When the Miami Marlins hired Barry Bonds to be the club's hitting coach, they surely expected for him to help give a boost to the team's offense, but the all-time home run leader is also doing more than just teaching the art of hitting during spring training.
On Tuesday, Bonds surprised the family of longtime Marlins security usher Roger Gill, who died Feb. 2, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
Gill - an employee entering his 10th season manning the gate outside the Marlins clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium - was a big fan of the former San Francisco Giants slugger, and upon hearing of Bonds hiring, had a plan in place to get the former slugger's autograph. However, Gill passed away before doing so.
After the Marlins affixed a plaque at the stadium in honor of the late Gill, they informed his wife Susan, who was stunned by the kind gesture, but not as much as she was by the arrival of Bonds who came to greet the family of the longtime Marlins employee.
"Hey, you're going to get all of us crying," Bonds told an emotional Susan as witnessed by Capozzi. "This is baseball. There's no crying in baseball. This is a happy occasion. We are here to celebrate the memory of your husband. I hear he was a great guy."
Bonds gifted the Gill family with Roger's wish of an autograph and spent time with them remembering the man who dedicated so much of his time to the franchise.
"He engaged us. It wasn't a real quick 'Hi, how are ya.' He really spoke from his heart," said Roger's daughter Sue Baumer.
Bonds enters his first season as a big-league hitting coach after a storied playing career that included 762 home runs. His legacy, however, has been clouded by alleged steroid use.
