By Mark La Monica
Poor Byung-Hyun Kim. Every time you look, he’s serving up majestic home runs.
Yankees fans will always appreciate Kim for allowing Tino Martinez to tie Game 4 of the 2001 World Series against Arizona with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and giving Derek Jeter the chance to win it in the 10th.
Then there was the following night, the first November baseball game ever, when Scott Brosius hit a two-run bomb off Kim to tie Game 5 in the ninth.
Now, Kim has endeared himself to the good people of San Francisco. It was Kim who grooved the historic 715th career home run for Barry Bonds.
Kim, now a starter for Colorado, threw a pitch down the middle and Bonds crushed it some 445 feet to centerfield.
The fans erupted, and rightfully so. They just witnessed a piece of history by their favorite son. Only one other man has been in this position, Hank Aaron, who ended his career as home run king with 755 homers.
The stadium erupted with fireworks, streamers and banners, and rightfully so. Bonds has been the face of the franchise since 1993 and has hit nearly all his milestone home runs at home.
Other than the chance to witness history and the unique ability of Kim to throw monstrous and magnificent home runs, there was little to be excited about. Oh, it was a triumphant blast to centerfield and we can laugh at the guy in the stands who couldn't make the catch. But there was also a "Oh that's nice. Next!" cloud circling in.
Such is the world of baseball ever since Jose Canseco turned author. The steroid scandal has made an everyday home run a curiosity. Albert Pujols and his 23 home runs so far this season do not come without a hint of speculation. It’s the byproduct of Major League Baseball turning its head for so long.
And as one of the few non-ESPN people on the East Coast who has supported Bonds in the past, even I had trouble getting excited about No. 715. I watched the highlights through a “Thank God it’s over for now” prism.
It’s really a shame. Not so much for me but for Bonds and baseball. Regardless of what Bonds may or may not have done to his body, he’s still one of the 10 best baseball players ever. A sure-fire Hall of Famer well before any rumors surfaced to perceived truths.
There should be at least some form of recognition from baseball for this accomplishment. Sure, Ruth’s 714 is no longer the record but it still is a monumental number, one forever ingrained into the fabric of America.
Instead, commissioner Bud Selig had to announce two weeks ago there would be no celebration of Bonds hitting 714 and 715. After all, we’re America and since when does the American landscape allow for celebrating second best. But there was an aura of negativism when Selig made that announcement. A sort of silent “Screw you, Barry.”
Part of the world’s hatred of Bonds – outside the 415 and 510 area codes – has to do with his perceived use of steroids.
(Note 1: I say “perceived” because none of us know for sure what he did or did not do.)
(Note 2: I will be reading “Game of Shadows” this week in preparation for watching Bonds and the Giants at the Shea Stadium on Sunday.)
(Note 3: Note 1 may change upon completion of Note 2.)
The rest of the world’s hatred of Bonds stems from his media-cultivated image of arrogance, egotism and self-absorbedness.
I’ve never met the man so I cannot say if that image is false or true. Just from watching him in television interviews, I’m fairly certain there is some degree of arrogance bubbling inside Barry Bonds. But I don’t know for a fact that degree is any higher than anyone else’s.
We in the media have the keen ability to shape a person’s image to the public. People inject their opinions into everything they do, regardless of their profession. A completely objective world is about as realistic as Lindsay Lohan inviting me to her next birthday party. Sure, I’d love for it to happen (hey LL, my email address is on the right side of this page) but it likely never will.
Why did Hideki Matsui not win the AL Rookie of the Year in 2003? Because some voters decided he wasn’t really a rookie, even though under major league rules, he clearly qualified.
Is Paris Hilton really that ridiculously dumb? OK, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea.
Maybe by the time 755 rolls around for Bonds, provided it even happens, we’ll be a bit more excited to watch. Maybe not. Such is the place baseball and Bonds resides in these days.
Comments (5)
Dear Mark;
Your blog today confirms what I believe; that in this nation where due process is key, we have given Barry Bonds the benefit of the doubt.
Once you read Game of Shadows, you will understand that Bonds admitted to using the BALCO products, 'not knowing what they were'. I write some more on my humble blog, www.TMelendezmypointofview.blogspot.com and link to articles from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Just do us a favor, please; write a column back after you are done with the book.
Tony
Mark:
Barry deserves zero. Look at his physical size pre and post Balco and during Balco. The man obviously was doing more than just bench pressing and other weight lifting activities.
Americans are very, very forgiving of its heroes, given that thier heroes are honest enough to tell the truth.
Barry has been given every benefit of the doubt.
Once his taking of 'roids has been confirmed his numbers along with any other players who used the 'roids should be erased from the books.
Or at least a big fat * next to the numbers.
What a load of Bull-Spit La Monica is shovelling here (and 'Tony', you're just as lame). Bonds knew exactly what he was going! You clowns who continue to talk about 'due process' and 'benefit of the doubt' live with your heads either in the sand or up your ass. What do you want- Barrys' home vidoes of himself shooting up while smiling, looking right into the camera and saying "Well, there goes the HGH; now time for the Winstrol!"? Bonds deserves evry bit of scorn and wrath he's receiving, this season and beyond. He's sullied the record book and the sport. His transgressions transcend those of Pete Rose; Bonds deserves no less of a fate. Stop playing around with your attempts to be politically correct or flouting your efforts at being 'objective; what part of your ego or conscience is that stroking? Bonds is a cheat. Time for you to face the facts and come to grips with that. Go on from there.
Roger,
I'm halfway through 'Game of Shadows' right now and it doesn't look too promising for Bonds. But I don't think we can compare him with Pete Rose. In Rose's case, he created a situation where he could alter the outcome of a game on his own accord. Rose could leave a pitcher in too long, not hit-and-run in a key spot, start a weaker-than-normal lineup. With Bonds, at least he had to actually try and hit the ball. Neither is forgiveable, but there is a difference.
- ML
(sigh)...what are we going to do with you, La Monica. How many situations did Bonds affect by hitting a key home run to swing the outcome of a game? Both players were tampering with the integrity of the game. Both were doing things considered by baseball to be against the rules. What is keeping Bonds' ass out of a sling and keeping him in the game is the predicament baseball faces with Bonds just being one of several guilty players. Baseball doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to investigate and suspend all of the steroid cheats; it's too big of a can of worms. If it was just Bonds as the only one having done it, he'd be gone.