Barry Bonds hit a towering home run into the upper deck in Philadelphia tonight, which gives him 713 for his career, one behind Babe Ruth. Everywhere Bonds plays, except San Francisco, he is greeted with derisive boos and signs. This is, of course, due to the allegations that he used steroids for several years before they were regulated by major League Baseball. (Bonds is only one of many players alleged to have used these performance-enhancing substances, but he is the main focus of media criticism and fan anger.)
One of my favorite baseball movies, "61," chronicled the remarkable season when Roger Maris broke Ruth's single-season HR record of 60 by one. Maris was subjected to a great deal of negative fan and media attention as well.
Only one player has hit more career home runs than Ruth and that was Hank Aaron; the season he passed Ruth he too faced a negative barrage of unwanted attention, including death threats.
It is one of the sad things about baseball that these three great hitters -- Maris, Aaron, and Bonds -- all have faced such a tense, joyless reaction from people as they approach and achieve new home run records. Swirling in controversy, they soldier on, seldom smiling, probably not enjoying the national pastime nearly as much as they did previously.
One of these days soon, Bonds will pass Ruth. He will probably end his career second to Aaron for career homers (755). People who know baseball well enough to assess Bonds' career know that with or without steroids, he is thye greatest hitter of his time, and one of the very best of all time, right up with Ruth and Aaron.
But the careers of these stars seem destined to end amidst a sea of boos, as controversies overwhelm appreciation. Personally, I've never seen a hitter better than Bonds. So, when he hits a HR, I'll always stand and cheer.
No comments:
Post a Comment