Gary Peterson

It was high. It was deep. Ultimately, it was as meaningful as last week’s Lotto numbers.

Oh, Barry Bonds’ home run against the New York Yankees on Friday night nudged him one swing closer to the record Bud Selig wishes he could hermetically seal until a more appealing conqueror presents himself. It brought AT&T Park to life. It thrilled best buds Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, seated front-row and center.

No. 749 seemed to delight Bonds, who shot a smile and a wave to the section of seats adjacent to the Giants dugout after he crossed home plate. It must have elated Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who before the game praised Bonds to Saturn’s rings and gushed over the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.

And if that’s your idea of a fine time, party on. In other news, the Giants fell hard to the Yankees, 7-3. That’s an eight-game losing streak for those of you snoring, uh, scoring at home. The Giants are last in the National League West, 11 ½ games out of first place.

On the bright side, at least half of their master plan for 2007 is working out.

That would be the part where Bonds hits enough home runs this season to surpass Henry Aaron as Major League Baseball’s career home run leader. At his current rate, Bonds would tie the record at home against Florida on July 27, and break it Aug. 2 at Dodger Stadium.

Even if he continues to homer at the limp-along rate he has assumed since May 8, he would tie the record at home against Colorado on Aug. 27, and break it at home against the Dodgers on Sept. 8.

No matter what, it would seem Bonds can’t miss. That outfit he plays for would be another story.

Frankly, the Giants are tough on the eyes these days, for reasons that go beyond their current extended face plant. Their starting pitching is solid, if not infallible. But their bullpen can’t be trusted, their offense doesn’t do anything consistently well, and their age is every bit the factor realists figured it to be on Opening Day.

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We bring this up because a) managing partner Peter Magowan defended re-signing Bonds last offseason by saying it made “baseball sense,” and b) Bonds re-upped with the Giants, as opposed to the dozens of other teams his agent insisted were clamoring for his services, because he wanted to win a ring.

Nearly two weeks before Fourth of July, it’s all falling apart. The Yankees are in town for the weekend, and the Giants host the All-Star Game on July 10. After that? If you want a good look at Williams and Crystal, you may have to rent “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “City Slickers”.

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All of which begs the question, if a 33-year-old home run record falls during a trade deadline fire sale, does it really make a noise? Sure, Bonds will get his statistical due. Magowan will have realized his dream of seeing Bonds break the record while wearing a Giants uniform.

Would the inevitable big moment work on any level beyond that? Oddly enough, it just might.

Let’s rewind to A-Rod’s comments before Friday’s game. He’s a huge Bonds fan, and has been since the two toured Japan in a postseason exhibition tour in 1996. They share a bond of common, if not shared, experiences as super-elite, preposterously wealthy, oft-unloved athletes.

“I’m a big fan of his work,” Rodriguez said of Bonds. “He’s one of a kind. Studying him is like studying Picasso.”

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Making AT&T Park the Louvre, right?

“I love the stadium,” Rodriguez said. “I love where it is in the city and I love the vibe in the city. It’s like a West Coast New York, except with better weather in the summer time.”

It has escaped no one’s attention that A-Rod can opt out of the final three years and $72 million of his contract after this season. That doesn’t mean he will. But after four contentious seasons in New York, of playing little brother to Derek Jeter and being told he’s not a real Yankee, maybe Rodriguez would welcome a new vibe. Maybe the Giants would be looking for another heavy hitter to replace Bonds and scratch Magowan’s predilection for a superstar-centric roster.

In that case, maybe Bonds’ home run Friday night wasn’t merely a hollow feat in a losing effort. Maybe it was a recruiting tool. Maybe the All-Star Game will be one as well. Maybe Rodriguez and Magowan will find they can do business together. Maybe yesterday’s Lotto numbers still have value.

That’s a lot of maybes, could-bes and oh-what-the-hells. On the other hand, they would give Bonds’ quest a sense of purpose — which is more than you can say for face value right about now.