OAKLAND -- Giants pitcher Jason Schmidt still recalls his early days as a pitcher, when he'd be on the mound -- maybe in Little League or in the Minors -- and maddenly walking batters, and his coach would give some sage advice.

"'If the guy's not stinkin' Babe Ruth, throw to him,'" said Schmidt with a laugh.

So the veteran right-hander was enthralled on Saturday when he realized that across the visitors' clubhouse was, in a sense, the Bambino reincarnated in the 21st century as Barry Bonds, who tagged career homer No. 714 in the Giants' 4-2 victory over the Oakland A's at McAfee Coliseum.

"It's pretty amazing," said Schmidt of Bonds' feat. "All of a sudden, you're sitting in a room with a guy who pretty much has done what Babe Ruth has done. I've had 5 1/2 years to watch it, and I'm getting to live it all over again how many years later."

Schmidt said one day, coaches will update the advice with a twist, adding Bonds' name instead of Ruth's.

"To me, he's still the Babe, the first guy who set the standard, but we're in pretty good company," said Schmidt, who was victimized himself by Bonds bash No. 361 back on Aug. 27, 1997, at Candlestick Park.

"I tell him it was a ball over second base that carried over the fence," chuckled Schmidt.

It was good that the Giants could enjoy Bonds' moment and the team's as well, for they could share victory as well as history.

Catcher Mike Matheny, who stroked his 67th lifetime homer Sunday, said there were plenty of reasons to be excited about Bonds' homer -- it occurred in the second inning in what would be a tight game and eventually helped pave the way for the win.

"I was in the dugout, and you find when he's up at the plate you don't turn your head much," said Matheny. "You're not looking in the stands or anything. You realize it's special and it's an unbelievable accomplishment."

Veteran Mark Sweeney, who joined the Giants for the first time this season, has seen plenty of Bonds' homers from the opposite dugout, so it was exciting for him to witness the feat.

"No. 715 is bigger, and we're kind of waiting for that, too, but it's history -- it's pretty special," said Sweeney, who joined in a short celebration by the Giants as Bonds came back to the dugout following the home run.

"It was pretty awesome," added Sweeney. "We're all fans at heart, too, and it's special for us to be a part of."

Shortstop Omar Vizquel thought it was interesting and a little surprising that the sellout crowd of 33,077 at McAfee Coliseum stood as one as they watched Bonds round the bases.

"It's pretty amazing. All of a sudden, you're sitting in a room with a guy who pretty much has done what Babe Ruth has done. I've had 5 1/2 years to watch it, and I'm getting to live it all over again how many years later."

-- Giants starter Jason Schmidt

This is enemy territory, filled with fans booing Bonds with gusto, yet they also realized the significance of it all.

"I saw a lot of people booing before the at-bat and doing things with their hands, but after the home run I was looking at the crowd and I didn't think I saw anyone sitting on their seats," said Vizquel. "I saw everybody clapping because they just saw an unbelievable moment in baseball. Now they were cheering."

Giants pitcher Noah Lowry said it was neat to have a front-seat view of the blast, which sailed past the right-center-field scoreboard and halfway up the first deck.

"Sitting in the dugout and being a part of a team that he's on is something I'll never forget -- it's something I'll tell my kids about some day. But the next one is going to be the big one. I'm glad he got this one out of the way, it's a huge milestone, but I'm looking forward to the next one."

Manager Felipe Alou was happy to witness the event as well, and loved that the ball "was crushed -- that ball was hit by a slugger. I thought the ball was going to wind up in San Francisco."

Despite losing the game, the Athletics also gave credit to Bonds for his mammoth shot and mammoth career, with first baseman Dan Johnson sensing the significance of the game.

"[The home run] was something special. He just passed one of the greatest guys to ever play the game," said Johnson. "I was there to see it. It was kind of the spectator side of baseball."

A's manager Ken Macha also gave the slugger and his milestone a salute, saying, "I got a lot of respect for him as a hitter. He's one of the greatest home run hitters of all time, if not the [greatest of all time]."

Pitcher Brad Halsey, now part of Bonds' homer-yielding lore as the 420th pitcher to give up a dinger to the Giant, said he left a fastball in the middle of the plate.

"He punished me for it," said Halsey. "For me, it's a home run that I gave up for him -- I know it's a big deal. For me, it's not. It's just another day at the ballpark.

"But as soon as the pitch was out of my hand," said Halsey, "I was pretty sure it was going to be bad news."