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Barry Bonds has smacked many
a ball into the water, and due to
the value of those baseballs, people
float around in rafts, boats (motor boats were outlawed due to
danger), kayaks and other inventive devices (i.e. floating golf
greens). Everyone's hoping to swoop up a Bonds ball!  Pets In Need's Baseball
Aquatic Retrieval Korps (B.A.R.K.) team members (most are
Portuguese water dogs) retrieve batting practice and homerun balls
that land in McCovey Cove. Six talented canines, Rio (the
captain), Justy, Lyla, Quarry, Rita and Surfer, work from boats and
dive after baseballs that land in the water. The concept for
B.A.R.K. came from Don Novello (remember him as Father Guido Sarducci on
Saturday Night Live?). Don, in conjunction with J.T. Snow, Giants
ball-player, and Stacie Snow, a member of the team, came up
with this dog-gone good idea.
Any balls the dogs retrieve go to
charity, especially Pets in Need. This is announced every
Sunday game and everyone knows that on those days, the priority of
“ball retrieval” goes to the dogs for charity. BUT...
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On Sunday, September 8th, Barry Bonds smacked ball 608 (splash #21)
into the water! Rio, the captain, and the first B.A.R.K.
team member from Pets in Need, jumped into the water and was
frantically swimming towards the ball (see photos). The crowds
were cheering him on. All of a sudden, a net-wielding, speeding
kayaker swooped the ball out of the water, just inches from Rio’s
mouth, not only scaring him but causing Rio to lose the ball!
The crowds booed, and this “gentleman”, who is a regular in the
water from Northern California, already has two other Barry Bonds
balls! The names of everyone who catches these balls can be
viewed on McCovey-Cove.com
(look him up under 2002 Season Splash
Landings). Perhaps he can be shamed into
returning the ball…probably not, and dogs don’t hold a grudge,
but many of us are still growling about this…just think how many
lives could be saved with that one ball!
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"Fair
Ball, Foul Play"
Scene 1:
The only thing worse than a low-down, dirty baseball
thief... |
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Scene 2:
...is a low-down, dirty baseball thief in a kayak. |
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Thanks to our friends
at Fox Sports (www.foxsports.com)
for providing the footage! - Pac Bell Park, Sep. 8, 2002
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Check out the websites for sfgiants.com,
PetsinNeed.org
and let us all know how you feel about this with your emails and
support.
Also, keep an eye out for an up-and-coming article covering all the
dogs that swim for charity. I will be attending the September 29th
game (the Giants' last home Sunday game), therefore the last
Sunday of the season for the dogs. I will be photographing and
interviewing the whole team (2- and 4-leggeds) as they are announced
on TV. Perhaps we can take a bite out of crime with this one
injustice alone by snatching a ball on the 29th. Come on Barry, the
4-leggeds are counting on you!
- KathyRyan@thedognet.net
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