In a ceremony that is long overdue, the San Francisco Giants will finally retire Barry Bonds’ number 25.

Bonds played for the Giants from 1993 to 2007 and was in the MLB for over 20 years. Within that time, Bonds was hit an average of .298 and had over 1,996 RBIs and of course, became the all-time home run leader with 762 bombs.

This comes at an interesting time in Bonds’ life, as he is currently struggling to get elected into the Hall of Fame. Bonds’ ties to performance-enhancing drugs will always cast a dark shadow over his career and will make getting elected in a difficulty.

Regardless of the abnormalities of this jersey retirement, it is one the Giants had to have all along. To not retire the jersey of the home run king would be like Apple not honoring Steve Jobs or Starburst not honoring its cherry flavor.

You need to show your best some love.

After all, if it weren’t for Bonds, the Giants would likely be playing in Tampa Bay right now, and the Bay Area would have lost one of its most prized franchises. Bonds’ great play on the field kept fans interested in the Giants and gave the team contending seasons in the 1990s.

It was that interest and the contention that revitalized the Giants franchise and the leading reason their proposal to relocate was shot down by the MLB.

Bonds’ rescue of the franchise laid the groundwork for the Giants’ recent run of World Series titles. For another Giant to wear 25 instead of Bonds would be an absolute travesty. He provided Giants fans with some of the greatest memories any baseball fan could ask for, and to say that without including a championship is an impressive accomplishment.

Before this announcement, a previous prerequisite to get a number retired was being elected to Cooperstown. Only a player with a career like Bonds’ could give the Giants the incentive to break such a tradition.

The ceremony will come with backlash from fans across the league. However, it feels right that the league’s most polarizing player would also have the league’s most polarizing ceremony.

With Bonds’ career number of home runs, 756, hanging on AT&T Park’s center field wall, it evokes memories of all the home runs Bonds hit and the night he eclipsed greatness. Ultimately, by hanging the number 25 in left field, the area Bonds hit over for so many years, the number will bring back the memories that helped define the Giants franchise.