Bream has essentially taken a bad thing — the worst baseball play many of us have ever seen — and turned it into a way to positively affect kids with terminal illnesses or truck drivers struggling to maintain relationships with their family.

"I was involved in a play that did not leave me obsolete in the game of baseball, where only friends and family knew I played," Bream said. "Because of that, it has given me opportunities to speak."

The story of Bream has long fascinated me, in large part because he never left. Along with his wife, Michele, they've remained in Pittsburgh, raising their four kids (one adopted) in Zelienople.

An avid outdoorsman, Bream explained that he likes his "elbow room" and found Atlanta way too big. The Breams never sold their house. Sid's also a Carlisle native, so they had hoped to raise their kids in Pennsylvania.

The Pirates blowing a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning when Bonds' throw was offline led to some ugly times, with a death threat and a toilet-papered house, among other things. But even when someone approaches Bream now, his answer remains the same.

"Basically I tell them, 'If you were in my position, what would you have done?' " Bream said.

Fair point.

After hitting .270 with an .804 OPS in 1990, contributing 15 homers and 67 RBIs while playing a sound defensive first base, Bream said back then and reiterated this week that the Pirates told him he would be a priority.

But when it came time to make a deal, Bream said that was never conveyed in the offer, his request for no-trade protection denied. Bream ultimately signed a three-year deal worth $5.6 million with the Braves.

"The Pirates never did anything to make me feel like a priority," Bream said. "They never gave me market price. They never gave me a no-trade clause. They wanted me to be here for peanuts, while Atlanta gave me a great contract.

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