There are many athletes whose skills we take for granted. We admire their achievements yet chalk them up to natural gifts. But I've found that God-given ability is just a starting point for the truly great athlete. When Barry Bonds agreed to this interview, I was keen to discuss his approach to the game, how he has enhanced his talent. But Bonds won't just give it away. I really felt as if I were pitching to him and that he worked every count full.

	Barry Bonds is off to a flying start this season.

Dan Patrick: So, how's your health?

Barry Bonds: It's okay. Getting older, Dan.

DP: I know the feeling. When do you know you're getting old, as a ballplayer?

BB: Each person's different. I'm just battling back from my arm surgery. That's all. Everything else is pretty much fine. But that was the first time I ever went through a major surgery. I'm still trying to break down scar tissue, still trying to get it where I feel comfortable with it.

DP: But it's not your legs that go first, or your eyes?

BB: My eyes are fine.

DP: And your legs?

BB: I probably don't run as fast as I did when I was younger. But I'm not that much slower. I guess I can run as fast as I did before, but only once. I can't do it three and four times, like when I was younger. But I could race anyone once.

DP: Give me the best managerial trait of Dusty Baker.

BB: Great personality.

DP: Because he's one of you, a former ballplayer? He just gets it? Is there a blind trust?

BB: He's all that, and more. When Dusty Baker took over in 1993, we were a great team already. What in my mind made him one of the great managers is how he handled everyone when we were in last place. That separates a real manager from guys who have great teams. A manager who can get the best out of a bad team is a great manager.

DP: Are you doing a weekly radio show on the team's flagship station because you want to change your public image?

BB: No, I don't think my public image is bad. I think the press has given me a bad image. I don't feel that I've done anything personally to the public. I'm just making myself more accessible. In the past, I've kept everything private, or tried to. I think that when you are at a certain point in your career, it's only fair that the fans get to enjoy part of it.

DP: Do you wish you'd done it earlier? I feel like you lost the 1991 MVP to Terry Pendleton. He didn't win it. You lost it because of people's perception of you.

BB: But, Dan, when you say people...

DP: I'm talking about the media, the writers who vote on it. Their perception of you may have cost you. Because you were better than Terry Pendleton that year, plain and simple.

BB: Well, thank you, Dan. But Terry Pendleton won. They voted for him, and he won. I would never sit here and say that I was a better player that year. If the media like you, Dan, the public loves you. If the media dislike you, the public has questions. That's life.

DP: Does today's athlete need to be image-conscious?

BB: I don't really know, Dan. I don't know where you're going with these questions. I don't really know what you're trying to pick out of me. I'm trying to help you the best I can. But...

DP: I'm not attacking you. I've always been curious why you don't talk more.

BB: I really don't know what to say, Dan. I don't know if I'm afraid. I think maybe that has a little bit to do with it. Too much attention makes me shy away, because maybe I feel I don't deserve it. I'm just a person. And I think I'm afraid of what all that attention could bring. I've never thought of myself as being better than anyone. My profession happens to be baseball. I don't think I belong on some pedestal because you watch me on TV. I'm afraid of that. I don't know why, but I'm just afraid of it. I'm going to try more, because I feel that that's what people want. I think that's what the media have been waiting to see for so long. I want to give it a try, maybe overcome this fear.

DP: See, I just don't understand the fear factor.

BB: I have some good friends who are very, very famous. But they've lived their whole lives behind doors. I never wanted to feel like I couldn't go outside and play basketball with my friends or go to the store. These friends don't know what the real world is like because they live behind a glass shield all the time. If they walk outside, they're swamped. There's no joy in their lives. And they sit in their houses, wishing that they could be the kid down the street, playing two-on-two pickup like everyone else. I'm afraid of that.

DP: What's the best swing in baseball?

BB: The contact one.

DP: But see, I always loved Reggie Jackson's swing, and Reggie struck out more than anybody. Do you look at swings? Like a golfer would look at another swing, and say, "Boy, that's a great swing!"?

BB: Everyone has a good swing, except pitchers. Some swings just make better contact than others. But that doesn't necessarily mean the others are bad.

DP: Would you finish up as a designated hitter?

BB: If I loved the game bad enough, sure.

DP: Riding the bike in the clubhouse between at-bats?

BB: I wouldn't ride the bike. I'm just going to sit down, watch the game and DH.

DP: Build me the perfect outfielder. Look at the tools of certain guys, and say, I want those legs, that glove, that head...

