Dom Smith talks shop with idol Barry Bonds

Dominic Smith had a chance to interview one of his idols on Sunday, hosting an Instagram Live with Barry Bonds. The two talked about issues ranging from baseball -- Smith was particularly curious about what it was like for Bonds to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded -- to life. Smith, who has been outspoken about trying to improve the situation for Black players in baseball, opened with a question about Bonds’ experiences dealing with racism in the 1980s and ’90s.

“We all encounter it the same, just different generations,” Bonds said. “I believe we all, as African-Americans, experience somewhat the same thing. It’s just different generations. The good part about it now is that younger generations -- white, Black, Hispanic, whatever -- you guys are dictating it in a positive way.”

• Watch the full interview here

Smith and Bonds also hit on the topic of trying to grow interest in baseball from younger Black players. To that end, Smith runs a foundation in Los Angeles called Baseball Generations, with a goal of helping low-income children pick up the game.

“It’s going to take the past players, current players, it’s going to take some help from MLB, it’s going to take some help from a lot of different avenues,” Smith said. “Because it’s not an easy job. It’s not something that’s going to be fixed overnight.”

Of course, Smith also took the opportunity to get some advice on his swing, and it sounded like he was excited to keep the conversation going in the future.