Giants Bulletin: Story time with Jeff Kent

Until Barry Bonds is in the Hall of Fame, any news pertaining baseball’s greatest shine when it relates to the San Francisco Giants will always come with a Bonds angle. Especially when the second best player of Bonds’ Giants tenure gets inducted, the man who pitchers so often walked Bonds to get to. Jeff Kent was a great player. Elite throughout most of his career. But just as I’ve done in this notebook, his induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame comes with an elephant sized footnote. 

Which is a shame. Because in and of himself, Kent is a hall of famer. He’s the best offensive second baseman the game has ever seen. He starred with the Blue Jays, most notably the Giants, Astros and Dodgers in his long tenure. Kent posted an impressive .855 OPS, slugging 377 homers and racking up 55.4 WAR. His bust in Cooperstown won’t be out of place. 

Kent addressed the Bonds elephant immediately after his induction on Sunday night in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. Kent and Bonds were never exactly the best of friends, but he gave Bonds his flowers before giving a non answer on whether he thinks the home run king should be in the Hall of Fame. 

In case you forgot just how good Jeff Kent was in orange and black, here’s a little trip down memory lane. The 2000 MVP was a GAMER.

Kent joined Murph & Markus on Wednesday morning following his historic induction. In a hysterical interview, he touched on everything about his Giants tenure. From the controversial trade that brought him to San Francisco, to the 2002 World Series, to his always fractured relationship with Bonds.

Like m0st Giants fans over the age of 30, the 2002 World series still haunts Kent when his head hits the pillow. He elaborated on the heartbreak of losing games six and seven, and his famous RBI single that put the Giants up 5-0.

Kent described his complicated relationship with Bonds as a sort of “frenemies.” The two were a fearsome duo at the dish, but wouldn’t be found spending time together away from the stadium. It can be made light of now, but the bond and bitterness that defined their relationship 20+ years ago was very real.

Finally, Kent offered his take on the Giants’ hiring of Tony Vitello. He added some personal flavor as well.

That just about puts a bow on Jeff Kent day at The Sports Leader. Giants fans should be happy for Kent, especially as he heads to Cooperstown in orange and black. But until Barry Bonds is in, Giants fans won’t be, and shouldn’t be, satisfied with baseball’s most historic grounds.