By Mark La Monica
Scary is the day when Philadelphia sports fan encapsulate the pulse of America.
On Sunday night, Phillies fans booed and booed and booed Barry Bonds during his every plate appearance. And when he destroyed a 90-mph "fastball" from Jon Lieber in the sixth inning for career home run No. 713 -- one shy of tying Babe Ruth -- those same fans cheered as if Bonds were one of their own.
This basically sums up how many feel about Bonds these days. They pay their money to boo him, and they get their money's worth, but secretly, they want to say they saw history.
Regardless of the cloud of suspicion hanging over Bonds' larger-than-it-once-was head, deep down we all want to watch him hit more home runs, surpass Ruth and chase Aaron. For those who hate on Bonds, this will give them even more fuel for their rage. For those who support Bonds, this will give them even more cause to rejoice. For those who are undecided, this will give them more time to decide.
Bonds was already a great baseball player before the allegations of steroids were kicked up a notch after the BALCO scandal and the book "Game of Shadows." But now Bonds is the public's lightning rod for athletes who "cheat" and use performance-enhancing drugs. (We put "cheat" in quotes in that sentence because since it wasn't against the rules of baseball to take steroids until recently, it's not technically cheating. Of course, it was illegal in the eyes of the law.)
We as a culture gravitate toward tragically flawed figures. They're much more compelling than people of perceived perfection. They make us want to watch or read.
Bonds is tragically flawed. Everything he does now is questioned because of his assumed steroid use a few years ago. Although Bonds never admitted to knowingly taking steroids, it has become one of those generally accepted beliefs in the American landscape, like waiting 20 minutes after you eat to go swimming.
Fans throw syringes in his direction. Chant "Bar-roid." Boo incessantly. Unless, of course, he's in San Francisco, where he could dine-and-dash, pull a lawn job at Mayor Gavin Newsom's house, then urinate off the Golden Gate Bridge and still be the city's favorite son.
Bonds does nothing in response to the fans on the road, except try to hit the little baseball out of the big park. It's starting to reach the point where you almost want to feel bad for Bonds and hope he passes the Babe in tremendous fashion so as to put everyone in a positive frame of mind.
Ruth went from 711 to 714 career home runs in one afternoon. Bonds is at 713 now and has seven games in a row at AT & T Park (formerly Pac Bell Park) to tie, then break the record.
It would be nice to see Bonds hit two in one game at home, so he could indulge in the revelry of the fans. He's been good to the San Francisco fans so far, having hit home run No. 71 in 2001 and career home runs 500, 600, 660, 661 and 700 at home.
Granted, the record is 755 by Hank Aaron, but 714 is still the most magical number in sports for many reasons, not all of which are pleasant to think about. In no other sport would chasing second place garner much more than a few sentences in the newspapers and Web sites. But baseball is different. Bonds in different.
Before the steroid whispers turned into screams, Bonds was still among the three best players of his generation. (The other two up for consideration are Ken Griffey Jr. and Roger Clemens.)
Bonds had already won three National League MVPs (1990, '92-93) before adding four more trophies in a row (2001-04).
Before 1993, only three other NL players had won three MVPs: Stan Musial, Roy Campanella and Mike Schmidt. No major leaguer other than Bonds has four MVPs, let alone seven.
Surely, designer drugs are not fully responsible for all those MVPs, the 2,341 walks, the .300 career batting average, the 506 stolen bases.
The drug cocktails described in "Game of Shadows" -- if indeed they are true -- likely helped a bit, but Bonds was already a lock for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
So when he walks to the plate this week, feel free to boo him. But when he hits home runs No. 714 and 715, feel free to applaud the effort. After all, only one other man has ever done better.
More on Barry Bonds
Photos: Bonds through the years
Vote: Your feelings on No. 715
Newsday special: Stories from Hank Aaron's passing of Babe Ruth
Comments (23)
When he breaks Babe Ruth's record it would be only fitting if the fan threw the ball back onto the field. Can you imagine the media attention. It would be great. national TV and the fan is throwing the ball back because the way in which the record was reached seems tainted.
"The drug cocktails described in "Game of Shadows" -- if indeed they are true -- likely helped a bit,"
Sorry, man, but this is just painfully naive. It is wrong for fans to single out Bonds, since there are dozens of baseball cheats, but you have to be kidding if you think there is any doubt about it.
I've got to agree with both points made so far by Chris and PJ. It would be hilarious to see a fan throw it back. Even better would be a slingshot from one of those kayaks out there in McCovey Cove.
As for the evidence in that book, I'm probably being naive, but I still have to finish reading that book and for some reason, I'm clinging to the innocent until proven guilty. Of course, I will most likely be proven incorrect.
