July 28, 2007 -- SAN FRANCISCO - For most of the last month, Barry Bonds has been tossing verbal bouquets toward Alex Rodriguez, but the praise stops at a point.
"Is he as good as me? Hell, no," Bonds told The Post when asked if Rodriguez was the best player of this generation. "He's better than me now because he's younger than me. But, hell no."
Bonds was later asked if Rodriguez ranks right behind him. "He ain't even second," he said. Bonds said that honor goes to his close friend, Ken Griffey Jr., "but he got hurt."
Bonds then considered whether Rodriguez ranks third on the list. He seemed to give Rodriguez the nod but then backed off a little.
"He's in the top three with me and Junior," he said. "But, you know, people forget Manny Ramirez. When he was at Cleveland I used to watch that boy all day long. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe how he plays. Defensive-wise he wasn't always there."
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Thoughts?
