddux, who'll start Game 2 in the best-of-5 series Thursday night.
San Francisco hasn't won a postseason series since 1989. Manager Dusty Baker addressed that issue in a team meeting, telling his players to forget about the past. He hopes that message will get through to Bonds more than anybody.
``I noticed in those series there were a lot of fly balls, a lot of pop-ups, so perhaps he was trying to do too much,'' Baker said. ``He may have been trying to hit a home run one every pitch.''
The Braves, who won the NL East by 19 games, are lugging their own baggage into the postseason. Despite winning 11 straight division titles, Atlanta has only one World Series championship.
``I don't think we should have to defend that,'' Glavine said. ``Certainly, we are disappointed that we don't have more world championships. But that certainly doesn't take away from the success we've had.''