You forgot the people who don't give a hoot either way about Bonds, and don't give a hoot if he breaks any records. He was a supposed future HOF'er, yet needed more. He's like the illegal immigrants demanding respect. You only get it if you have it for yourself and give it freely to others. Criminals ,thieves and liars need to go to jail. Wipe his entire record out as if he never existed, and stop using loser athletes as people to emulate.
Sic of double standards
Throw out food...dosen't it make us stronger?
"....deep down we all want to watch him hit more home runs, surpass Ruth and chase Aaron."
BULLSHIT!!! THE man IS A DISGRACE!!! DEEP DOWN I WOULD LIKE ALL PITCHERS TO WALK HIM EVERY TIME HE COMES UP TO THE PLATE WHILE WEARING ALL OF THAT PUSSY BODY ARMOR!!!!
HANK and the BABE will forever reign supreme!!!
Tom Michel
Ayr Scotland
native NYer - Mets fan
Aaaron holds "The Record" and Bonds will certainly move into second place. I hope that Bonds himself or a "higher power" keep it that way.
I think for some reason Bonds will decide Aaron should stay HR King and forgo the pursuit. Deep down he must have some respect for the game which has been his life (Bobby then Barry) and realize he would not have reached 755 with out man made substance. He will get honest with himself.
This requires some humility from Bonds which he has never shown to have, but I think it is within him. Passing Ruth is entirely different than passing AAron and to Barry race is a big motivating factor which is gone after he inevitably passes Ruth. From that point on he has a lot of time (40 hrs) to think about what "The right thing" to do is and I feel he will decide to not come back next year.
This is truly sad. For more reasons than one.
a)people are comparing how many games it took "the babe" to reach his mark and now comparing it to bonds by day, hours minuites and i wouldnt be supprised if they say bonds was wearing a lighter blend of cotton uniform that gives him and advantage. Heck. while your at it lets throw in more variables....when babe broke the record. What speed did the average pitcher throw at i bet no faster than a the average farm team pitcher which bonds can warm up and hit 1000 home runs on. o yeah while we are still throwing in irrelevent variables, are we going to measure the distance of each home run?, wait...he is another one..bonds played night games which allowed him to see the ball better oh yeah..and the density of the bat and ball gave this player a unfair advantage
.
truly one can see this is Sad. but what is the true problem?
B) Babe ruth isnt the homer run King Hank is the home run king.. and in 100 years when its still 90ft to first base, we may see players hitting 500 home runs left and right. will we then blame evolution? and say natural selection is ruining baseball Third. if bonds is a cheater, then anybody with enough sense not to chew the gum in a pack of baseball card knows that the entire sports industry is fueled by physically ehnancers from creatine to what ever "coctail" players are so called taking.
C) i would love to see a copy of a drug test that barry bonds failed. Has anyone who spent millions of dollars attempting to taint his character every seen this test? if not then on what basis are we basing his cheating on, emotions? heresay? or hate for a great player.
If i were bonds i would quit baseball right after that home run. walk right out of the stadium and let all of the critics find a new top dog to pick on.
Are there any fact checkers working for Newsday? Steroids were illegal in baseball during Fay Vincent's reign. He declared them illegal the same year that Congress banned them. Yes, this was one of his enumerated powers as commissioner.
So, yes Bonds did cheat.
Dead silence is not likely to happen but cardboard cutouts of The Babe flipping a bird would draw laughter which is what this thing is all about. Same thing for every homer after 715 only with Henry Aaron flipping the bird.
Bonds is a great player. But, it took him 200 games more then Babe Ruth. He played the game longer then Babe did. remember Babde Ruth began as a pitcher and had 2 seasons of 20+ wins and 2 or 3 more with 12-18 wins before he became a "hitter". In addition, he threw for more then 150 strikeouts twice. In saying this, Babe did his feats by playing few years and without the steriod aspect. He had nearly 100 more triples. Also, and more to the point, Babes average was 342 vs 300 for Bonds. His slugging percentage was 691 vs 610 or so. Lastly,players play in different eras and against different talent. players today might be much better atheletes, but when you concider the reletive nature of the game and times, things are equal.
Bonds is no Ruth who did many things for children and handicap charities. He is no Micky Mantel or for that matter, he can not hold a candle to Hank Aaron. Bonds is Bonds and though he is doing a great achievement, he is not as great in or off the feild as so many others.
Yes, steriods are illegal. but the question is did bonds use steriods. and if your so sure he did where is your proof. anyway this is beside the point..
since when was baseball a race..?
ive heard of the homerun derby..but i think this is a figure of speach..
if babe ruth took 3 years to make his mark does it matter?
what is the real issue here, is it steroid? how long it took bonds? the fact that bonds didnt pitch?
whats next...Babe made less per year...so that makes him a better player?
i almost want to laugh and cry. because this is truly sad. what bonds is doing for baseball isnt what babe did. babe is not bonds bonds is not babe.
