Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds may not be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he received the biggest honor from the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Saturday night.

Prior to the third game of the four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that drafted Bonds with the seventh pick of the 1985 Amateur Draft out of Arizona State, the Giants honored Bonds with the retirement of his number 25, which is now in between his godfather Willie Mays’ number 24, and Juan Marichal’s number 27 on the Club Level at AT&T Park.

”I am overwhelmed with emotions as the reality of this day sets in,” Bonds said. ”This may come as a surprise to a lot of people but as a child I didn’t even want to play baseball. I wanted to play all sports – basketball, football, ride my bike, all the things that kids do. But once my mom signed me up … I got my first taste of what would be my lifelong passion.”

In the ceremony that lasted over an hour was attended by Bonds’ family, including mother Pat, brother Ricky and adopted sister Carol, along with his three children, Aisha, Nikolai and Shikari.

Former Bonds teammates such as Bobby Bonilla, Will Clark, Ray Durham, Shawon Dunston, Kirk Rueter, Rob Nen made appearances and there was a surprise appearance by former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne.

“That’s great,” said Bonds.

Three of Bonds’ former managers were also in attendance, as Jim Leyland, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy were also in attendance.

Orlando Cepeda, Marichal, Mays, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry were all in attendance to welcome Bonds to the fraternity of having their numbers retired with the Giants.

Mays took the mic, and spoke to the sold-out crowd about where Bonds rightful place should be in baseball history and that is the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

”When people talk about, ‘Oh, who’s the best ballplayer in the world?’ I don’t care,” Mays said. ”I played my 20 years, 22 years, whatever it might be. Give somebody honor that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is a type of fraternity that, when you get there, you’ll say, ‘Man, how did I get here?’ And I want him to have that honor be something that happens to him.”

”Vote this guy in!” Mays added.

The ceremony came four days after the 11th anniversary of Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record.

Bonds, who is now a special assistant with the organization does not want to return to the dugout, a place he was for one year as hitting coach of the Miami Marlins.

The 54-year old Bonds enjoys coming to AT&T Park, as it is reminder to him that he built this park.

“I built this park, Willie never played here, Willie McCovey never played here,” said Bonds.