With whom will Barry bond?

Played a name-association game with a National League scout last week.

``Barry Bonds."

Answer: ``Advil."

That's where you start. Any team thinking about signing Bonds for what should be the historic season in which he breaks Hank Aaron's home run record will have to deal with a few headaches along the way. An American League general manager likened it to the Cowboys signing Terrell Owens, except Owens has a lot left in the tank while Bonds is at the end and really should be a DH given his balky knees, lack of mobility, and recent elbow surgery.

But if the Giants and Bonds can't see eye-to-eye on a one-year deal -- and there have been a lot of negative vibes that the Giants may not want him back -- will anyone take a chance with him? Or could Bonds be out in the cold and not break the record for lack of interest?

Orioles senior executive vice president Jim Duquette thinks his team would have to do more than just kick the tires.

``We'd have to seriously consider it," said Duquette. ``We could sorely use a power bat.

``Obviously, there are many factors we'd have to consider, including contract. But I would think if Barry were out there, there would be other American League teams interested, considering what he could do as a DH, preserving his body, and the fact you'd be getting a player who is about to break the home run record."

In other words, potential for a box office boom.

For as much Advil-popping as there might be, the sound at the cash register would be worth the trouble to teams needing a boost. Bonds has been cast as a villain outside the Bay Area, but most fans would embrace him if he were their own.

``It takes one team," said Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi. ``I'd be really surprised if he had trouble getting a job. I'd think, being so close to the record, that he'd want to play and settle on a fair deal so he could break the record."

How about the Blue Jays?

``I don't think we could afford him," Ricciardi said. ``I think it takes a special situation, a GM who is very secure with his job who could go out on a limb and take that chance. I think Brian [Sabean] has done a great job dealing with Barry and his situation and everything that comes with it. I have no idea the state of those talks, but I would guess that's where he ends up in the end."

It could be an easy transition for Bonds to slide over to Oakland, but Frank Thomas is blocking that. Thomas, too, will be a free agent and is entertaining a two-year offer from the A's that could pay him up to $8 million a year.

``I think we have to do everything in our power to get Frank signed," said A's manager Ken Macha. ``After what he's done for us, we need that bat in our lineup."

As for Bonds, Macha said, ``I think that Mr. [Peter] Magowan [Giants owner] has made a strong commitment to him over the years, and I'm just looking at it from afar and thinking that would be the best situation for it to get worked out."

Another possibility is Seattle, where Bonds has some supporters. When the Giants played an interleague series there, it was one stop along the way where Bonds wasn't booed. Media members at the series thought the slugger was comfortable there; he even did pregame radio shows, which he never does.

Of course, there's Anaheim, too.

``I don't think it's anything that [manager] Mike Scioscia would want," said the American League GM, ``but you could see [owner] Arte Moreno going for it."

The Angels are rumored to be working on a big name. They appear to be in contention for Alex Rodriguez if the Yankees elect to move him. They appear to be in on Alfonso Soriano and might even be a player for Manny Ramírez.

The Tigers? They need a DH, unless they believe postseason find Alexis Gomez can handle the job in the long run. Bonds enjoyed playing for Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh as a young player. It's many years later, but the respect is there.

It also comes down to Bonds himself. There are signs that he doesn't want to leave the West Coast. That limits the possibilities greatly.

The Giants have 11 free agents, including Bonds, Moises Alou, Jason Schimdt, and Steve Finley. Sabean and Magowan both said last week that the days of building around Bonds are over. They're going younger, and if Bonds wants to stay, he'll have to take far less than the $20 million the Giants paid him this season. They even talked about an incentive-laden contract, but Bonds said he'd never consider that.

This is the first contract agent Jeff Borris will negotiate for Bonds, and it's probably his last. Would he gamble that there are other suitors and walk away from the Giants? What if none of them are willing to pay high seven or eight figures? What a story that would be.

Catching up with Rodriguez

A few questions for Tigers catcher Ivan ``Pudge" Rodriguez.

Q. You're about to win your 12th Gold Glove. How much did it motivate you when you didn't win last year and watched Jason Varitek take it?

IR: ``I wouldn't say not winning the award motivated me, because at this stage of my career I'm just about winning a championship. I was motivated by just coming back and having a great year again. I know how hard Jason worked and he deserved the award."

Q. Most guys are going downhill at your age (34). You've caught 123 games each of the last two years and you seem to be revived. What's going on?

IR: ``My body feels very good. I love to catch. I love playing good defense because that's the way my team is going to benefit the most. I concentrated very hard this year on staying healthy and taking care of myself, eating right and not letting age dictate anything to me."

Q. You made a block in the ninth inning of Game 1, on a Todd Jones pitch in the dirt, bases loaded with Frank Thomas up, that very few people noticed. Yet it probably helped save the game. You have to be as happy with that as hitting a home run.

IR: ``Yeah, thanks for noticing. Those are things we as players notice a lot. Maybe the fans or media don't, but I thought I made a great play on that. It was a tough pitch to block and keep in front of me, but I did it."

Q. You threw out almost 50 percent of the runners, tops in the majors again. It seems you're like a shutdown corner now where teams think twice about running against you.

IR: ``Well, that's been an asset of mine throughout my career. I have a quick release and a strong arm, so if you steal a base, then I've made you earn it. It's not just me. You're as good as your staff. Our staff does a great job paying attention to runners."

