Alex Rodriguez got advice from Barry Bonds. Who else would he talk to?

Below is a list with the 26 players with at least 500 career home runs.   Barry Bonds is number one.  Alex Rodriguez number five.  Of the four ahead of Rodriguez, Ruth and now Banks are dead and Aaron and Mays are really old.  There are very few players on this planet who could command the respect of Aex Rodriguez and Bonds is certainly number one.

Rk	Player	HR	OPS+	From	To	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
1	Barry Bonds	762	182	1986	2007	21-42	2986	12606	9847	2227	2935	601	77	1996	2558	688	1539	106	4	91	165	514	141	.298	.444	.607	1.051	*78H/D9	PIT-SFG
2	Hank Aaron	755	155	1954	1976	20-42	3298	13941	12364	2174	3771	624	98	2297	1402	293	1383	32	21	121	328	240	73	.305	.374	.555	.928	*9783DH/45	MLN-ATL-MIL
3	Babe Ruth	714	206	1914	1935	19-40	2504	10622	8399	2174	2873	506	136	2214	2062		1330	43	113		2	123	117	.342	.474	.690	1.164	971/8H3	BOS-NYY-BSN
4	Willie Mays	660	156	1951	1973	20-42	2992	12496	10881	2062	3283	523	140	1903	1464	192	1526	44	13	91	251	338	103	.302	.384	.557	.941	*8H/39675	NYG-SFG-NYM
5	Alex Rodriguez	654	143	1994	2013	18-37	2568	11344	9818	1919	2939	519	30	1969	1240	92	2075	169	16	101	240	322	76	.299	.384	.558	.942	65D/H	SEA-TEX-NYY
6	Ken Griffey	630	136	1989	2010	19-40	2671	11304	9801	1662	2781	524	38	1836	1312	246	1779	81	8	102	199	184	69	.284	.370	.538	.907	*89DH/73	SEA-CIN-CHW
7	Jim Thome	612	147	1991	2012	20-41	2543	10313	8422	1583	2328	451	26	1699	1747	173	2548	69	1	74	165	19	20	.276	.402	.554	.956	3D5H	CLE-PHI-CHW-LAD-MIN-BAL
8	Sammy Sosa	609	128	1989	2007	20-38	2354	9896	8813	1475	2408	379	45	1667	929	154	2306	59	17	78	202	234	107	.273	.344	.534	.878	*98D/H7	TEX-CHW-CHC-BAL
9	Frank Robinson	586	154	1956	1976	20-40	2808	11742	10006	1829	2943	528	72	1812	1420	218	1532	198	17	102	270	204	77	.294	.389	.537	.926	97D3H8/5	CIN-BAL-LAD-CAL-CLE
10	Mark McGwire	583	163	1986	2001	22-37	1874	7660	6187	1167	1626	252	6	1414	1317	150	1596	75	3	78	147	12	8	.263	.394	.588	.982	*3/HD59	OAK-STL
11	Harmon Killebrew	573	143	1954	1975	18-39	2435	9833	8147	1283	2086	290	24	1584	1559	160	1699	48	0	77	243	19	18	.256	.376	.509	.884	357DH/49	WSH-MIN-KCR
12	Rafael Palmeiro	569	132	1986	2005	21-40	2831	12046	10472	1663	3020	585	38	1835	1353	172	1348	87	15	119	232	97	40	.288	.371	.515	.885	*3D7/H98	CHC-BAL-TEX
13	Reggie Jackson	563	139	1967	1987	21-41	2820	11418	9864	1551	2584	463	49	1702	1375	164	2597	96	13	68	183	228	115	.262	.356	.490	.846	*9D8H/7	KCA-BAL-NYY-CAL-OAK
14	Manny Ramirez	555	154	1993	2011	21-39	2302	9774	8244	1544	2574	547	20	1831	1329	216	1813	109	2	90	243	38	33	.312	.411	.585	.996	79D/H	CLE-BOS-LAD-CHW-TBR
15	Mike Schmidt	548	147	1972	1989	22-39	2404	10062	8352	1506	2234	408	59	1595	1507	201	1883	79	16	108	156	174	92	.267	.380	.527	.908	*53/H64	PHI
16	Mickey Mantle	536	172	1951	1968	19-36	2401	9907	8102	1676	2415	344	72	1509	1733	126	1710	13	14	47	113	153	38	.298	.421	.557	.977	*8397H/645	NYY
17	Jimmie Foxx	534	163	1925	1945	17-37	2317	9676	8134	1751	2646	458	125	1922	1452		1311	13	71		69	87	73	.325	.428	.609	1.038	*35H2/7916	PHA-BOS-CHC-PHI
18	Frank Thomas	521	156	1990	2008	22-40	2322	10075	8199	1494	2468	495	12	1704	1667	168	1397	87	0	121	226	32	23	.301	.419	.555	.974	*D3/H	CHW-OAK-TOR
19	Willie McCovey	521	147	1959	1980	21-42	2588	9692	8197	1229	2211	353	46	1555	1345	260	1550	69	5	70	176	26	22	.270	.374	.515	.889	*3H7/9D	SFG-SDP-OAK
20	Ted Williams	521	190	1939	1960	20-41	2292	9788	7706	1798	2654	525	71	1839	2021	86	709	39	5	20	197	24	17	.344	.482	.634	1.116	*79H/1	BOS
21	Albert Pujols	520	162	2001	2014	21-34	2117	9241	7943	1514	2519	561	16	1603	1115	286	906	92	1	90	297	98	38	.317	.403	.588	.991	*37D5/9H64	STL-LAA
22	Ernie Banks	512	122	1953	1971	22-40	2528	10394	9421	1305	2583	407	90	1636	763	198	1236	70	45	96	229	50	53	.274	.330	.500	.830	36/H57	CHC
23	Eddie Mathews	512	143	1952	1968	20-36	2391	10100	8537	1509	2315	354	72	1453	1444	107	1487	26	36	58	123	68	39	.271	.376	.509	.885	*53/H7	BSN-MLN-ATL-HOU-DET
24	Mel Ott	511	155	1926	1947	17-38	2730	11348	9456	1859	2876	488	72	1860	1708		896	64	109		82	89		.304	.414	.533	.947	*95H8/74	NYG
25	Gary Sheffield	509	140	1988	2009	19-40	2576	10947	9217	1636	2689	467	27	1676	1475	130	1171	135	9	111	235	253	104	.292	.393	.514	.907	975D/6H3	MIL-SDP-FLA-LAD-ATL-NYY-DET-NYM
Rk	Player	HR	OPS+	From	To	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
26	Eddie Murray	504	129	1977	1997	21-41	3026	12817	11336	1627	3255	560	35	1917	1333	222	1516	18	2	128	315	110	43	.287	.359	.476	.836	*3D/H57	BAL-NYM-CLE-LAD-ANA

