Adventures In Advertising

He may be an unspeakable cad in most parts of our great land, but San Francisco is still doggedly clutching Barry Bonds to its bosom. Call it denial, pride, myopia, whatever; from San Francisco's point of view, Bonds may be a cheater, but damn it, he's our cheater. For proof, let's head over to the Giants' home stadium, AT&T Park, and ... WHA? This billboard, which has been stopping traffic on Third Street in San Francisco (that's AT&T Park in the background), is causing almost as much controversy in The City as Bonds himself. Although the billboard space is owned by CBS Sports, the client itself is unknown. Some see it as a traitorous act of rebellion. Some suspect the handiwork of Dodgers fans. And since it was erected on April 1, well, there's the possibility that it's an expensive prank. But the smart money seems to be on the notion that the billboard is part of an ad campaign for an as-yet undetermined product; a kind of "watch this space' sort of thing which will reveal more later. And if that's the case, it's working. But no matter who's behind it, it kind of goes to prove that having someone to root against is just as important as having someone to cheer. Every story needs a good antagonist. Baseball starts today, and we have a genuine villain! This fact is not lost on the folks over at the San Diego Padres' blog Ducksnorts, who are actually calling for Padres' pitchers to throw at Bonds' gimpy knee in their opener tonight at Petco (OK, they're calling it "working him inside." But we know what they mean). This is going to be fun. Bonds Sign Is a Work In Progress [SF Gate] Padres vs. Giants [Ducksnorts]