Q. Enjoyed playing for Jim Leyland?

IR: ``Great. He expects you to play hard, use your head, play with good fundamentals. Play the game the right way. We have a team of guys who do that and more. That's why we've played so well this year."

Texas Rangers are out to track down their man

In letting go of Buck Showalter with three years remaining on his contract, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said, ``The most important factor we're looking for is an intelligent person who can create and establish trust within the clubhouse and the organization. Somebody who can create a positive environment."

This seemed to be the knock on Showalter, who made a couple of recommendations that probably came back to haunt him: losing Kenny Rogers (who signed as a free agent in Detroit) and Chris Young (traded to the Padres), a pair of pitchers who hurled 14 1/3 scoreless innings in the first round of the playoffs.

The Rangers clubhouse also became fractured, with shortstop Michael Young and first baseman Mark Teixeira both losing faith in Showalter.

As of this weekend, Daniels had narrowed his choice for a replacement to four would-be first-timers: Don Wakamatsu, the Rangers' bench coach the last four seasons; Trey Hillman, manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who won the Japan Pacific title this season for the first time since 1981 (Hillman was the Rangers' minor league director in 2002); A's third base coach Ron Washington; and Mets third base coach Manny Acta, who managed Team Dominican Republic in last spring's World Baseball Classic.

Hillman might be hard to get; he's likely to receive a huge pay raise to stay in Japan.

The Rangers also looked into Lou Piniella, Angels pitching coach Bud Black, and former Twins manager Tom Kelly. Black isn't interested in leaving Southern California, and Kelly doesn't want to manage.

Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo would have been a possibility but took himself out of consideration. Having recently dealt with prostate cancer, Jaramillo said he'd rather be a hitting coach.

The Rangers also want to strike quickly on a deal to retain free agent Gary Matthews Jr., who is expected to draw huge interest.

Etc.

Apropos of nothing: 1. Been hearing a lot about Kevin Millar eyeing a return to Boston as a bat off the bench and a presence to re-energize a flat Red Sox clubhouse; 2. Dave Magadan, recently hired by the Red Sox, impressed a lot of people who sat in on the organizational meetings in Boston last week. ``I think we were all surprised at how smart he is in that area, having been a hitting coach for so long," said a Sox official; 3. Johnny Damon and his wife Michelle are expecting a child; 4. The only surprise in the White Sox changing their starting time for games to 7:11 to take advantage of a $500,000 payoff from the 7-Eleven chain is that the Red Sox didn't think of it first; 5. Bill Belichick might want to purchase a Tigers jersey. Jim Leyland has proven he's the best manager in baseball.

Ken Macha gets very little credit for his managing, but consider the job he's done with the volatile Milton Bradley, keeping him from exploding. According to A's sources, Macha has put out several brush fires with Bradley over the course of the season, things that could have been damaging to the team if they escalated. ``One thing he does is he lets Milton vent," said an A's source. ``He doesn't try to suppress anything Milton is feeling, and that way it blows over quickly."

Longtime Rangers advance scout Bob Johnson was out of work for two days before he was hired by the Mets. Johnson said the Rangers are no longer using an advance scout to monitor tendencies of upcoming opponents; they're doing it off a satellite feed. A trend? Many think it's not a good one. Scouts will tell you you're at the mercy of camera angles, which focus on batter-pitcher shots and don't show defensive alignments, signs, etc. You also don't get the feel for the team that you get from being around the game. The Yankees likewise have fired advance scouts Chuck Cottier and Wade Taylor.

Orioles executive Jim Duquette said Baltimore will be able to increase payroll this offseason and plans to acquire a first baseman and a left fielder. Duquette said Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano will be targets as the Orioles attempt to get back into the American League East picture.

Blue Jays general manager J.P Ricciardi, who once employed Cory Lidle, said of the late pitcher, ``First and foremost, he's leaving behind a young kid, and being a parent, my heart breaks because he has a young son, who I believe is 6 years old. He came over here and won 12 games and threw about 200 innings for us. He gave us everything we wanted." Ricciardi never knew of Lidle's love for flying, but he knows of ace pitcher Roy Halladay's interest in it. Halladay's father is a pilot, and the pitcher had expressed an interest in flying, but Ricciardi told him, ``Not while you're playing for the Toronto Blue Jays."

Could the Cubs rework third baseman Aramis Ramirez's contract and flip him to the Yankees for Alex Rodriguez? That's being considered in the Chicago organization. Ramirez will likely execute his escape clause if the Cubs don't act.

The White Sox are more determined than ever to get themselves a left fielder, as they feel Scott Podsednik is not going to cut it. They should be in on Soriano. Their scouts also love Juan Pierre, who started slowly with the Cubs and came on strong. They might even be an outside possibility for Manny Ramírez if the Sox can get at least one starting pitcher (Freddy Garcia?) in return.

David Wells is off hunting at his ranch in Northern Michigan, which he co-owns with Kirk Gibson. He will go on a five-week African safari in November, after which he will make a decision on whether to pitch again. If he does, it would only be with the Padres, who appear to want him back. Wells would accept a deal like the one he had in Boston -- with a base of $2.5 million-$3.5 million and incentives based on starts or innings.

Lou Piniella almost seemed relieved that the Yankee managerial situation was resolved without him. When a reporter asked a non-Yankee question last week, Piniella finally had a smile on his face and seemed glad to address a different topic. He should know very soon whether the Cubs are serious about hiring him. If not, Piniella said he will happily return to broadcasting.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.