Bonds Says He Will Be Ready for Opening Day

Barry Bonds expects to be ready for San Francisco’s season opener April 5, and the Giants asked the commissioner’s office for permission to use a designated hitter during spring training home games to ease him into the exhibition season.

“I’ve never missed an opening day,” Bonds said Tuesday. “Being announced before your fans on opening day is great.... When you can play every game in the major leagues for nine innings, that’s recovery. Nobody is ever ready to completely play on opening day. It’s the adrenaline rush for opening day.”

Bonds had surgery on his right knee Jan. 31 and when he arrived at spring training said he was unsure whether the knee would recover in time to play the opener. He has not played in any exhibition games.

The Cincinnati Reds were given permission to use a DH in five home games starting Thursday so that Ken Griffey Jr. could bat without playing the field. In spring training, the DH usually is used only at the home parks of American League teams.

“What MLB told me was that as long as we offered the visiting team the same opportunity to use a DH during one of our home games and contacted MLB before we do it, it would be OK,” Giant assistant general manager Ned Colletti said.

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Three of the Cincinnati Reds’ owners confirmed that they were trying to sell their limited shares in the club, but businessman Carl Lindner would remain in control of the team.

Lindner led an ownership group that bought the ballclub from Marge Schott in 1999 for $67 million. He and limited partner William Reik Jr. intend to hold onto their shares and retain control of the team.

Local businessman George Strike, the trust for Louise Nippert -- the widow of former Red owner Louis Nippert -- and the Gannett Co. plan to sell their shares, which represent 51.5% of the team.

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Curt Schilling was sidelined by flu symptoms and Boston Red Sox officials remained noncommittal about his chances of pitching in the season opener.

“Far more important than whether he’ll be ready on opening night or not is the fact that it appears he’ll be fully healthy and ready to go sometime around then,” General Manager Theo Epstein said.

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Randy Johnson finally made his eagerly awaited New York Yankee debut, working two innings in an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Kissimmee, Fla. He threw 36 pitches, 22 for strikes, and gave up a two-run homer to Chipper Jones.

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Reggie Jackson feels he’s on a “second life” after surviving a car crash last week in which his vehicle flipped over several times.

The Hall of Famer, a Yankee special advisor and spring training instructor, was treated at a hospital and released after his SUV was struck from behind Friday at Tampa, Fla.