Text messages from press row ...

It’s not going to happen, apparently, but dropping Barry Bonds into the mix would add much-needed intrigue to the slow-speed chase that is the National League West race between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. . . .

Nobody seems willing to take a flier on Bonds, who a year ago Thursday was playing in the All-Star game. . . .

Soon to be 44 and scheduled to go on trial in March on perjury and obstruction of justice charges, Bonds would bring “more baggage than O’Hare Airport,” as ESPN’s Peter Gammons noted this week. . . .

All-Star Russell Martin and the Dodgers, by the way, are scheduled to play the Diamondbacks in 16 of their first 48 games after the All-Star break. . . .

The Dodgers, Diamondbacks or both could join the 1994 Texas Rangers of Will Clark and Jose Canseco as the only teams in baseball history to reach the All-Star break as sub-.500 division leaders, according to STATS LLC. . . .

Before Tuesday, Francisco Rodriguez had not given up a walk-off home run in a regular-season game, but Angels fans remember him serving one up to Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs last fall. . . .

Fifty-five percent of respondents in an ESPN poll say the Green Bay Packers should not let Brett Favre return, but Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys tells the NFL Network, “Oh, yeah, he’s coming back for sure, are you kidding?” . . .

Energetic role player Ronny Turiaf rarely left the bench during the playoffs, probably would play even fewer minutes when Andrew Bynum returns next season and is a luxury the Lakers probably could afford to lose. . . .

Nice pickup, though, for the Golden State Warriors. . . .

Speaking of Bynum, the injury-rehabbing center still has not been cleared to run, let alone play basketball, Lakers spokesman John Black says. . . .

Reader William Morse of Palm Springs, identifying himself as a season-ticket holder, e-mails to note of the Clippers’ failure to re-sign Elton Brand, “These guys would win the lottery and light the cigar with the winning ticket.” . . .

The Clippers could have had Emeka Okafor four years ago, but they traded down from the second pick in the draft to take Shaun Livingston at No. 4. . . .

With Brand, of course, they didn’t need Okafor. . . .

Neither Venus Williams nor Serena Williams has been ranked No. 1 since August 2003, when the since-retired Kim Clijsters supplanted Serena. . . .

Scandals aside, the Tour de France is still a great event. . . .

Bob Charles, who in November will become the first left-hander inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, is sure to be joined someday by Phil Mickelson. . . .

Former Masters champion Mike Weir is the only other lefty to win a major. . . .

All three are right-handers who play golf left-handed. . . .

Reader Dick Bank e-mails to note that soon-to-be departing Dodgers hitting coach Mike Easler was the star of a sound bite on the late Jim Healy’s radio program, uttering “you know” 11 times in less than 30 seconds. . . .

A wun’erful, a wun’erful. . . .

Can anyone explain why it took so long for the Coliseum to add a plaque honoring the late Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley? . . .

He died in 1979. . . .

Skateboarder Shaun White could possibly add $150,000 to his already sizable bank account after competing in this weekend’s Maloof Money Cup at the Orange County Fairgrounds, next week’s AST Dew Tour stop in Cleveland and the X Games downtown at the end of the month, but the big prize may come from the July 27 release of the Shaun White for Target collection, a line of clothing the Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder co-designed with older brother Jesse. . . .

Reader Frank Bole e-mails to note that former middle-distance running star Mary Decker Slaney, best known for tripping over Zola Budd in 1984, once completed the Palos Verdes Marathon in 3 hours 9 minutes 27 seconds. . . .

She was 12. . . .

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart’s move from a powerhouse team headed by Joe Gibbs to an upstart is being compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s leaving the more established Lakers to join the Miami Heat. . . .

The difference is, Shaq wasn’t given a choice.

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jerome.crowe@latimes.com