Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent -- Can't we all just get along?

First baseball gave us the battling Oakland Athletics. Then came the craziness at the "Bronx Zoo," a.k.a. Yankee Stadium.

Here we are at the halfway point of the 2001-2002 baseball season. The possibility of a baseball strike is the talk of baseball along with steroid use and the untimely death of St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher, Darryl Kile. In San Francisco, however, all isn't well.

Instead of the Giant's two best hitters, Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, battling the rest of the National League, both of them are seem to be competing for the title of "Jerk of the Month." Keep in mind that these two players have five MVP Trophies between them. They both have been with the Giants for five years, where they have averaged 73 home runs and 226 runs batted in.

Everyday seems to be a soap opera at Pac Bell Park - a bad soap opera at that. It began with spring training when, depending on who you believe, Jeff Kent either hurt his wrist washing his truck or fell off his motorcycle. (People "in the know" tend to believe the motorcycle story. Jeff Kent is known to care more about his motorcycles than his teamates.)

Bonds and Kent have one thing in common. They both suffer from "foot in mouth" disease. Kent didn't help matters any by mouthing off about Bonds to a Sports Illustrated reporter who didn't waste any time putting it into the magazine. It's no secret both players dislike each other, but I guess no one ever told Kent to just shutup and play ball. And it's very obvious that NO ONE told Barry Bonds to do the same.

Some one mistakenly once told Barry that he was the greatest thing since sliced bread and well, it's gone to his head. Have you ever noticed when Bonds hits a home run, he doesn't start to trot around the bases? No, he has to stand at home plate and watch the ball sail into the stands. Talk about being a legend in your own mind!

Bonds has accused the Giants' pitchers of not protecting him when he gets hit by an opposing pitcher. DUH! Barry, what do you expect when you never speak to your teamates in the first place?

Bonds hasn't made any friends in the players' union either. When asked by reporters his reaction to the death of Darryl Kile, Bonds, who usually never met a microphone he didn't like, had nothing to say.

If Bonds isn't too well liked by his teamates, Jeff Kent isn't too far behind. He's had arguments with Giants manager, Dusty Baker and another teamate, David Bell. Kent has said, or hasn't said, depending once again on whom you believe, that he wants out of San Francisco. Someone may or may not have told Mr. Kent to be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.

At a time when baseball and baseball players need to put on a good show, both Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent are giving baseball in San Francisco a bad name.