SAN FRANCISCO — Willie McCovey, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds gathered at AT&T Park in January to celebrate McCovey’s 80th birthday. Nine months later, the Giants lost a member of their 500-home run club, and shortly after McCovey died, team president and CEO Larry Baer spoke to Mays.
“He felt like he lost a brother,” Baer told NBC Bay Area on Wednesday. “Barry Bonds felt like he lost a mentor and a father figure. These were players that were iconic players in our sport and they don't come around often. You want them to live forever.