Pirate Galaxy » l, too. Bonds drew a mixture of boos and cheers while prese

PITTSBURGH -- Barry Bonds spent a portion of Monday morning driving around Pittsburgh, marveling at the changes hes seen in the city since baseballs career home run king bolted for San Francisco more than two decades ago. He drove by his old apartment in the western suburbs and the reconfigured North Shore, where Three Rivers Stadium has been replaced by sparkling PNC Park. The makeover hasnt been limited to the scenery. After 21 years, it appears the old wounds surrounding Bonds abrupt departure have started to heal, too. Bonds drew a mixture of boos and cheers while presenting current Pittsburgh centre fielder Andrew McCutchen with the 2013 NL MVP award. Bonds was the previous Pirates player to win the honour, earning the second of his record seven career MVP trophies in 1992. Standing next to McCutchen, Bonds waved to the packed house and seemed at ease in his first public appearance in conjunction with the team where he starred from 1986-92 before leaving for San Francisco via free agency. "It feels good to be back where it all started," Bonds said. "We had some great times here." Bonds then sat in the stands and watched as the Pirates opened against the Chicago Cubs. Bonds won the 1990 and 1992 MVP awards while playing for the Pirates from 1986-92 and led the team to three straight NL East titles. Each playoff trip, however, fell short of the World Series, most notably a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 NL championship series that ended when Bonds throw from left field failed to stop Atlantas Sid Bream from scoring the series-clinching run. He left for San Francisco and a then-record six-year, $43-million deal two months later, where Bonds eventually broke Hank Aarons record for career home runs, finishing with 762 before leaving after the 2007 season. Bonds declined to draw any comparisons between himself and McCutchen, who easily won the MVP award last season a year after finishing third in the voting. "Hes got the formula now," Bonds said. "Once you do it once, I expect you to do it again." Bonds was joined by a familiar face as the Pirates put the finishing touches on a breakout 2013 when they won 94 games and made it to the NL division series. Former manager Jim Leyland presented current skipper Clint Hurdle with his NL Manager of the Year Award and credited Hurdle for helping turn the franchise around. After spending years watching his former club serve as a laughingstock, Leyland is confident the Pirates are back. "Theyre the real deal now," Leyland said. "They should be here for a long time." And while he steered clear of the politics surrounding Bonds place in baseball history, Leyland left no doubt about whether Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. Bonds fell well short of the 75 per cent threshold required for induction during his second year of eligibility, with many voters saying they wouldnt put him in because of the steroids cloud. "In my opinion, Barry Bonds is a Hall of Fame player," said Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96 and is now retired. "Theres no doubt about it." Devin Singletary Youth Jersey . LOUIS -- To stay a step ahead of goaltenders, T. O. J. Simpson Womens Jersey . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball...ersey/.Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. Jim Kelly Youth Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings. Winners of 15 straight, with a healthy roster, the Spurs have overtaken the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder for the number one ranking. Andre Roberts Bills Jersey . The All-Pro left tackle agreed to a five-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday. Peters was signed for 2014, and his new deal adds four years through 2018.SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Major League Baseball is getting a new tool to verify the ages and identities of players from the Dominican Republic. More than 10 per cent of the players in the majors are Dominican. There have been a few known cases in which players signed contracts after using fake documents that gave wrong names and ages. The president of the Dominican Central Electoral Commission says league officials will now be able to access its national database of names and biometric data.dddddddddddd Roberto Rosario says that should help reduce fraud among those aspiring to play professional baseball in the U.S. Dominican authorities are also pledging to investigate and prosecute document fraud involving players as part of an agreement signed with league officials Thursday. ' ' '