It would be nice if some one had a truly factual point.
The drug cocktails described in "Game of Shadows" -- if indeed they are true -- likely helped a bit, but Bonds was already a lock for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Helped "a little bit". What drugs are you taking? No way this guy gets 71 and 713 without the juice. Nobody gets better at hitting a baseball as they get into their forties, nobody naturally anyway.
Simply put, this guy is cheating. So many argue why not hate everyone who is doing the same thing? answer: becuase those others are not wrongfully chasing the single greatest record in any sport. This is the only sport where your homeruns are yours alone. Where it has almost nothing to do with where you are or who is around you. He is chasing someone who used drugs, primarily alchohol and who was hindered by it to say the least, and Bonds is using enhancing drugs. Wow, I don't know who could like this guy but those who lack the ability to achieve things without cheating.
What a pathetic, waffling pile of drivel La Monica is dishing up! He tells us: "Boo him! Cheer him! Feel bad for him! It wasn't REALLY cheating at the time...etc." This last statement is blatantly untrue- illegal(as in not prescribed) use of controlled substances (including steroids) was outlawed by baseball in 1991). And La Monica's claim that the same fans who booed Bonds in Philly were cheering him when he hit #713 is misinformation at best; listen to the crowd when the HR is replayed and what you'll hear is the loud chorus of booing over any faint cheerin there might have been. If you really have to go read the whole book, go do it. Then what? Bonds continues his arrogant and selfish assault on the games integrity and deserves nothing but contempt. His ability and acomplishments early in his career do not absolve or lessen the offense. They may even heighten it. If this problem was centered on a small handful of borderline Major League players who used these substances to hang on to a roster spot they wouldn't have been able to otherwise keep, though still inacceptable, that would be one thing. But the issue is much, much larger than that. This goes right to the heart of the game. When the games best players come under question, the whole game is suspect. This isn't only about Bonds, for he is just the most visible symbol of the problem and all the other cheats deserve to be revealed and reviled as well, but this moment belongs to Bonds. He is passing a landmark in baseball history and doing it without regard for the history it represents. It's one thing to argue one record vs. another from different eras, but the spirit of the game and the honesty with which those records were accomplished deserve respect. Bonds has none of that respect. He deserves no respect. Pete Rose is out of baseball for being a liar about betting on baseball. Bonds (and anyone else who's doped themselves) should be loin Rose on the outside looking in. As for "Brad": come back to Earth. and for "discouraged base ball fan": I don't know where to begin unravelling your winding conflicting thoughts.
...and when Bonds passes Ruth whoever gets the baseball shouldn't throw it back, they should destroy it.
tim,
I am going to take a guess...you were a loser as a kid, right? Thought so. One of those guys who could never play baseball but knows everything about it. You say Bonds cheated... maybe so. If baseball was concerned about anythng but the almighty dollar then maybe they should have had drug test. Or if they were so concerned about the integrity of the game and america and apple pie then Mickey Mantle should not have been allowed to represent baseball as goes for Babe Ruth the fat, glutton, womanizing drunk. Steroids do not make you hit a 98 mph fast ball, they don't make you make a diving catch in foul territory. Steroids do not break records. They do make oyu faster and stronger. But they do not give you skill if they did maybe you would have gotten picked in you neighborhood baseball game. When Bonds does break the record it should be celebrated, as any other record broken by any other player. The only reason it is even in question now is because Selig is trying to put on a show about how much he cherishes the "game" ......bullshit! If steroids ever leave the game then he will just juice up the ball or lower the mound. Gotta have that long ball. It fills the seats
Teams should simply not pitch to Bonds. I’ve received a number of e-mails telling me I’m nuts to suggest pitchers walk Bonds every time he steps into the batter’s box. I've looked at the numbers, I don’t think I am.
To get an idea of what the impact of walking Bonds would be I went back and looked at his numbers for 2004, the last season he played a full year. Below are a few of his statistics:
Games played: 147
Plate Appearances: 617
Batting Average: .362
Hits: Singles: 60
Doubles: 27 – scored 12 times
Triples: 3 – scored 2 times
Home Runs: 45
RBIs: 101
Runs: 129
Walks: 232
HBP: 9
Those numbers give you all the information you need to understand that not only am I not crazy, but that pitchers should start walking Bonds today and never give him another opportunity to inch closer to the Babe or to Hank.
My argument is simply this: If the statistics that played out in 2004 are indicative of what one can expect from a SF team with Bonds on it, then pitchers and managers will not only Help Save Baseball by not pitching to Bonds, they can improve their chances of winning.
