Barry Bonds and records and who the hell cares (or...Mean People Suck)
This will probably be the last thing I say about Barry Bonds, but I make no guarantees. I'll also say that I've never met Barry Bonds. I have no first hand experience. Every impression I have of him comes from things I have seen or read in the media. I think that's the case with most people, and a big part of where this entry is going.
I've about had it. I've pretty much given up on one of my favorite means of entertainment when driving around on weekends running errands. I used to listen to people talk sports on the radio. Lately, they've been beating the Barry Bonds/steroids/home run mark(s) issue into the dirt to where, as much dirt as there is, it's been pulverized into dust and there's just not much left.
I listen to people say, "You know he took steroids regardless of the tests." and others defend the guy saying nobody's proven anything. "Leave him alone." The bottom line is Barry Bonds is climbing the career home run hierarchy and nobody cares. People keep asking why nobody cares and many are zooming in on the steriod issue. Then come the apologists, saying he's a great player and nobody's on his bandwagon because he's black. Nobody's gunning for Mark McGuire, and he took steriods, but he's white. That's it. When all else fails and we need something to fall on, play the race card. All I can say is, all you people are missing the mark.
Barry Bonds is hitting home runs and nobody cares. It isn't because he's black. It isn't because of steroids. It's because he's an asshole. When this point is brought up, people say, well, Ty Cobb was an asshole, and nobody cared. They have a point, almost. Ty Cobb was playing baseball in a different era. There was no huge conditioning program. Neither the player nor the ball was juiced. There also wasn't an internet. Barry Bonds came along in an era where a lot of factors make it easier to break records. Players are much more athletic and take the game more seriously. Denials aside, the ball is a bit more...ummmm...lively. Legal or not, steriods are also a factor. All these have worked in his favor. There are other things going on though. Information travels at the speed of thought, and spreads quicker than a bird flu rumor, and this is his downfall. Not everyone knew Ty Cobb was a jerk, or the extent to which he was. The world knows every nasty detail about Barry (and if they don't and want to, it's all a click of a mouse away), because he's been that way for a long time to a lot of people, many of them in the media, which only makes his plight worse. There are books dedicated to how Barry Bonds has taken the art of assholiness to levels never before seen. I caught an interview with one author who recounted a story from his Arizona State days, when the coach, in an effort to galvanize his team when Barry was out with an injury, asked them to vote on whether or not he should stay with the team. The move backfired when not a single player voted to keep Barry as a teammate, regardless of his talent. The coach backpeddled and said he was only joking. In the process, the coach also lost the respect of his baseball team.
Barry doesn't like it, but being an asswipe comes with a price. He's free to be what he is, but he's not liking the consequences that come with it. Being that big of a jerk comes with the price that nobody likes him, and nobody cares to watch him excel. Not only that, they're waiting to see him take a fall, because they don't like him, and since he's been that way for so long with most of the media, they are not only right there with the rest of us. They're leading the Barry bashing parade. 99.9% of anything written about him comes with a negative slant, and the other .1% is neutral. This steriod thing comes along, and it really is an issue, but it's a bigger issue for Barry because everyone wants it to be. The huge magnifying glass hits Barry, instead of Jason Giambi or someone else because everyone wants to see him fall on his face, and why? Because he's been such a huge shit. Oh sure, you can point to the fact that he's about to pass Babe Ruth on the home run list, and that's keeping the spotlight on him. What's making sure that spotlight is a bad thing is the media and through them, the fans of the game (yeah, those of us who think the name on the front is more important than the name on the back of the uniform), who he's treated like crap for too many years. Payback's a bitch, Barry. He's not exactly in any mood to repent, either, which only makes it worse. When the guy (a kid in the military about to head for Iraq) in Philly who caught his home run ball found him afterwards and asked him to autograph it, Barry told him to fuck off. Now, that'll build a fan base. That's the way to get an adoring public following you.
You can say there's two sides to every story, and blast me for not presenting the other one, but if anyone can find that other side, feel free to point me in its general direction. I haven't seen it. Maybe I'm not reading, seeing or listening to the right stuff. Please people, point me to any story about Barry's community service, or the charity he founded and supports. Any Barry Bonds "good guy" story at all? Anybody got anything in a selfless act? Helping a little old lady across a road, maybe? Point me to the Habitat for Humanity house with nails driven in by Barry Bonds, please. I'm open to any story about Barry giving anything to a community, other than grief...any kid he influenced without telling him to fuck off. Anything at all for the misunderstood, unheralded, softer side of Mr. Bonds? Anybody?
