Hank Aaron has said he won’t attend games where Barry Bonds might break the slugger’s career home run record. If your read my blog ever, you know I love to analyze people’s statements in the press, and I chuckled at Hammerin’ Hank’s response to the question of whether he would attend to see Bonds take a shot at the record.
“I’m 72 years old, and I’m not hopping on a plane and flying all the way to San Francisco for anybody.” via Yahoo.com
Kind of funny, but the guy has a point. He also said “It’s going to be a no-win situation for me anyway. If I go, people are going to say, `Well, he went because of this.’ If I don’t go, they’ll say whatever. I’ll just let them make their own mind up.” He’s right.
photo credit: dbking
14 comments ↓
Bonds*
? Oh, are you saying he should have the* next to his name in the record books? Here\’s a thought. What do you do for everyone else? The pitchers who were on steroids that threw a pitch to a guy on steroids, who then hit a homerun?
That whole steroids thing will probably die out quite a bit, but it\’ll be talked about for a while like the Black Sox and Pete Rose.
I’d go to see Bonds break the record, because like it/him or not, it will be a big part of baseball history. Not to mention I was in San Francisco the day he hit 71 and 72. I could have gone to that game, but I chose to go to the Saturday game instead of the Friday night game.
So what happens? Bonds hits 71 and 72 on Friday night as I’m eating dinner and kicking myself for not being there, and then Saturday (when I’m at the game) he doesn’t play except for one at bat (he singled to right). Then on Sunday he hits 73.
@ Clay: “… like it/him or not, it will be a big part of baseball history.”
That doesn’t make much sense. Just because it’s history doesn’t mean you celebrate it. The game won’t change so long as its fans are tolerant of cheats.
Bonds is an interesting case. Did he do roids? It sounds like Blake believes it’s a yes. Barry’s been convicted in the court of public opinion, which is not a court of fair justice. I don’t know if he did or didn’t. It’ll be cool to see him hit 755, but it will also bring up the question . . .
I read an excerpt from Game of Shadows and while I haven’t read the whole thing you come to the conclusion rather quickly that Barry had to have taken steroids. But then again so did a lot of the players from that era if you believe Jose Canseco. I say we just erase everything from the last 20 years of baseball and start fresh again.
P.S. Bonds* has never come out and said “I’ve never taken steroids”
I’ve read Game of Shadows, and it makes a very convincing case against Bonds with lots of insight into the Balco hearings. Yes, only a book, but add it with Bonds getting busted for using the cream and having his head freakishly grow, and it’s an easy case to say he’s a cheat. You’re fooling yourself if you think he didn’t.
And this is the court of public opinion, Russ, this is logic. The human Body doesn’t physically perform better with age like Barry has done. Either he’s the first human to defy nature, or he used steriods. My money is on the latter. Sadly, so is the reputation and legacy that is baseball.
Logic and the court of public opinion are not related at all. In fact, they are often at complete odds with each other There’s a hundred examples of this.
CNN used its power with knuckle head Nancy Grace to influence public opinion into believing the Duke guys were “guilty” when in fact they weren’t. Public opinion can be very illogical. It can be full of sheepwalkers (Godin) and is often affected by groupthink.
I’m not saying Bonds is or isn’t guilty. That hasn’t all come out in the wash yet. I am saying that he is guilty in the court of public opinion, and the question looms. I can’t avoid it.
What the heck are you guys talking about? Bonds was never busted for using the cream, nor has he admitted to ever receiving the cream or the clear.
Bonds told the grand jury he received flaxseed oil and arthritis cream from his trainer. That’s it. Prosecutors speculated it was the cream, but Bonds said he didn’t think his trainer would lie to him.
Maybe Bonds did take steroids, maybe he didn’t, I’m willing to withhold judgment for now. As to Game of Shadows, I read it and I found it shocking that not one single anonymous source claimed to have seen Bonds with steroids.
I must add this . . .
Bonds is one of the best hitters . . . EVER. The ability to select pitches and hit them has nothing to do with creams or enhancing drugs. It has everything to do with the mind, the mental ability.
He knows the strikezone.
Barry Bonds is a cheater. No doubt i would love to be there if he does break the record, however i don’t want him to break the record. Hank Aaron deserves to own the record. It’s like if a wrestler wrestles out of his weight class. NO FAIR.
Barry Bonds also picks his pitches better than almost any other hitter in probably 50 years.
Pitch selection or not, the steroids still turned a lot of routine 350-foot fly-ball outs into 400-foot homers. The only reason Bonds hasn’t been “proven” guilty is because (a) the advancements in discreet designer drugs continue to outpace testing capabilities, and (b) he and his entourage have continually lied and/or obstructed justice, as evidenced by the fact that his personal trainer is currently sitting in a jail cell. Everyone needs to stop apologizing for this jerk.
And steroids aside for a moment, given all of the other pro-offense changes to the game over the past decade, any records from this era should be taken with a grain of salt. Are we seriously supposed to celebrate when a juiced-up Barry Bonds strolls to the batter’s box in a size 11-3/4 helmet and more body armor than Gemini from American Gladiators, digs in an inch off the plate with no fear of repurcussions, runs the count to 3-0 on pitches that would have been called strikes in any year from approximately 1880 to 1994, then locks in on an 87-mph fastball from the No. 4 starter in an expansion-diluted rotation and pops an extra tightly-wound ball over a 330-foot fence for career home run No. 756? We’re supposed to compare him to Hank Aaron? Seriously???
So i guess everyone in basebal should take roids to make it fair.
then everyone will have testicular cancer and the world will be beautiful once again!
Leave a Comment