Detroit Tigers first base coach Andy Van Slyke talked to Big League Stew for their weekly "Answer Man" feature today, and as you might expect from the always quotable former Pirates and Cardinals center fielder, he provides some great stuff to read. 

For one thing, if you've ever wondered what his duties as first base coach include, here's a description:

Q: So what do you do over there?

AVS: Try to advise the guys who have some speed, who might be able to take an extra base, of the pitcher's move.  Does he have one?  How good is it?  The catcher's arm.  The outfield arms.  "Pay attention to the third-base coach," or "Watch for the steal sign."  I don't overload them, I just try to give them one or two important things to think about.

Among the many topics discussed with David Brown is plenty of talk about Barry Bonds, including Van Slyke's side of the final play of the 1992 NLCS, and how he would welcome Bonds if he ever joined the Tigers.  He also explains what it's like to share center field with Lenny Dykstra and details his turnstile jumping in the New York subways last August.

And I'm not sure anyone, including Van Slyke, will care about this, but this seems like a good place to express a sentiment.  Two years ago, I was in the Tigers' clubhouse for the first time, working on a magazine assignment.  It was only my second time in any professional locker room of any kind, and I was trying really hard to look like I knew what I was doing and not completely awed.  I had no idea where I was going, and so afraid of walking anywhere I wasn't supposed to that I was sort of paralyzed.  Someone comes around the corner, sees me, smiles, and says "Hey, how ya doin' today?" on his way to the coaches' locker room.  That was Andy Van Slyke.  Hardly a big deal, I realize, but it helped me relax, and snapped me out of my stupor so I could get to work.  I'll always feel some gratitude toward him for that.

I've already written my thoughts on whether or not the Tigers should sign Barry Bonds to be their designated hitter, but since some baseball observers continue to try and connect those dots, maybe it's worth repeating that opinion.  The latest is Gary Thorne, who wrote a column for USA Today suggesting that Bonds could make an excellent replacement for Gary Sheffield, who up until last night was beginning to take on the distinct aroma of toast.

In fairness to Thorne, he's not saying the Tigers should or need to sign Bonds.  He's saying it wouldn't be a bad idea if Sheffield is done.  And I acknowledge that it appears to be a fit, considering the previous working relationship between Bonds and Jim Leyland, the Tigers' ability to compete for a playoff spot, and a possible hole in the lineup. 

Leyland's mention of Bonds in the same sentence as Sheffield is interesting.  Leyland tutored Bonds in his early days in Pittsburgh when Leyland managed there.

Leyland has great respect for Bonds and his abilities.  Would Leyland be amenable to having Bonds with the Tigers if Sheffield finds the bat does not return?

That is not out of the question.  Leyland is a strong personality and there is no such thing as a player who will ever run him over.

So mentioning that Thorne once had his chain yanked by Doug Mirabelli about whether or not that was really blood on Curt Schilling's sock in 2004 would be an unnecessary cheap shot.  (Even though Buzz Bissinger seems to think that's exactly what we bloggers do, all the time.  I say "seems to," because I haven't viewed the panel discussion from HBO's Costas Now yet.  And by the time, I watch it, won't it really be "Costas Then"?  But I digress.)

In case you didn't read what I wrote for Big League Stew a few weeks ago, here's a seven-word nutshell: The Detroit Tigers don't need Barry Bonds. 

An excerpt for elaboration:

[...] Bonds is too similar to what Detroit already has.  One of the flaws highlighted during this losing streak is the lack of speed among Tigers hitters.  Without Curtis Granderson, there is no one who can take that extra base, make opposing outfielders rush a throw, or end up on third after hitting a ball into the gap.  This lineup moves deliberately from base to base, pushed along by hits.  And if those hits don't come — which they haven't been — runners aren't going anywhere.  Bonds wouldn't change that one bit.

He also wouldn't help the Tigers' defense, which is already suffering notably.  The left field territory in Comerica Park isn't kind on immobile outfielders who can't run to the gap.  (Actually, it requires another center fielder out there.)  Between his creaky knees and vaunted bulk, Bonds just doesn't have the necessary range to cover all that space.  If you want to move him to another position, Detroit already has plenty of guys that are better suited for first base or designated hitter.

All of this talk is also overlooking the fact that the Tigers were already set up to cover a prolonged Sheffield absence, if that occurred.  Carlos Guillen could move over to designated hitter, where it's increasingly looking like his legs will eventually put him anyway.  Or Miguel Cabrera could fill that spot, while Guillen sidles back to first base and Brandon Inge returns to third, giving the Tigers the defense they've lacked at the hot corner in his absence.  (The Detroit News' Lynn Henning thinks this is a move the Tigers should make, regardless of Sheffield's injury status.  And if Sheff ends up healthy, stick him in left field.)

So can we just stop it with the Barry Bonds talk?  Nobody else seems that interested in signing him, either.

Should the Detroit Tigers sign Barry Bonds?  It's a topic that seems to be gaining popularity in baseball circles.  Eric Karabell and Peter Pascarelli discussed it last Friday on the ESPN "Baseball Today" podcast.  Mark Grace and Kevin Kennedy batted it around on the FOX post-game show, following the Tigers' loss to the White Sox on Saturday.

Perhaps it seemed like a natural fit to some, while Gary Sheffield was out with an injured finger.  Others might just be trying to connect some perceived dots, based on the previous working relationship between Bonds and his former manager, Jim Leyland.  Or maybe it just seems like a perfectly logical suggestion, given how feeble the Detroit bats were in their first seven games of the season. 

It's a question that also crossed the mind of the kaleidoscopic Kevin Kaduk, whom you might know better as "'Duk," the editor of the so-enjoyable-we-can't-believe-it-didn't-exist-before Big League Stew, who just wants to see a perfectly capable slugger land a job somewhere.  'Duk asked me whether or not I thought the Tigers should sign Bonds, and my thoughts on the matter have been posted at BLS for your reading pleasure.  After checking that out, come on back and throw in your two cents on Bonds and the Tigers in the comments.  I'd love to know if others share my opinion.

Thanks to 'Duk for inviting me over to swim in the wonderful baseball cauldron he's created at Yahoo! Sports.  If you're not reading Big League Stew every day, you really are missing out on some great stuff.