Bonds chalks up yet another MVP

NEW YORK — Barry Bonds won his record seventh N.L. MVP award in a walk.

The San Francisco Giants left fielder became the oldest player to become the MVP of a major North American professional league. The 40-year-old received 24 of 32 first-place votes and 407 points Monday in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to earn the award for the fourth straight season.

“I don’t know if one is better than the other. I think they’re all overwhelming,” Bonds said.

“You almost get lost for words, the kind of things that are being accomplished in my career.’

Los Angeles third baseman Adrian Beltre was second, getting six first-place votes and 311 points, followed by St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols with 247 points.

Speaking from Beverly Hills, Calif., during a telephone conference call, Bonds repeatedly avoided responding to questions about steroids. Bonds, who testified last December before a federal grand investigating steroid distribution, has denied using illegal performance-enhancing substances.

Asked how he could keep his concentration amid the controversy, Bonds said: “I kind of just walk through it.”

Bonds is the only baseball player with more than three MVP awards and the only one to win more than two in a row. Willie Stargell previously was the oldest baseball MVP, sharing the 1979 N.L. award at 39 1/2 with Keith Hernandez. Charlie Conerly of the 1958 New York Giants (38) was the oldest NFL MVP, while the oldest NBA and NHL MVPs were both 35: Karl Malone of the 1998-99 Utah Jazz and Herb Gardiner of the 1926-27 Montreal Canadiens.

Among the four major sports, Bonds is second in MVPs to the NHL’s Wayne Gretzky, who won nine.

Bonds’ season was unparalleled statistically. He hit .362 to win his second N.L. batting title in three seasons and shattered the major league record with a .609 on-base percentage, topping the previous mark of .582 he set two years ago.

He walked 232 times, 34 more than the previous record he set in 2002 and more than 100 better than anyone else in baseball this season. His 120 intentional walks obliterated the old mark of 68, also set by Bonds in 2002.

Bonds hit 45 homers in 373 at-bats, while Beltre hit a major league-leading 48 in 598 at-bats and Pujols had 46 in 592.

“I never think that I’d have a chance to win any awards being walked. I don’t think that’s even possible, to try to keep up with these great talented athletes when your chances are minuscule compared to their chances,” Bonds said.

Only 52 home runs behind Hank Aaron’s career mark, Bonds said he intends to play two more seasons and is motivated by his quest to win a World Series title for the first time.

Bonds earned a $500,000 bonus for winning the award, and Beltre, Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen earned bonuses of $50,000 each.

The A.L. MVP award will be announced today.