Barry Bonds Beats Giancarlo Stanton and Other Marlins in Home Run Derby, Ciggy Butts the Mascot Later Throws out First Pitch

Three slightly fearsome hitters. pic.twitter.com/rl04j6mBrO
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) March 16, 2016

There sure is a lot going on at the Marlins Spring Training facility in Jupiter, Florida today. First, Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds bested the players he's mentoring, including Giancarlo Stanton, in a friendly batting practice Home Run Derby before the game against the Nationals. Unfortunately there isn't any video, but Bonds was reportedly very pleased with the effort.

Barry Bonds just beat the Marlins players on a back field HR BP contest. Including Stanton.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 16, 2016

I can report that Bonds seemed "happy" he won. PG-13 version. "You guys only see that on TV"
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 16, 2016

And, as you can see above, Baseball's past and present gathered around the cages to talk shop. That's Bonds, reigning MVP Bryce Harper, and Stanton casually shooting the shit while watching lesser mortals play. This is by far the biggest selling point of Spring Training; the laid back atmosphere, friendlier confines, and lower day-to-day scrutiny allow players, coaches, and famous alums to chill out a little bit. It also lets fans see cool shit, like the Home Run King owning his proteges in a home run derby and proving he can still mash taters with the best of them.

And what do you need after something as pleasurable as a Barry Bonds parade of dingers? If you've watched your fair share of films, the answer is obvious: you need a smoke.

Something called "Ciggy Butts" just threw out the first pitch here in Jupiter. pic.twitter.com/9ObFjEPt4Q
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) March 16, 2016

Before the teams took the field for the game today, an anti-smoking mascot called Ciggy Butts threw out the first pitch. Props to the ad wizards behind this anti-smoking campaign—smoking is bad for you, especially if you're a kid—but…kids like mascots? Generally when kids see mascots they start pulling at their parents' shirts and try to get at the mascot. Kids love mascots. Are kids supposed to want to take a picture with a half-smoked cigarette? Would this picture of your smiling (maybe?) child standing next to a dude in a cigarette costume go up on your fridge? The mantel? Does the mascot say things like "Cigarettes are bad for you, trust me, the thing I just told you is bad. And I'd know, as I am myself a cigarette?"

Anyway, there are a lot of questions, but that's Spring Training.