My Take on Barry Bonds

So, unless you make it point to be completely unaware of the news (which I can’t blame you for doing, quite frankly), you’ve probably already heard that Barry Bonds broke one of the most beloved and longest-running records in sports. By hitting home run #756 on Tuesday night, Bonds officially broke Hank Aaron’s home run record set in the 70’s. (While Aaron officially broke Babe Ruth’s record in 1974 with 715, he finished off his career in 1976 with a staggering 755 runs.)

Can we get serious for a moment: Is there anyone outside of the City of San Francisco that thinks that we should celebrate this? Heck, is there anyone IN San Francisco who, if they really look at the facts, say, “Yeah, we should be celebrating this man and his accomplishments”?

If there is anyone, I have a bridge for sale that you might be interested in…


NOT SAYING ANYTHING NEW

Now, I know I’m no sports reporter. (I know, shocker huh?) I’m sure all of these trained journalists who have studied baseball for years have much more eloquence and historical facts to utilize in explaining their points of view.

However, it seems that this “love” of the game has deluded several sports writers into writing various pieces ranging from, “He might be an ass, but he’s a great hitter with or without steroids,” to “He’s brought so much attention back to the game,” to “He’s EARNED that title.” How anyone could see this as a moment to celebrate or congratulate, I don’t know.

Quite frankly, I believe it’s one of the worst things to happen in baseball history.


“HE EARNED THAT TITLE”

Out of all of the arguments that I’ve heard in favor of Bonds becoming the new “home run king” (which makes me want to puke even typing that), this one has got to be the most outlandish, unfounded, and ridiculous claim of all.

Barry Bonds earned that title like a bank robber earned that bank’s money.

“Hey, that bank robber had to have natural talent in order to get away with the robbery! He had to be naturally good at handling money in order to make his way across the Mexican border without being arrested. He had to be super intelligent to plan the whole thing out and not get caught. He was so brave to go into that bank, knowing he might be shot by the bank tellers, or by the police & SWAT teams. Man oh man, make no mistake, that bank robber EARNED that money!”

Seriously, it’s about the same logic.

Unless you are either choosing to remain purposely detached from reality or a moron, you recognize that Barry Bonds uses steroids. To claim otherwise is either completely ignorant or retarded – and I’m not sure which is worse.

Meanwhile, Hank Aaron did it the all-natural way. Nothing ever came easy to that man. He Born to poor dock workers, he had to not only work his ass off to get to the big leagues, but he had to deal with rampant racism at the time, as well. The stadiums he was at suffered from record low attendance in the run-ups to his record breaking home run. And, right before he did break the record, he was receiving regular death threats against his whole family.

Barry Bonds would have been a great athlete without steroids. BUT, he would have never beat Hank Aaron’s record without the help of steroids. All you have to do is listen to the man – all of his problems are someone else’s fault. He would have never beat the home run record naturally because he doesn’t have the work ethic, or (and perhaps more importantly) the personal accountability to recognize his mistakes and to correct them.

Barry Bonds “earned” home run #756 like little, rich frat boys with IQs lower than Paris Hilton make their ways into Ivy League colleges.

And, let me just say for the record, Bonds planned that home run to be in his home stadium, and it’s a darn good thing he did. I can’t imagine the response from anywhere else would have been anything other than boos mixed with a few intermittent cheers – from the same idiots who claim he “earned” his title.


“HE’S BROUGHT SO MUCH ATTENTION BACK TO THE GAME”

It’s undeniable – Barry Bonds’s home run chase sold out every stadium he was in for weeks. He’s the number 1 athlete googled in the past weeks, as well.

It can’t be denied that Barry Bonds has brought back “attention” to the game. The real question is what kind of attention is it?

Barry Bonds has brought attention back to baseball like Tonya Harding brought back attention to ice skating.

“Sure, Harding had her meth head boyfriend/husband/cousin hire some borderline retarded goon to smash in a fellow competitor’s knee with a baseball bat. But, look at all the attention ice skating is getting now! People actually watch it on TV! Look at all the money we’re making from selling tickets and advertising opportunities! This is GREAT for the sport of ice skating!”

No, it’s great for the BUSINESS of ice skating.

The thing about modern sports is that it has been impossible to separate sports from business. But, even though they are inevitably entwined, THEY ARE STILL SEPARATE ENTITIES.

Sure, Bonds’s home run chase has boosted lagging ticket sales. Home audience viewership has skyrocketed, as well. The business side of baseball has profited from Bonds.

Perhaps that’s why they have turned a blind eye to Bonds’s obvious steroid use. When your pockets are being lined with the proceeds of someone’s cheating, it makes it very hard to be an objective party.

But, make no mistake, the sport of baseball is being ruined by Bonds. How long do you think the renewed attention is going to last now that Bonds has hit #756? I give it two weeks tops.

Then, after that, baseball enthusiasts everywhere have to reconcile themselves to the fact that a man who worked his ass off his entire life, withstood setbacks and prejudice, and still managed to come out on top (and be a genuinely good person, to boot), has now been replaced in the record books by a cheating, steroid-using, cocky, arrogant man who blames everyone for his problems other than himself.

