Bonds Won't Participate In Home Run Derby

CINCINNATI (AP) _ Barry Bonds will sit out of the Home Run Derby on Monday night, opting to rest his tired body before Tuesday night's All-Star game. <br/><br/>``Nope,'' Bonds said Thursday

Thursday, July 5th 2007, 4:46 pm

By: News On 6

CINCINNATI (AP) _ Barry Bonds will sit out of the Home Run Derby on Monday night, opting to rest his tired body before Tuesday night's All-Star game.

``Nope,'' Bonds said Thursday when asked about the Derby. ``Especially when you're 42. It's not that you don't want to, it's that you just can't anymore. You can't. It's too long. Too much waiting. Too much sitting around. You can't do that.''

Bonds, who turns 43 on July 24, was set to start in Thursday night's series finale, after playing in 74 of the team's first 82 games. He sat out Wednesday afternoon to allow his sore legs to recover and said he ``felt better'' Thursday.

Bonds is slated to start in left field for the National League in the All-Star game July 10 in San Francisco. He made up more than 119,000 votes in the final days _ getting 1,111,968 additional votes _ to finish with 2,325,391 and ahead of Cubs star Alfonso Soriano.

The seven-time NL MVP has appeared in six home run contests, winning it in 1996 in Philadelphia. The Derby has since gone from two rounds to three. He said he was worn out after the '96 Derby as well.

``And it was only two rounds then,'' Bonds said.

Who's his favorite to win it now?

``You don't know in our ballpark,'' he said. ``It depends on the wind.''

Bonds will be busy Monday night anyway, at a party he's throwing along with hip-hop artist Jay-Z.