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Sports Gospel- The Truth about Bonds
Mark Chalifoux
March 10th
Frankly, I’m surprised Barry Bonds is even still alive. Anytime I see smoke on the horizon, I get that sinking feeling in my stomach that a crazed mob has finally tracked him down and torched him at the stake. While the recent venom towards Bonds hasn’t reached the “Salem in 1692” level, it’s still ridiculous to see some of the things being said. Just to set everyone straight- Bonds didn’t cheat, shouldn’t retire, shouldn’t have any of his records asterisked, and should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Barry Bonds has never tested positive for steroids. Granted, testing was only implemented in the past few years, but he’s never pulled a Palmeiro. The writers that “exposed” Bonds in their book claim Bonds started using steroids back in 1998 after becoming jealous at the attention the McGwire-Sosa home run chase was generating. There’s only one problem with this- there weren’t any rules prohibiting it at the time.
Bonds is one of the greatest competitors in sports. He has a great work ethic and it can’t be that shocking to people that he would try to succeed at any cost. He simply took advantage of the system in place to make himself a stronger, better player. Bonds did (and I’m fairly convinced he did) only what he thought he had to do to get an edge. And you know what? It worked. He became the best home-run hitter in the game and is now poised to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time list and has the top spot in his sights. This prompted a general consensus from the self-righteous majority- Bonds must retire and can’t be allowed to pass Ruth.
The fact that people think he should actually leave the game (I’m looking at you, USA Today) is, to use my favorite Tim Duncan phrase, basically retarded. Anyone who cheered for the McGwire-Sosa home-run race has no place to lash out at Bonds, because the two situations aren’t any different. It’s ironic that the event that brought many fans back to the game after the ’94 strike was a byproduct of the very thing that’s going to turn more fans away from the game, but to make Bonds the whipping boy on this issue is absurd. If you’re looking for someone to blame, look squarely at Major League Baseball.
For years a blind eye has been turned to the issue of performance enhancers, especially with the response of fans at the offensive explosion. Business was good. Baseball did nothing until their hand was forced by Jose Canseco and a Sports Illustrated expose. Only then did they start to address the steroid issue. The problem was the system in place, Bonds was just one of many players to take advantage of it.
What I don’t understand is why people have such a problem with him holding the all-time home-run record. You can’t put an asterisk next to his name unless there is concrete proof that he cheated (ie- used steroids after the game outlawed them). Should there be an asterisk next to Babe Ruth’s numbers because he didn’t have to face African-American pitchers? Should there be an asterisk next to Aaron’s numbers because the players are bigger, stronger, and better trained today?
It’s cheap to see so many people get indignant about this whole Bonds drama. I don’t know how many times people can say the same thing, but we get it- he’s evil. Before I go further, I want to make my stance on Bonds clear. I dislike him, I think he’s a jerk, and I even wrote an entire column about how I pushed him off a bridge (you can find it in the SFM archives). After this though, I have one more feeling for Bonds- respect.
Bonds is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in my book. Baseball embraces the title of America’s pastime, and what’s more American than taking advantage of everything you can to be the best you can be? What’s more American than trying pushing boundaries, while staying within the rules, to gain an edge on a competitor? He is clearly one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but it’s his determination and competitive nature that puts above most players. Bonds has extraordinary talent and a desire to be the best that is rivaled by a select few athletes in history. He even put his body in harm’s way down the road to become a better player now. He sacrificed a lot, but he got what he wanted and I respect him for that.
Baseball is better with Bonds in the game. He’s a villain. He will be booed constantly on the road and will continue to take crap from everyone until he retires. Sports need the villains though, just as much as the heroes, and Bonds makes for one great villain. I hope he does play this season and suspending him would be the worst decision Bud Selig could make. People will come to watch to Barry Bonds. They will come to cheer against him, to watch him fail, or maybe just to observe the spectacle in person. Sometimes it’s more fun to root for the heel. Either way, he’s a player that will move people to follow him and the game.
I just hope he gets the chance before his career goes up in smoke.
The Sports Gospel is sponsored by www.betonsports.com. www.betonsports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on-Wager on football, cricket, Boxing, Rugby, Horse Racing and more. Mark Chalifoux is a columnist for SportsFan Magazine. You can reach him at Rockne48@und.com.
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