Names in the game for August 31, 2005

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

Barry Bonds

San Francisco outfielder Barry Bonds has taken his first batting practice since spring training, the latest step in his rehabilitation from three surgeries on his right knee.

Bonds, 41, who's 12 home runs short of passing Babe Ruth for second place in Major League Baseball history, has hit at UCLA's baseball complex for the last two days, school athletic spokesman Marc Dellins said in a telephone interview.

"His people asked if he could hit in our cage for a couple of days," Dellins said from his office. "None of our players or coaches was present."

Bonds, who hasn't played this season, said two weeks ago on his Web site that there was a "good possibility" he'd return to the Giants next month because his rehabilitation had "taken a turn for the better."

Mike Piazza

The New York Mets are hoping Mike Piazza makes it back to the lineup by mid-September. The reality is much more grim. Unless Piazza can find a way to beat the odds, he may have already played his last game in a Mets uniform.

On Tuesday, the Mets revealed the 12-time all-star has a broken bone and ligament damage.

Piazza has not played since Aug. 16, when a foul ball cracked the bones in his hand.

"I was kind of praying (for) some miraculous recovery," Piazza said.

Neither Piazza nor New York general manager Omar Minaya were ready to proclaim Piazza's season over, but both know Piazza won't be available for meaningful upcoming series against Florida and Atlanta.

"This is going to take some time, guys," Minaya said.

-- Sun wire services