BB: I like Andruw Jones' legs, because he's so graceful in the outfield. I love Ken Griffey Jr.'s glove, because he makes great diving catches and takes balls off the wall. But Andruw Jones can do the same thing, and he's younger.

DP: What about game knowledge?

BB: Well, you could put Junior in every slot because he's all-around gifted. But for knowledge of the outfield, I'd take Tony Gwynn. He's not the fastest guy in the world. He's not the biggest guy. But he's one of the smartest. And he's a great outfielder.

DP: Could you be a teammate of John Rocker?

BB: I don't know. I don't know the guy. I think that's a trick question.

DP: Well, it's not meant to be.

BB: But I don't know the guy, so it's not fair for me to say. I mean, you'd have to ask one of the players on his team. They've played with him. He offended everybody on that team, in that organization. But people make mistakes.

DP: That was all I was looking for. I know this can make you uncomfortable. But I'm not trying to draw blood. I want to bring out your personality. And I think you have a lot there. But you're apprehensive. And I understand that.

BB: Okay. Can we start over again?

DP: Yes, we can. [Laughs] If I'm in your car right now, who am I listening to?

BB: Well, shoot. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey. Ballads. Meaningful songs. Or jazz. Anything. You're the guest. Whatever you want to hear is fine with me.

DP: You've been on In Living Color and Beverly Hills 90210. Do you want to pursue acting when you get through with baseball?

BB: No. Never again. I don't like it. I thought I did at the time, but I don't. I'm not any good. I stink. Is that personal enough?

DP: You know what? You're giving me something there.

BB: Okay. [Laughs]

DP: Favorite actors.

BB: Bill Cosby. Denzel Washington. Eddie Murphy for comedy. Katharine Hepburn is one of my favorites too. Anthony Quinn.

DP: Who amazes you more, Mark McGwire or Vince Carter?

BB: I guess they're both amazing in their own right.

DP: But don't you take more notice of Carter because that's something you can't do? With McGwire, well, you can hit home runs.

BB: No, I just respect everyone's job.

DP: Wait a minute. I can't hit homers like Mark McGwire, and I can't jump like Vince Carter. But I can look at them and say, I'm truly amazed at what Carter's able to do. McGwire hits homers farther than anyone. But I'm homered out, so it doesn't matter. Vince Carter, to me, is somebody who is truly amazing.

BB: Well, that's true. He's amazing at what he does, and I'm in awe of that. But I'm also in awe of what Mark does. Can I be in awe of more than one person? Or am I condemned because I'm in awe of more than one person?

DP: Don't you dare be in awe of two people. Don't you dare! Are you in awe of a pitcher?

BB: No.

DP: You can't afford to be? Or they don't do anything that leaves you in awe?

BB: No. Well, okay - Greg Maddux puts me in awe. He's the best finesse pitcher I've ever seen. He's a technician with pinpoint accuracy. Randy Johnson, too - and I've played against him since college. Randy, to me, is a way more dangerous pitcher now than he ever was back in college. He was wild then, really wild. You never knew whether he was going to throw you a strike or hit the screen. But now he can get you out with any pitch he wants to throw. That's amazing, because he's still able to throw so hard. Roger Clemens - he's also amazing. Everyone writes him off, but then he comes back and wins another Cy Young. David Cone. I can go on and on...

DP: What do you use the Internet for?

BB: I use the Internet for my company, Digital Interiors. I use it for information that I need, or for helping my children look things up. I read the newspapers, The Wall Street Journal. I buddy up with people, and we converse over the Internet, just to see who out-types the other person. And I lose all the time. I think it's a great communication and information tool. I think it enhances your vocabulary, too, because you have to read on the Internet. And I think reading is very important because I was such a bad reader growing up.

DP: See? That's a telling insight. I think you've got so much underneath. If you ever shared it, I think people would enjoy it.

BB: Well, I have my own weekly show now on KNBR radio. And I'm opening the doors to the public. Anything you want to know about me, please ask me. And I don't care what it is because Barry Bonds has nothing to hide.

DP: You've got great insights, but it'll take a while for those walls to come down.

BB: My walls are down, Dan. Come with it. Please do me a favor. I want everyone to know that I don't have walls up. Ask me anything. Personal, whatever.

DP: It's not so much you the person as it is Barry Bonds the athlete. I'm curious about. What do you see when you're watching a pitcher?