The fact of the matter is if there’s any “bright” note of the new “attention” brought from Bonds to baseball, it’s that maybe everyone will think a little bit more about what kind of example it sets for kids (and also adults) watching baseball. Having Barry Bonds be the “home run king” is like putting a giant poster in schools saying, “Hey kids: Cheating pays off – just so long as you pay every one off. All the best, Barry Bonds.”


“HE MIGHT BE AN ASS, BUT HE’S A GREAT HITTER WITH OR WITHOUT STEROIDS”

This is probably the most well-thought out argument I’ve come across in defense of Barry Bonds. You can’t debate either of those facts. Barry Bonds is an ass, but he is a fantastic hitter.

But, what all does that mean? Bonds is by no means the only great hitter to ever walk onto the field of Major League baseball. If Hank Aaron could do all that he did WITHOUT the help of steroids, imagine what he would have done if he was as juiced as Barry Bonds!

Even by today’s standards, Barry Bonds isn’t even necessarily the best hitter on the field. Alex Rodriguez (for all of his faults) is nearing home run #500. The guy is only 32 years old, and has been in the major league since 1994. Barry Bonds, by contrast, has been in the majors since 1986. A-Rod has done in 13 years what it took Barry Bonds 15 years to do (www.baseball-reference.com).

I’m no math major, but it seems to me the only thing Bonds has up on A-Rod is the number of years on the field.

But, it’s true. Barry Bonds is a great hitter. Yes, he draws the crowds in with his antics. Yes, he makes people pay more attention at the games.

But, what does it all mean at the end of the day? Saying “Barry Bonds is an ass, but he’s a great hitter with or without steroids” is like saying, “Lindsay Lohan is a coked up psychotic bitch, but she’s a very talented actress.” Do you think anyone is knocking down Lindsay Lohan’s door saying: “Please bring your addiction and emotional problems to my set, just so that I can have your talent in my movie! Never mind that it will cost more to keep your ass alive and out of jail (let alone actually coherent on my set) than the movie will actually bring in at the theatres, or that you’ll be completely ungrateful for all of our money and effort. You’re a very talented actress, so we’re going to look the other way, and bend over backwards to make sure you stay out of trouble”?

People actually did that for a while with Lindsay Lohan; but, look at where she is today. No one wants to hire her. Hollywood is shunning her. Everyone is pronouncing her career dead.

Meanwhile, Barry Bonds has been able to put on his Giants jersey every day, has played every game that he was physically able to, and has been allowed to be named the “home run king”. Why? Why does Barry Bonds’s addiction to steroids differ from Lindsay Lohan’s to cocaine and alcohol? Why does Bonds get to make it into the records while Lohan will be lucky to be able to afford rehab in 5 years?


“YOU’RE JUST A HATER”

I’ll put this out there right now: I am a die-hard Dodgers fan. I make no bones about it. I love the Dodgers with a fierce sense of loyalty usually only reserved for family and very close friends. I would take a bullet for Russell Martin. Yes, the Giants are the enemy, and I do seriously consider if I find out someone is a Giants fan if we can still be friends.

I’ll also tell you right now that I AM a hater. I love the hate. I belong to the Hater-Nation. My favorite Chappelle Show clip of all-time is “The Haters’ Ball”. Hating is an art form, and I work on my skills all day every day.

Those disclaimers out of the way, I want to emphasize that if Barry Bonds had not done steroids, and had truly earned all 756 home runs through hard work and effort, I would have given him a standing ovation.

For example, I absolutely HATE the New England Patriots. I loathe them with a passion that ranks just below the Giants, and just above peacock shit on the hood of my car. But, I think Tom Brady is an all-right guy. (Bleah, I just threw up in my mouth a little.)

Seriously, though, while I love to “hate” on Brady, deep down I really do like and respect the guy. (OK, now I full-on vomited on my laptop.) He’s a fantastic player, and he got that way by hard work, dedication, and persistence.

If Barry Bonds hit home run #756 Tuesday night with a steroid-free past, even if he was still as big of an ass as he is now, I would give the guy his dues. I would say, “You know what? I don’t like him. I hate his team. But, the man has an incredible gift, and I can’t hate on that.”
But, that’s not what’s going on. Instead, he’s a juiced up, egomaniacal PHONY.

Let me ALSO say this: If Barry Bonds had done everything the exact same way, yet was on the Dodgers instead of the Giants, I would probably be booing even louder than I was when he beat the record playing for the Giants.

Why? Because I expect more from my team. If my beloved Dodgers EVER let a steroid-shooting, surly, arrogant jerk play for their team not just for one season, but for so long that he could take away a very honorable man’s record by cheating, I would be so mad that I would never step into Dodgers Stadium again.

And, that brings me to the main point of this blog. The fact of the matter is this is a moral issue. By letting Barry Bonds become “home run king”, the MLB business offices have killed whatever morality and honor that was left in major league baseball. They’ve allowed the message that “Cheating is not only acceptable; it’s rewarded,” to be pumped into our homes and cars all over the nation. It’s saying that hard work, patience, persistence, and a good character aren’t what matters; just so long as you’re the best, they don’t care what you have to do to get there.

What a great lesson. I just wish someone had taught me that in elementary school. I would have never tried so hard to get everything that I have today.

Good thing we have the MLB business tycoons, the Giants, and Barry Bonds nowadays. Surely our children will not make the same mistake that we did.

Cheers,

E