tion with the team where he starred from 1986-92 before leaving

PITTSBURGH -- Barry Bonds spent a portion of Monday morning driving around Pittsburgh, marveling at the changes hes seen in the city since baseballs career home run king bolted for San Francisco more than two decades ago. Mike DeVito . He drove by his old apartment in the western suburbs and the reconfigured North Shore, where Three Rivers Stadium has been replaced by sparkling PNC Park. The makeover hasnt been limited to the scenery. After 21 years, it appears the old wounds surrounding Bonds abrupt departure have started to heal, too. Bonds drew a mixture of boos and cheers while presenting current Pittsburgh centre fielder Andrew McCutchen with the 2013 NL MVP award. Bonds was the previous Pirates player to win the honour, earning the second of his record seven career MVP trophies in 1992. Standing next to McCutchen, Bonds waved to the packed house and seemed at ease in his first public appearance in conjunction with the team where he starred from 1986-92 before leaving for San Francisco via free agency. "It feels good to be back where it all started," Bonds said. "We had some great times here." Bonds then sat in the stands and watched as the Pirates opened against the Chicago Cubs. Bonds won the 1990 and 1992 MVP awards while playing for the Pirates from 1986-92 and led the team to three straight NL East titles. Each playoff trip, however, fell short of the World Series, most notably a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 NL championship series that ended when Bonds throw from left field failed to stop Atlantas Sid Bream from scoring the series-clinching run. He left for San Francisco and a then-record six-year, $43-million deal two months later, where Bonds eventually broke Hank Aarons record for career home runs, finishing with 762 before leaving after the 2007 season. Bonds declined to draw any comparisons between himself and McCutchen, who easily won the MVP award last season a year after finishing third in the voting. "Hes got the formula now," Bonds said. "Once you do it once, I expect you to do it again." Bonds was joined by a familiar face as the Pirates put the finishing touches on a breakout 2013 when they won 94 games and made it to the NL division series. Former manager Jim Leyland presented current skipper Clint Hurdle with his NL Manager of the Year Award and credited Hurdle for helping turn the franchise around. After spending years watching his former club serve as a laughingstock, Leyland is confident the Pirates are back. "Theyre the real deal now," Leyland said. "They should be here for a long time." And while he steered clear of the politics surrounding Bonds place in baseball history, Leyland left no doubt about whether Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. Bonds fell well short of the 75 per cent threshold required for induction during his second year of eligibility, with many voters saying they wouldnt put him in because of the steroids cloud. "In my opinion, Barry Bonds is a Hall of Fame player," said Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96 and is now retired. "Theres no doubt about it." Ryan Succop . Though the league and union reached a general agreement in their new labour deal to test for human growth hormone, the union is waiting to see the specifics of the program before giving its final OK. The union has asked the World Anti-Doping Agency for documentation about the accuracy of the seven-year-old HGH test. Chris Owens .J. - Think of the Super Bowl and you think of excess: Big money, big parties, big crowds and an even bigger mess left behind when the circus leaves town.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Free agent centre Chris Kaman has agreed to a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the agreement, which cannot be formally announced until new contracts are finalized next Thursday. The deal, worth a reported $9.8 million, was first reported Thursday night by Yahoo! Sports. Kaman confirmed the deal with a post on his official Twitter account. "Portland is a great fit for me, its a team that has done great things and has a lot of talent! Cant wait to get started in .RipCity," he posted. The burley 7-foot centre has averaged 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over an 11-year NBA career. He is expected to back up Robin Lopez with the Blazers. He sppent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 10. JMarcus Webb. points and 5.9 rebounds, but was limited to a career-low 18.7 minutes in 39 games. He struggled late in the season with injuries. Kaman was the sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Michigan native, who played at Central Michigan, was an All-Star with the Clippers in 2010, averaging a career-high 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds, before he was traded to New Orleans the next season. He played for the Dallas Mavericks in 2012-13 before signing a one-year deal with the Lakers. The Blazers will be his fifth team. Portland went 54-28 last season, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio. ' ' '