BB: Okay. Let me explain something to you. The reason I don't give out that information is that it gives the opposition an edge. For instance, a teammate will say, "Barry, what do you do with this guy? " I say, "Sorry, I'd love to help you. But you may not be on my team next year, and what's to prevent you from telling him what I know? " That's the only reason I keep certain doors closed. When I retire, or I feel I can't do it anymore, I'll share it all with you. I'll tell you everything about every pitcher I've ever faced. But I can't do it now.

DP: Are you surprised when people want your input on things that aren't sports-related?

BB: Sometimes. Because I don't feel I'm that smart.

DP: I know. You say "I don't know" a lot. I don't believe that. I think you're perceptive. I think that you downplay that.

BB: Thank you for the compliment, but I just don't believe you.

DP: Why?

BB: Because I wasn't a great student at school.

DP: Doesn't matter. You can still be perceptive without being a great student. It's not grades. It's, Hey, this is what I perceive. And then relating it to people.

BB: Right.

DP: I think that you have some kind of conception of who you are, what you're doing, and it has nothing to do with grade-point average.

BB: Well, that's true. Whatever. I can't even answer you.

DP: I know. But I haven't lasted in this business being phony. So if I give you a compliment, and you don't want to take it, that's fine. It's not like I'm going to say, "Now would you play in my golf tournament or give me a bat?"

BB: But, Dan, I'm almost never approached anymore by people asking about anything outside of baseball. I usually don't have anyone ask me any other questions -besides my divorce, or something like that.

DP: That doesn't drive me. But I think you can't be at the level you're at, and stay there for so long, without being a smart person. There has to be an intelligence level. I think it would be an insult if I said, "Well, you've got great natural ability, and that's why you're so good." I mean, Jordan worked at it.

BB: Look, Dan, I think certain guys are gifted. I can't tell you why I see some things on the field faster, better, quicker, smoother than anyone else. I just do. And if I sat on a bench and I tried to explain it to this kid next to me-and I have done it before-he says, "I don't see it." And I'm thinking, "How can you not see it?" To me, it's clear as day. And I repeat it. "You can't see what this guy's doing?" He says, "No, I can't." And I'm thinking, "Whoa! Maybe everybody isn't seeing what I see." So I try to explain it. I say, "Watch Ozzie Smith. You can watch Ozzie's eyes, and Ozzie's eyes will shift every time that catcher sets up in a certain position. That's why Ozzie makes those plays. So, if you watch Ozzie shift, you'll know exactly where that pitch is going to be." And the kid still doesn't see it. He says, 'Well, how did you know that pitch was outside?' Because Ozzie shifted on me, and he did it too soon, and I saw him shift. Then he wants to know how I can see Ozzie and the pitch. Well, I don't know. I just can. I don't know why.

DP: What do you think is happening?

BB: You can see certain things on the field. People talk about picking up certain pitches. But it's not the pitcher all the time. Certain guys on the field are going to give it away one way or another. If you've got a poor hitter and everyone's shifting, well, you know something is up. And the Braves just shift opposite of the way they pitch you. That's their pattern. If you see Chipper Jones isn't playing you on the line, well, where do you think they're pitching you? He's giving you the line. He knows you can't hit it there anyway.

DP: What can you get from a pitcher, though?

BB: For instance, Greg Maddux has 17 different fastballs. Hit the fastest one and you'll be okay. Simple enough. If you want to hit Greg Maddux, wait until you get two strikes. Because that's the only time you'll get that fastest fastball. Now, how do I know this? I can't explain it. I know Maddux will throw that 91-92 mph fastball in on you when he's got two strikes. He'll try to shatter your bat. Other than that, he's going to keep you off balance until he wins the game. The trouble is if you wait to get to two strikes, you're sitting in his kitchen. Just give up. Take your bat, drop it down and just walk to the dugout, because the show's over. See, Maddux is like that little mouse that goes in the hole, out the hole, in the hole, out the hole.

DP: Yeah.

BB: And you've got this cat with no patience who keeps running his head into the wall. That's what most people do. I just wait. I'm like the mountain lion. You've got to come a little farther out, son, for me to play the game. Because I'm not banging my head on this wall. And if you get me, thank you very much. But I'm going to be patient enough to get you. Now, that's the only reason why I've been successful off him. I just wait. [Pause] Now you're picking my brain.

DP: I've got your home run call for when you hit one into the water at Pac Bell Park: "It's deep, and it's wet."

BB: I think it's great, hitting it in the water. I think that's awesome. It's a great ballpark.

DP: All right, buddy. Hey, good luck ...

BB: Did I give you enough information?

DP: Plenty. And I know it was painful in the beginning. But I come in peace.

BB: That's okay. Thanks, Dan.