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 1/23/2015.

A-Rod gets tips from Barry Bonds
Updated: January 21, 2015, 5:03 PM ET
By Andrew Marchand ESPNNewYork.com

Alex Rodriguez met with Barry Bonds multiple times to get hitting tips as he prepares for his return to the major leagues ...

Rodriguez also worked with former Seattle Mariners teammate Edgar Martinez in Miami last week.

The meetings with Bonds seem like an odd choice because of the steroids link between the two...

Bonds, who owns the most homers in MLB history, was a special instructor with the San Francisco Giants during spring training in 2014.
_____________________________________________

This drew the typical hysterical reaction from the usual media sheep:
- A-Rod is tone deaf.
- Couldn't he find someone else?
- He had to fly from Miami all the way to San Francisco?

Blah, blah, blah.

As a Yankee fan I think it's great.  As usual Alex Rodriguez is being extremely diligent and rather than going to some guy specified by the team as the batting coach or worse some designated generic shrink as was also suggested by the media sheep, A-Rod chose the person who has the closest resume, both good and bad, which should make Barry Bonds uniquely qualified to provide meaningful advice.  Also, there are suggestions from players that Bonds is really good at coaching.

Yankees Hire Two Hitting Instructors and Reshuffle Some Coaches
Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell Hired to Jointly Coach Batters
By DAVID WALDSTEIN JAN. 13, 2015  The New York Times

...  Brian Cashman was interviewing candidates for the Yankees’ hitting coach opening ...

For the first time, the Yankees will have two hitting coaches, Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell, the team announced Monday...

Cockrell played nine games for the Colorado Rockies in 1996 and served as their hitting coach in 2002 and in 2007 — the year they went to the World Series — and 2008. He also held the position for the Seattle Mariners in 2009 and 2010...

Pentland, 68, has 16 years of experience as a major league hitting coach, starting in 1996. He served in that position for the Marlins, the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
__________________________________________

Say what?  Brian Cashman has ZERO credentials to be interviewing any coaching candidates.  Where the heck did he play?  Nothing in the article suggests that field manager Joe Girardi had anything to do with the selection and assignment of Yankee coaches.  Kevin Long was the Yankee hitting coach in recent seasons but he was fired and quickly hired by the Mets.

General managers way too full of themselves: Beane, Cashman, the guy in San Diego.  Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Brian Cashman is the son of a Steinbrenner family friend who started as an intern and worked his way up to general manager 16 years ago...

the Steinbrenner Kids, who own the New York Yankees, signed their 16 year incumbent general manager (GM) Brian Cashman to a new three year contract.  Did they know that the Tampa Rays GM was available, that Andrew Friedman was talking to the Los Angeles Dodgers? ...

Instead of cleaning house and bringing in an established but young and talented executive like Andrew Friedman of Tampa, the Steinbrenner Kids stick with Brian Cashman ...

This off season Cashman has been making the type of bizarre small market moves that Beane has been making for over a decade.  The problem for Cashman in his attempt to show that he is smarter than Beane is that Beane appears to have had a mental breakdown and is out of control.  No matter how absurd Cashman's moves seem, they trail the odd things being done by his Oakland idol.  Of course, Cashman would never admit that he is trying to show off how smart he is and he certainly will not admit that he would let little Oakland influence New York.  But it is the inevitable conclusion to be reached
_________________________________________

Alex Rodriguez July 28, 2007
by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons

So should Rodriguez have preferred Pentland and/or Cockrell, neither of whom I had ever heard of, or an aforementioned "designated generic shrink"?  Which brings up something I've wondered about for a while.  Why don't the big time hitters have personal coaches?  You know, like swing coaches for big time golfers like Tiger Woods.

I do not like Barry Bonds.  But when I was watching him trying to break the season home run record of 70 and the patience he exhibited I remember thinking: you've got to hand it to this guy.  I had never seen such plate discipline.  The pitchers were giving him almost nothing to hit.  Bonds just took his walks ... and waited.  If he can instill some of that calm in Rodriguez when A-Rod is faced with the most difficult challenge of his career, then it makes all the sense in the world for Alex Rodriguez to be big enough to accept advice from a fellow pariah who understands the baseball world outside the accepted parameters and possibly how to rehabilitate himself and others.  Maybe.