49ers news: Where Steph Curry ranks among all-time Bay Area athletes

All-time Bay Area athlete No. 5: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (MLB)

There may be those who think San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds deserves to be ranked much higher on this list, and there’s certainly an argument to that.

Especially considering few other records in professional sports are as cherished as the home-run record, and Bonds holds that for both a single season (73, set back in 2001) and over his entire career (762).

Critics will argue, though, Bonds’ storied career should be stained by that damned “asterisk” talk, stemming from a time in MLB history where the “steroid era” was widespread well beyond centered allegations against the seven-time MVP and 14-time All-Star.

This has likely (and ridiculously) influenced many a voter to keep Bonds out of the Hall of Fame.

And this is stupid, as anyone who watched Bonds’ at-bats from the late 1990s all the way through the mid 2010s can attest. When Bonds strolled to the plate, it was must-watch television.

Had Bonds been a part of any San Francisco World Series championship, he might have found himself higher on this list. He ultimately came close in 2002, but both Bonds and the Giants fell short to the Los Angeles Angeles in a series most Northern California fans would like to forget aside from Bonds’ herculean efforts.