For Bonds, happiness to have Willie Mays there to greet him, sadness due to the absence of his beloved father All-Star Major League player Bobby Bonds who died in 2003.
[Sports Talk]
Less than 48 hours after Major League Baseball (MLB) crowned its new homerun king, insinuations about the alleged use of steroids and perjury continue to swirl around Barry Bonds and for many, questions still remain.
Although there has been no substantive proof of any kind or failure of any Major League Baseball administered drug test, this issue has dogged and plagued Bonds’ journey toward this feat and the celebration of breaking the fabled homerun record.
For Bonds one can only imagine this experience being bitter sweet. On one hand, happiness to have his godfather and Hall of Famer, Willie Mays there to greet him and share in his joy and sense accomplishment in his home stadium of AT&T Park. On the other hand, sadness due to the absence of his beloved father All-Star Major League player Bobby Bonds who died in 2003 from lung cancer and a brain tumor at the age of 57 years old.
Many people continue to talk about Bonds’ cold demeanor and about what they perceive as his ingratitude. I wonder how many times one has to say “thank you” before one have shown enough gratitude. The bottom line for Bonds is baseball is a business. This is his occupation.
Yes, he does come off as intolerant of others but if nothing else you have to appreciate how he did not waver from his agenda. He did not allow others to define or limit him. When you are in the limelight you are an easier target for people to throw rocks at. As he neared breaking the record, there were more comments about his character. Ultimately, we do not know Barry Bonds the man, the husband, the dad, or the son.
Is baseball immortality the next stop for Barry? There is a big difference between being enshrined in the Hall of Fame and being adored by fans; it’s definitely a plus to have both factors in the culmination for one’s career.
There’s no denying he has the skills and the longevity lasting some 20-plus seasons in the Major Leagues. If that were the end of the story, yes baseball immortality would be his next stop. However, there is his volatile relationship with the media and this cloud of suspicion and uncertainty surrounding alleged steroids use. For some fans they would have to be dragged kicking, screaming and begging for their mother to fully embrace Bonds. There are just too many variables.
What is clear is that even everyday people who do not watch or care about sports and baseball specifically, were following the course Bonds forged not only toward tying and breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record which stood for 31 years—and then breaking it-but his final steps into Baseball’s storied history books. Whether you were rooting for him or not you were somehow drawn in and you watched as history unfolded before you. If you are a sport or baseball fan, you were excited to have witnessed what many call baseball’s most holy record eclipsed during your life time.
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