Anyone have room for the all-time home run king?

Baseball Betting Lines

02/27/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We are now two weeks into spring training, and all-time home run king Barry Bonds is still looking for a job.

There have been a few nibbles, but nothing seems to suggest that Bonds will be showing up in a major league camp anytime soon. Heck, his agent has even floated Japan as a possibility if something can't be worked out over here.

While I am not sure how viable an option that is, it just goes to show you that the interest is clearly not there in the majors.

From a pure baseball standpoint, Bonds can help a team...well, an American League team, anyway. Despite missing nearly 40 games last year, Bonds hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats. Even at the age of 43, there are still few figures, if any, who are more intimidating at the plate than Bonds.

But we all know there is much more to it than that. Not only do you get the media circus that is certain to follow Bonds, but there is that pesky little perjury indictment hanging over his head. Not to mention that he could potentially rip apart a clubhouse with his charming personality. And without a bat in his hands, Bonds is about as useful as a third armpit.

Other than that, he would be a welcome addition to any club.

The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly kicking around the idea of signing Bonds. I guess it makes sense for them, to a degree. He will sell tickets, that is for sure, and in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of empty seats inside of Tropicana Field, where the Rays averaged just 17,148 fans last year.

By all accounts, though, Tampa is a team that could be on the rise thanks to young players such as Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, and Evan Longoria. There is an abundance of wealth in their farm system as well.

Do you really want to bring Bonds in and disrupt all that? Chances are Tampa is still a few years away, and when they do start winning, Bonds will be long gone.

Is one year of ticket sales worth all the extra nonsense that may come with it? Absolutely. Potential only goes so far. You have to bring the fans in first, and Bonds will do that.

I don't think Bonds' ego would let him sign in a place like Tampa anyway, so its all probably a moot point. But he may have no other options.

If he was smart, Bonds would sign with any team that agrees to take him. Tampa, Florida, Minnesota, St. Louis, wherever. Go and be a good little soldier for a few months, do and say the right things and most importantly, stay healthy.

If you do that, some contender in the AL will trade for you at the deadline. Can't you just picture Bonds in Yankee pinstripes? I can't believe that hasn't happened yet, to be honest.

Let's be real here. Bonds' days in the field are numbered. He can't move around out there on a daily basis and expect to stay healthy. His knees just can't take it. The National League really can't be an option. He has to sign in the AL and be a designated hitter.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim always made the most sense to me. Vladimir Guerrero has been begging for a big bat to protect him, and they don't get much bigger than that of Bonds. But Angels' owner Arte Moreno just hasn't showed any interest.

Obviously, the perjury and obstruction trial is weighing on a lot of team's collective minds, but that whole process is moving along at a glacial place. It is not happening anytime soon, and it is not going to take place during the season. That recently unearthed typographical error surrounding the date of his failed steroids test all but ensured that.

Either way, though, there is going to be a team that is going to take a chance on him. Maybe it will be Tampa, maybe it won't, but I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that Bonds will be playing on a major league team at some point this year.

Bottom line is, Bonds can still play. Plus, you would think any team that signs him is going to be getting Bonds on his best behavior, as he tries to redeem whatever is left of his once-Hall of Fame legacy.

I think it is a chance worth taking.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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