Bonds Works For Me!

So Barry Bonds is now baseball's all time, home run king. Congratulations Barry!! Is it possible we've all misjudged this man over the years? I saw an interview with him on Wednesday night August 8 on "The Best Damned Sports Show Period" on Fox Sports Network and Barry came across as very genial and friendly in the lengthy sit down with Giants broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. Detractors might say "well Bonds was being interviewed by a pair of his own, a couple of ex major league ballplayers and current Giant broadcasters." That's true, but it's not like these 2 guys were "schlock's." Krukow, a former pitcher and one time 20 game winner with the Giants and Kuiper, a longtime shortstop with both the Indians and Giants, are both 5 time Emmy award winners. Both had excellent questions for Bonds in my opinion and both shared incites into his career as both had played against Bonds.

And it was great to hear Hank Aaron inject his two cents worth in a pre-taped recording which was played on the scoreboard after Bonds had broken Hank's record. Aaron's words were well chosen and hit the mark right on the bullseye. I did hear some local Detroit sports talk show hosts claim that Hank looked "uncomfortable" on camera as he read his statement. But having followed Hank's career over the years, I remember him as always being "uncomfortable" in such situations! Hank is and was always a quiet and humble man. The fact that he was not on hand live for Barry's record breaker, doesn't surprise me. Hank said he did not want to become the center of attention and take away from Barry's moment. After all, Babe Ruth was not on hand when Hank broke the Babe's all time career home run record (the Babe was dead at the time!) nor was future Hall of Famer Roger Connor on hand when the Babe broke Roger's career home run record (Roger was alive and well and living in his home town of Waterbury, Connecticut).

Finally, I heard one of the best comments I've ever heard on the "Bonds and steroids" issue the other day on another one of those local sports radio talk shows. The hosts were talking about a possible asterisk being placed by Bond's name for holding the career homer record. A caller phoned in and told the hosts that if you put an asterisk by Bond's name for holding a "tainted" career home run record, then "you'll have to put an asterisk by every major league baseball record which was made prior to 1947." That would be all of the yearly batting champions, all of the annual hits leaders, all of the season's wins leaders, all of the shutout leaders, all of the yearly home run champions, etc. Why place an asterisk before all of those records? Replied the caller "Because blacks were not allowed to play major league baseball before 1947."