In many of my moments of baseball reverie I have been struck by the vitriolic hatred that Barry Bonds elicits from a legion of followers of the game. I find it to be a mystery and an abominable contradiction. Surely, on any objective assessment, Bonds was one of the very greatest players of all time. Why all the hatred?
The early stages of this hatred almost surely arose from Bond’s disdain for sports writers. Look at it from his point of view: a gaggle of gossip hacks that are completely unable to do the thing about which they write, and therefore essentially don’t know what they are talking about, continually pester one with dumb questions and rude probes into one’s personal life. What does an intelligent person do? Well, avoid them, of course. But then, this is not what ‘celebrities’ are supposed to do. Celebrities are supposed to kiss ass to ensure that the fan’s asses get out there on the seats and that further endorsements and investment opportunities continue to flow one’s way, not to mention so that writers can brag that they’re best buds with Barry.
I like it that Bonds didn’t care. It shows style.
But the sports writers were offended. Their little egos were wounded and with typical small-minded bitterness they bit back. Imagine these people – hangers-on, talentless wannabes loitering around the locker rooms of nubile young men in jockstraps. But their venality and toxic envy reaches a lot of people.
Strike one against Bonds.
Almost no one will feel comfortable if I raise the race issue, but I must. Barry Bonds is a black man, but then again, so are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and many other revered baseball players. But Bonds was different. He demanded a respect beyond what the accommodating Aaron or Mays merely hinted at. He was an ‘uppity nigger’.
Strike two against Bonds.
Finally, there is the steroids dilemma. The demonization of Bonds over steroid use is of course, only an excuse. ‘Now we can finally nail him’ is the cry from the self-righteous and phony patriots who seem to think that baseball is an expression of an essential American spirit, and not a bloody monstrous entertainment business. I feel certain that few of these pious souls were not thrilled to see Barry blast homer after homer into McCovey Cove.
That’s entertainment folks!
Consider basketball players. How many people approach 7 feet tall? They might be considered freaks of nature. But this is not a problem, or considered ‘unfair’.
McGwire, Sosa, Rodriguez, even Clemens…none of them are as hated as much as Bonds, even though they used as well; as did innumerable others lacking the talent of a Bonds, and for whom steroids could not suffice to transform them into superstars.
Of course, even Aaron stated that he doubted steroids could have any effect on hand-eye coordination, and no one seems to consider Bond’s experience as a factor in his later batting performance, such as the exquisite patience in judging when to swing at a ball he developed in the ‘steroid years’. One can probably state that he was powered up enough to hit an extra 50 to 75 homers over his career due to steroids.
Big deal. Should there be an asterisk next to those two records? Most likely.
Arrogance. Funny concept. Self-confidence is generally considered to be a good thing. Be careful if you’re a public figure, I guess.
Strike three against Bonds.
Well, I say vote him into the Hall of Fame at the very first opportunity.
As for steroids, let’s legalize them, and regulate them so that the entertainers have equal opportunity and are safe and remain healthy, as we sit back and watch a feast of physical wonders cross our screens.
