Rob Leary, in Pawtucket this week for a PawSox game, is looking forward to seeing his old friend Barry Bonds in Boston.

The Providence Journal / Kathy Borchers

BOSTON — Barry Bonds is a normal, good-hearted guy.

As much as that thought may be tough for Joe Fan to accept, there’s one person in the Red Sox’ organization who believes that.

Red Sox minor-league field coordinator Rob Leary is a close friend of Bonds, and the two are looking forward to seeing each other when the San Francisco Giants begin a three-game series at Fenway Park tomorrow night.

Leary and Bonds have known each other for 36 years. They grew up together in San Carlos, Calif., and met when they were 7-year-olds playing baseball in a town of 25,000 where everybody knew everyone else, and it was a great community, especially for sports, according to Leary.

“He lived his life like all the rest of us did,” said Leary of Bonds. “He’s a fun-loving guy.”

The two played against each other in Little League, and became teammates while playing Babe Ruth League baseball. They played baseball and football together at Serra High School and still stay in touch today.

Bonds, in fact, still owes Leary’s mother a new diving board because he was the last person to do a cannonball into the family’s pool and broke the board.

The Leary and Bonds families were very close. The parents hung out together, and all of the younger siblings hung out. Now that his childhood buddy is on the verge of breaking Hank Aaron’s career home run record of 755 (Bonds has 747), Leary is hoping Bonds accomplishes what most people don’t want him to.

“I hope he breaks [the record] and I hope he adds to it,” said Leary. “Obviously, there are other players in the game who will be knocking on his door at some point, but I hope he breaks it and I hope he breaks it this year. I also hope he decides to play next year and possibly beyond.”

It’s tough for Leary to hear all of the negativity surrounding Bonds. “He’s a good friend,” said Leary. “Obviously, he’s in the spotlight day in and day out, both on and off the field. His life is lived under a microscope, and all of the negative or positive things don’t take away from the friendship that we have and started so many years ago.”

Leary said he remembers Bonds being good at everything he did as a child and later as a teenager, including football, basketball and martial arts, before he became a professional baseball player.

“I was not a good quarterback, but he was a good receiver,” said Leary of their high school gridiron days. “The best part about that was all I had to do was take a little three-step drop and throw the ball as far as I could and hope he was the guy who caught it and not the guy in the other uniform.

“There are some stories I would never share,” added Leary with a smile. “But he was regular kid, just as regular of a kid as you could be in those days.”

Bonds’ father, Bobby, was obviously in the spotlight during his major-league playing days, but it never changed Barry as a kid.

Because Barry Bonds and Leary are both busy with their different careers, they don’t talk as much as they used to. But they exchange e-mails and phone calls. Their baseball careers have taken different paths. It’s hard not to know what Bonds has done. Leary, however, isn’t in the spotlight but he is very well respected in the baseball world.

“There’s no question this guy is as good as it gets,” said Pawtucket Red Sox manager Ron Johnson. “I’ve worked for a lot of people, and if you find somebody who doesn’t like Rob Leary or can’t work for Rob Leary, then they need to get rid of that guy because there’s something wrong with that person. I love when Rob comes in and, to me, he’s as good as it gets.”

Leary has handled almost every job in professional baseball with the exception of a major-league manager. He’s in his sixth season with the Boston Red Sox, after spending time in baseball operations with the Florida Marlins from 1995 to 2001. The Melbourne, Fla., resident was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 12th round of the 1986 draft out of LSU. He played five seasons in the minors before making the jump to the management side for the Expos’ minor-league affiliates from 1990 to 1994.

“I’m blessed,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be involved with really good people since the day I was drafted. I’ve been involved with good, solid people throughout the organizations I’ve been with.”

The next few days at Fenway Park should be interesting with Bonds and the Giants coming to town. Leary will have a front-row seat for the festivities, and he’s looking forward to catching up with his good friend.

“I’m really proud of him for what he’s done on and off the field,” said Leary. “He’s been a good friend for a long, long time. I still consider him a good friend, and it’s going to be good to see him this week.”

jmcdonal@projo.com