In 2004 Bonds stepped into the batter’s box 617 times. The results were:
45 Home runs
101 RBIs
129 Runs
The questions are: How many times Bonds could have been expected to score if he had been walked 617 times? How does that compare the actual number of runs he generated during the season?
We start by looking a Bond’s actual productivity during the year. He stepped into the batter’s box 617 times. He ended up on base a total of 331 times, 301 on first. Starting on first base he would eventually go on to score 70 runs. (45 of his runs came from HRs, 12 came after he hit doubles and 2 came after he hit triples. 129 - 59 = 70) He therefore scored while starting at first 23.26% of the time.
Imagine now that rather than pitching to Bonds, he was walked 617 times and ended up on first base. If we take the 23.26% scoring rate from above, we would imagine that Bonds would have scored 143 runs.
To see how this theoretical 143 runs compares to the actual runs he generated we look at the following:
101 RBIs + 84 Runs = 185 Runs Generated. (The 84 runs comes from subtracting 45 HRs from his 129 Run total because HRs are already counted in RBIs)
The resulting comparison is 143 theoretical runs scored vs. 185 actual runs generated. Therefore, by intentionally walking Bonds, opposing pitchers and managers can expect that the Giants will score 42 fewer runs during the season. The numbers demonstrate that pitchers and managers can choose to Help Save Baseball by walking Bonds without sacrificing wins. Indeed, just the opposite is the case. This is not a perfect solution, and by a team telegraphing the fact that Bonds will be walked, Felipe Alou may make some lineup changes that impact the outcome. Nonetheless, the numbers speak for themselves and I'm not certain that there is much Alou can do to overcome a 42 run deficit.
While this may cause some fans dismay, I would suggest that it should not. Intentional walks have been a part of baseball forever, and unlike steroids, HGH and Insulin they are not cheating. It is not often that an opportunity comes along where doing the right thing helps not only the few but also the many, and this is one of those times. By deciding to Help Save Baseball, pitchers and managers can not only help the game, but they can help themselves win at the same time. They can help preserve the Integrity of baseball so that Hammerin' Hank will remain the HR champion rather than someone who had to find his greatest games at the end of a needle or in a bottle of pills.
(Visit www.helpsavebaseball.com for shirts and e-mail links to MLB)
SAve baseball?
since when was baseball in danger?
lol. babe ruth isnt the home run king. does anybody watch baseball anymore. hes 2nd. and soon to be third.
so what is there to save
People say you dont get better as you get older? funny because if its true that we dont get betters as we grow older then why has the human race advanced every 100 years or so...as we get older.
Walk Barry Bonds forever.
um. this is intresting? very intresting one misguided fan believes this will help teams win more games against SF giants..guess what... if you walk every hitter who bats over .300 and era's will go up.
and if your solution to wining is walkin batters who are a threat. what do you do against a team who has 4 batters hitting .300...walk them. im confused. maybe one of your misguided anylists can help me out.
jack- You are an absoulute moron and sound like one of those 'roid using apologists who think the ends justify the means. As for your guess, you're wrong about my playing baseball and being the last one picked. You, on the other hand, seem like one of those kids who never did well in school and who looked down on anyone who had any intelligence. Where you ever left back? I'm sure those memorys would be painful. The cynicsm you express to excuse Bonds from any hint of wrong doing by blaming Selig is a fine companion to your ignorance. And the tighter baseballs or lower mounds you predict would be the same for each player to contend with, not for a select group of cheaters. No one doubts that MLB dragged their feet and looked the other way, but a lack of a drug test after 1991, when the use of steroids was prohibited, doesn't give Bonds, or anyone, a free pass to cheat. But you don't seem to mind, so go on and enjoy yourself. Maybe get out to S.F., buy a Bonds jersey, put a little crown on your head, rent a kayak and maybe you can catch HR # 715 or #756 and whoop and holler like a WWF fan or a Jerry Springer audience memeber.
Barry Bonds. Isn't he the racist who won't give autographs to white people?
Jack, On one hand you say that steriods do not help you hit homeruns and then you say they make you faster and stronger. Don't you think if you are stronger that means you may hit the ball farther, thus resulting in more homeruns? Bonds does have the skill to hit homeruns I will grant you that, but how many of his 714 would have been caught on the warning track without the aid of steriods?
In addition, what about recovery time from nagging injuries? Bonds more than likely would have sat out more games from 1990 through 2006 if he were not on steriods due to nagging injuries that steriods otherwise helped him recover from faster and therefore would have hit less homeruns.
Steriods were not legal in Baseball, the CBA bans all illegal substances. Steriods were simply not one of the illegal drugs that were part of the test
Hi,
have not heard of fakes and have not seen any issues - - http://steroidonlineshop.com
i just picked up some of their T4.