There’s no I in the Hall of Fame, yet

Barry Bonds told the Associated Press he is prepared to take his bat and ball and go home. While millions of baseball fans might respond, “Say it is so,� Bonds was not speaking of quitting, only about his souvenirs.

In short, he was showing baseball’s Hall of Fame his hand.

Asked whether he will donate any of the memorabilia he has been stashing as he approaches Hank Aaron’s career home run record, Bonds said, “I’m not worried about the Hall. I take care of me.�

Whether Bonds will hoard his possessions, a la Charles Foster Kane at Xanadu, or present it to the Hall of Fame in “bulk� is to be seen. But Bonds on Bonds did point out, “Doesn’t everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?�

Maybe Bonds should keep that in mind when the Hall of Fame voting is tallied.

Trivia time

Who is the only American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Dog day afternoon

The Asheville Tourists, a Class-A baseball team in the South Atlantic League, will hold a “bark at the ballpark� day when fans can bring their dogs. The event will feature free Frisbees to the first 1,000 dogs and owners, a dog beauty pageant and special dog concessions, including “doggie daiquiris.�

Presumably Michael Vick will not throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The naked truth

Lee Man-soo, manager of the SK Wyverns of the South Korean Baseball League, recently promised fans that he would strip if every ticket was sold.

Well, come the fourth inning, the last, uh, “seat� was taken. So Man-soo, known in Korea as the “Hulk,� popped out of the dugout wearing red-and-white boxers ... and fake buttocks.

“The 10 minutes felt like an hour,� Man-soo told the Sports Seoul newspaper.

Note to Grady Little and Mike Scioscia: The Dodgers and Angels sell out enough games, OK?

You can bet on it

The book is mercifully now closed on all political wagers on the Stanley Cup finals.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made a “friendly wager� with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ...

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle made a “friendly wager� with Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien ...

California State Assemblyman Jose Solorio made a “friendly wager� with Canadian Provincial Parliament Member, Jim Watson ...

OK, so instead of pleading guilty last week, maybe NHL gambling pariah Rick Tocchet should have said he was merely placing a few “friendly wagers.�

That foot-in-mouth taste

Talking about his “friendly wager,� Solorio may have also exposed a political deficiency: tact.

In a flippant response to Watson’s offer to include Beaver Tails in their bet, Solorio said in a statement, “ ... I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years, but I am looking forward to feasting on the Beaver Tails.�

Somebody should have told him that Beaver Tails are tasty pastries in which Canadians take great pride -- akin to Americans’ love of mom’s apple pie.

Trivia answer

Brian Leetch with the New York Rangers in 1994.

And finally ...

Find the name that seems out of place among those receiving honorary degrees from Brown University this week:

Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Craig Mello, Nobel Prize winner in physiology.

B.B. King, winner of multiple Grammy Awards as a musician.

Chris Berman ... uh, uh ... what does Berman do again?

So this is what can Brown do for you?

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