Former baseball player and infamous hard hitter Barry Bonds laughs like no one is watching as he catches game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the city on Monday. Speaking to the Chronicle, Bonds had much to say about his legacy, his attitude (then and now), and his chances for the Hall of Fame.

Regarding regrets with his involvement with BALCO, the steroid scandal plaguing the homerun king, Bonds said, "I'm a convicted felon for obstruction of justice, and that's who I am. I live with it. ... I went through the system. That's what they gave me. I'm in appeal right now. I was never convicted of steroids."

When asked about his frosty demeanor (especially when compared to the stoney antics Tim Lincecum and higher-powered straight talk of Brain Wilson), he explained. "I'm an athlete. I gave my life and soul to that game. That's what's heartbreaking. I gave my whole life. I did it hard for 22 years. Hard. That's the hard part of it. You sit at home and go through it. It's tough."

Regarding his chances for Hall of Fame induction, there are slim to none. Especially when you consider that Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa have yet to be elected. (If we can borrow liberally from an old Onion comic, members on the Hall of Fame committee view baseball bathed in a warm sepia-tone glow. And, no, that is not a good thing.) Bonds said. "I have no idea. That's up to the writers...I don't worry about that stuff. I'll be at home having a good time with my life and my kids. Or hopefully here. Doing some stuff for kids. And hopefully doing stuff to help the organization. That'll take care of itself. I don't need to worry about that stuff."