BASEBALL / NATIONAL LEAGUE REPORT : CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : Bonds Calls His Shot to Sheffield, Then Homers on Season’s Closing Day

If Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Barry Bonds is feeling postseason pressure, he sure isn’t sharing it with the rest of the world.

Bonds spoke with reporters for nearly an hour before Wednesday’s playoff game, talking about everything from moving from city to city as the son of a major league player to the state of the nation.

“I don’t have no pressure on me,� he said. “Pressure is being unemployed and looking for your next meal, not this stuff.

“I don’t get it. You guys act like I’m falling apart under pressure. Give me the bases loaded with less than two outs, and I can hit a fly ball with the best of them.

“Hey, I’m good, maybe the best, but I’m not the whole show around here.�

Many of his peers will tell you there’s no one better.

San Diego Padre third baseman Gary Sheffield is a believer. Bonds called him on the next-to-last day of the season. He wanted to let Sheffield know he had just hit his 33rd homer, tying him for second place.

“He tells me, ‘I tied you now, and there ain’t going to be no ties,’ “Sheffield said. “They only had one game to go, and (Bret) Saberhagen was pitching the last game. I figured there was no way he was going deep on Saberhagen.

“What happens? He hits a homer in his last at-bat and passes me.

“That tells me right there he’s the best in the game. There’s nobody like him.�

Said Bonds: “You’re damn right I called him. I also told him I got the MVP now. I stole it from him the last month.�

Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox says he is not overly concerned about facing knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in Game 3 Friday in Pittsburgh.

Hmmm, then why is there a thesis on Cox’s office desk entitled: “The Theory of Beating a Knuckleballer.�

“I figure I’ll start reading it on the plane to Pittsburgh,� Cox said.

Just how rabid is Brave fever in Atlanta?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a medical story warning fans about excessive tomahawk chopping entitled: Do the chop--in moderation.

Orthopedic surgeon Craig Weil gave these tips for “safer tomahawking.�

1. Get in shape gradually, building up to extended periods of chopping.

2. Fully stretch the arm and shoulders before each game, using the full range of motion.

3. Switch arms from time to time.

4. If soreness occurs, use ice on the joints and take aspirin or other over-the-counter medicines for pain relief.