I came home last night and turned on the TV to find out the inevitable has happened: Barry Bonds broke the most hallowed record in all of sports – the “All-Time Home Runs” list: Hank Aaron’s 755. I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but I am enough of a sports fan to appreciate the record, and also what an atrocity it is that Bonds broke the damn thing.
I know that literally the jury is still out on this guy (or at least the investigation is still ongoing), but the suspicion surrounding Bonds is going to leave a bad stain on this record, and in my mind I’m going to picture any number above 755 with an asterisk next to it.
For a moment, let’s put all the suspicions aside. Let’s forget about the fact that this guy added 50 pounds and an extra inch in height between the time he started his career and where he’s at now. Let’s forget that seemingly after the steroid scandal Bonds’ knee all of the sudden broke down and he had to take most of last season off. Let’s forget about how his trainer is sitting in a jail cell right now because he won’t testify on Bonds. Nevermind the fact that his head is now huge – let’s put all of that aside for a bit. I’m a believer that good people will have good things coming to them, and this good thing couldn’t happen to a worse guy. From the way he’s handled everyone in his public persona, to the way he treats his team-mates and the treatment he demands (the leather recliner and plasmas exclusively for him in the clubhouse), to the way he’s used his son as a human shield to deflect criticism from the media – this is just a bad guy. I don’t pretend to believe that all big athletes are noble, but when a stand-up guy like Hank Aaron lost his record to this guy – that truly makes things sad.
Right now I’m finishing an audio book on Einstein, but the next book in my Audible queue is Game of Shadows – for all the wrong reasons. Thanks Bar-roid.