So when it comes down to it, there's no mystery, is there? What the hell do you expect? Barry can pass Babe Ruth, and maybe he can pass Hank Aaron, but no, he won't have anyone looking up to him, because assholes are well below eye level.
I've about had it. I've pretty much given up on one of my favorite means of entertainment when driving around on weekends running errands. I used to listen to people talk sports on the radio. Lately, they've been beating the Barry Bonds/steroids/home run mark(s) issue into the dirt to where, as much dirt as there is, it's been pulverized into dust and there's just not much left.
I listen to people say, "You know he took steroids regardless of the tests." and others defend the guy saying nobody's proven anything. "Leave him alone." The bottom line is Barry Bonds is climbing the career home run hierarchy and nobody cares. People keep asking why nobody cares and many are zooming in on the steriod issue. Then come the apologists, saying he's a great player and nobody's on his bandwagon because he's black. Nobody's gunning for Mark McGuire, and he took steriods, but he's white. That's it. When all else fails and we need something to fall on, play the race card. All I can say is, all you people are missing the mark.
Barry Bonds is hitting home runs and nobody cares. It isn't because he's black. It isn't because of steroids. It's because he's an asshole. When this point is brought up, people say, well, Ty Cobb was an asshole, and nobody cared. They have a point, almost. Ty Cobb was playing baseball in a different era. There was no huge conditioning program. Neither the player nor the ball was juiced. There also wasn't an internet. Barry Bonds came along in an era where a lot of factors make it easier to break records. Players are much more athletic and take the game more seriously. Denials aside, the ball is a bit more...ummmm...lively. Legal or not, steriods are also a factor. All these have worked in his favor. There are other things going on though. Information travels at the speed of thought, and spreads quicker than a bird flu rumor, and this is his downfall. Not everyone knew Ty Cobb was a jerk, or the extent to which he was. The world knows every nasty detail about Barry (and if they don't and want to, it's all a click of a mouse away), because he's been that way for a long time to a lot of people, many of them in the media, which only makes his plight worse. There are books dedicated to how Barry Bonds has taken the art of assholiness to levels never before seen. I caught an interview with one author who recounted a story from his Arizona State days, when the coach, in an effort to galvanize his team when Barry was out with an injury, asked them to vote on whether or not he should stay with the team. The move backfired when not a single player voted to keep Barry as a teammate, regardless of his talent. The coach backpeddled and said he was only joking. In the process, the coach also lost the respect of his baseball team.
Barry doesn't like it, but being an asswipe comes with a price. He's free to be what he is, but he's not liking the consequences that come with it. Being that big of a jerk comes with the price that nobody likes him, and nobody cares to watch him excel. Not only that, they're waiting to see him take a fall, because they don't like him, and since he's been that way for so long with most of the media, they are not only right there with the rest of us. They're leading the Barry bashing parade. 99.9% of anything written about him comes with a negative slant, and the other .1% is neutral. This steriod thing comes along, and it really is an issue, but it's a bigger issue for Barry because everyone wants it to be. The huge magnifying glass hits Barry, instead of Jason Giambi or someone else because everyone wants to see him fall on his face, and why? Because he's been such a huge shit. Oh sure, you can point to the fact that he's about to pass Babe Ruth on the home run list, and that's keeping the spotlight on him. What's making sure that spotlight is a bad thing is the media and through them, the fans of the game (yeah, those of us who think the name on the front is more important than the name on the back of the uniform), who he's treated like crap for too many years. Payback's a bitch, Barry. He's not exactly in any mood to repent, either, which only makes it worse. When the guy (a kid in the military about to head for Iraq) in Philly who caught his home run ball found him afterwards and asked him to autograph it, Barry told him to fuck off. Now, that'll build a fan base. That's the way to get an adoring public following you.
You can say there's two sides to every story, and blast me for not presenting the other one, but if anyone can find that other side, feel free to point me in its general direction. I haven't seen it. Maybe I'm not reading, seeing or listening to the right stuff. Please people, point me to any story about Barry's community service, or the charity he founded and supports. Any Barry Bonds "good guy" story at all? Anybody got anything in a selfless act? Helping a little old lady across a road, maybe? Point me to the Habitat for Humanity house with nails driven in by Barry Bonds, please. I'm open to any story about Barry giving anything to a community, other than grief...any kid he influenced without telling him to fuck off. Anything at all for the misunderstood, unheralded, softer side of Mr. Bonds? Anybody?
So when it comes down to it, there's no mystery, is there? What the hell do you expect? Barry can pass Babe Ruth, and maybe he can pass Hank Aaron, but no, he won't have anyone looking up to him, because assholes are well below eye level.
John put this out here at 7:01 AM
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