The PostGame

Oooookaaaaaay…apparently the Washington Wild Things, a minor league team in the independent Frontier League with a stadium near Pittsburgh, have made an official offer to Barry Bonds for the princely salary of $1,200 per month.

According to ESPN.com’s report on the matter,

There are extras, though: The Wild Things are offering a 50-50 share on merchandise sales and a pledge to find a host family for Bonds so he doesn’t have to rent an apartment in this southwestern Pennsylvania city.

On the road, Bonds would get a king-sized single room, a major perk on the minor-league level.

“Many of the great ones eventually return to where their careers began,” general manager Ross Vecchio said Tuesday. “Babe Ruth began his career with the Red Sox and then finished it with the Boston Braves. Willie Mays started with the New York Giants and finished with the Mets. Hank Aaron began and ended his career in Milwaukee.”

Bonds made about $16 million last season playing for the San Francisco Giants and is up for free agency this winter after the Giants expressed no interest in resigning him. Although he turned 43 in July, the slugger still cranked out 28 home runs and posted a .480 OBP in 2007. He is a mere 65 hits short of 3,000 for his career.

It’s widely expected that, due to his history of knee problems, Bonds will sign with an American League team and live out the rest of his professional career making a comfortable living as a designated hitter.

This offer made me really respect the owner of this random tiny minor league team. It’s like he held up the proverbial middle finger to Bonds and stated, “Even though you’re the all-time home run king, I think you deserve less salary than an average arc-welder.” He must have known that the chances Bonds would come play for him are about the same as the chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Cancún at high noon, but, by God, he made the offer anyway.

Obviously Bonds would rather retire than play in the minors. He doesn’t have to resort to selling himself out and humiliating himself for a little extra cash; he isn’t José Canseco.

^ Bonds did have one thing in common with Canseco…hmm…what was it again? Was it rampant illegal steroid use that undermined the foundation of my favorite sport? Yeah, maybe that was it.