Bonds' wife files for divorce in LA
Court records show Barry Bonds' wife of 12 years has filed for divorce in Los Angeles. Liz Watson filed to end the couple's marriage on Thursday. She cited irreconcilable differences, and documents state the couple have already reached a settlement agreement.
Court records show Barry Bonds' wife of 12 years has filed for divorce in Los Angeles.
Liz Watson filed to end the couple's marriage on Thursday. She cited irreconcilable differences, and documents state the couple have already reached a settlement agreement.
Details of the agreement were not included in the initial filing. Attempts to locate Bonds' attorney yesterday were unsuccessful.
Watson withdrew a separation petition that was filed in June.
She is seeking joint custody of the couple's 11-year-old daughter.
The former San Francisco Giants' slugger and Liz Watson were married in 1998.
Bonds' first marriage to Susann Margreth Branco ended in a highly publicized divorce in 1994.
Noteworthy
* The most expensive 2 pounds in baseball could reside in Ronnie Belliard's waistline.
A leading candidate to start at second base on Opening Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Belliard must adhere to a weight clause if he wants to activate his $825,000 1-year deal. So far it remains a work in progress.
The Dodgers want Belliard to be at 209 pounds at some point this spring before the contract can become official. That was the weight Belliard was playing at when the Dodgers acquired him late last season from the Washington Nationals.
Belliard reported to spring training this week and said he's close to the goal weight but could be as heavy as 211 pounds.
"I have never come into spring training at [209]," he said. "I think I feel good and I look good, so we'll see what happens."
Belliard had unseated Orlando Hudson at second base in a matter of weeks following his Aug. 30 acquisition. He batted .351 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 24 games with the Dodgers and was the starting second baseman in all eight of the team's postseason games. He batted .300 (9-for-30) in the playoffs.
Belliard's main challenger for the starting second-base job this season will be Blake DeWitt, a converted third baseman who was the starter at second during the Dodgers' 2008 playoff run. If DeWitt does not earn the starting job he will be sent to Triple A to make sure he is getting regular at-bats.
* Chris Burke jokingly blames his father for his broken finger. The Cincinnati Reds' utilityman broke a knuckle on his right ring finger during spring-training drills. He kidded that if his dad hadn't taught him the proper way to catch a popup, he wouldn't be sidelined now.
"I told my dad, thanks a lot for teaching me to catch it two-handed. If I'd hot-dogged it, I'd never have broken my finger," Burke said.
The Reds said Burke's finger would be in a splint for 2 weeks and he is expected to be able to resume baseball activity in about 3 weeks.
* Chicago Cubs lefthander Ted Lilly says it will difficult to be ready for Opening Day after being sidelined several days because of a virus. Already recovering from a knee injury and shoulder surgery, Lilly missed most of this week with a high fever and flulike symptoms.