Union to examine Bonds case

The lack of offers to Barry Bonds will be examined by the baseball players’ association as part of its annual review of the free-agent market.

Less than two weeks before opening day, the 43-year-old home run king remains unsigned.

Bonds was indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, charges stemming from grand jury testimony in 2003 in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. The seven-time National League most valuable player pleaded not guilty.

Union head Donald Fehr said his staff would examine possible collusion against Bonds and others.

“We always look at the free-agent markets every year and make judgments about them, and if we come to the conclusion with respect to any player that there’s a matter worth pursuing, we’ll pursue it,” he said. “But I’m not going to make any suggestions or accusations unless and until we come to that conclusion.”

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Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the New York Yankees stood on the third-base line, caps over their hearts while they gazed toward the outfield in Blacksburg, Va.

As 32 oversized orange balloons were released into the air, the storied team in its famous pinstripes watched right along with Virginia Tech players, fans and family members of victims from last year’s campus massacre.

And when the national anthem was finished and the players headed for their dugouts, it was time to play a game that was less about baseball than it was about healing.

“There are certain things that happen that are so devastating that time stops,” Rodriguez said. “For me, this is one of them. This is probably the proudest day I’ve ever [had] to wear a Yankee uniform.”

The Yankees won the game, 11-0.