To all the Bonds haters out there

July 15, 2007

Open your eyes.

You, the Cincinatti Reds fan who openly encourages his son to boo one of the greatest athletes of our time.

You, the overly righteous sportswriter who criticizes and ostracizes the very man he was praising just years ago.

You, the major league player who knows very well just how juiced-up today’s game is, yet decides to place all of his misguided anger on an outcast of a player--a player who might be the best of all time.

You, the commissioner who turned a blind eye to the juiced era during the 90’s and into the first half of this decade.

But most of all, you. Yes, you. If you watch baseball, then there’s a good chance I’m talking to you. You, the fan who digs the long ball, the fan who cried tears of joy when McGwire and Sosa left Roger Maris in the dust and the fan who stood in awe at Barry’s 73 home runs during the 2001 campaign. You’re the very same hypocrite in the stands now, trying to demean one of the greatest players of all time by waving a silly homemade asterisk.

Open your eyes, all of you.

With Bonds just a few homers shy of breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record, mixed feelings and even those of anger have abounded around the country. Many think that Bonds’ does not “deserve” to break the record. He’s a cheater, they say.

Fans around the country, regardless of their location and team affiliation (unless that would be San Francisco) have rallied around in their disdain and hatred for Bonds. Yeah, he probably did cheat. The evidence in the Game of Shadows is convincing and leaves readers with many of their suspicions confirmed. And yes, it’s physically evident to the naked eye that Bonds gained a significant (and suspicious) amount of weight as his career progressed.

But what about the other guys?

What about guys like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi? They were all heroes to fans, and for some reason, they still are. Sosa has been proven to be an even bigger cheater than Bonds--who can forget the corked bat incident in 2003? Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were heroes to you, yet Barry Bonds is a menace and a cheater. Something’s missing here.

Some of these guys may have even lied during grand jury testimonial, yet they still are seen in relative favor. They’re just as big cheaters as Bonds--if not bigger--yet baseball has turned a blind eye to their situations.

Because after all, Bonds isn’t the real culprit in this whole ordeal.

It’s you, Bud Selig. You’ve promoted a juiced game and reveled in the profits of a juiced product. And now, caught up in the gusts of a media storm and feelings of self-righteousness, you threaten to not even show up to one of the games’ most historic moments.

It’s you, Curt Schilling. You’ve competed in a juiced game for years and know it. You may have not been using steroids yourself, but you’re definitely aware of how it affects the game. Yet you still have the immature and pathological urge to call attention to yourself by blasting Bonds over the radio.

It’s you, the media who did its best to portray Bonds as a darling during his run in 2001 and now ostracizes him at every possible turn.

It’s you, the fan who willingly turned a blind eye to steroids back when Sammy and Mark were making history. But now that Barry’s doing it, it’s a threat to your morals, your children and the sanctity of baseball.

It’s all of us. We all caused this mess, yet in nearly biblical fashion, all of the fame is going on to one man’s shoulders.

And if you ask me, I’m sick of it. I’m sick of hearing people irrationally demean Bonds’ career. I’m sick of hearing about steroids. I understand that they’re a part of the game--it’s not something that I don’t relish but I live with it. Nearly every sport is going to have issues with performance-enhancing drugs, but does baseball need to take it to McCarthy-like proportions?

Because that’s all this really is. A modern-day witch hunt directed at one of the games’ best players of all time--whether or not he cheated and whether or not he holds both home run records. The American mob mentality at its finest.

Many fans have already dismissed Bonds before he even breaks the record. Never has such apathy been seen for the breaking of a record so hallowed and sacred.

As for me? I’m going to watch Bonds break the record. And I’m going to enjoy it. I’m going to appreciate his record for what it is--a remarkable accomplishment in a period of increased power and hitting. It may pale in comparison to the marks of Ruth and Aaron, but it is what it is.

As for the rest of you who don’t plan on watching: you might miss out on history, but just be aware that you‘re the ones who helped make it.