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08/08/2007: "Congratulations ... Now Go Away"
The Barry Bonds Freak Show has finally dragged itself hacking and wheezing across the finish line. Last night, in the game against the Washington Nationals, Bonds drove a Mike Bacsik fastball deep into the center field bleachers for his 756th home run, eclipsing Hank Aaron as the all time home run leader. The record has been established ... now it's time for history to weigh in.
I, like most baseball fans, find myself very much conflicted at this point. There is no denying the magnitude of the feat, or the talent and achievement of the player. But the controversy that continues to swirl around Bonds - Commissioner Bud Selig opted to miss the moment in order to meet with investigator George Mitchell, whose prime duty is to bring down Bonds and his fellow cheaterss - can't help but taint the moment. The fact that Barry brought most of the controversy on himself does nothing to help. Even in the glory of the moment, when the eyes of the world were upon him, he couldn't bring himself to say he never cheated or he never took steroids. The best we got was "This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period." A pretty weak denial.
Bonds used products from BALCO, and worked out with their staff. He's allowed his trainer, Greg Anderson, to rot in prison for his loyalty while doing nothing to relieve his situation. The weight of evidence pointing to Bonds persistent use of illegal steroids is so great, and yet he refuses to even acknowledge the possibility. With every silent moment, he chips away at his own ego-driven legacy.
Time will tell how we view this achievement. I'm certain we'll never view Bond's final home run tally the way we did Aaron's 755 or the Babe's 714, much as we don't see Barry's single-season record of 73 the way we do Roger Maris' 61. Again, this is the price Bonds pays for his decisions.
For now, Barry will stumble his way through the end of the season, adding maybe another half-dozen dingers to the record. The Giants have all but said they'd release him at the end of the year, opting instead to go with youth. It's unlikely a National League team will pick him up, as his fielding skills have significantly eroded. Perhaps Bonds will latch on with an American League squad and squeeze out the last few drops of glory much as Sammy Sosa has this year with the Rangers.
The deed is done and now the spotlight will move on. With luck, this will be the last time we'll have to witness Bonds and his surly attitude until the inevitable Hall of Fame speech five or six years from now. I for one won't be watching, though ...
If you're a fan like me, then you'll appreciate this bit of irony associated with last night. Mike Bacsik of the Nats was the victim of Bonds' 756th home run, and will be remembered the way we remember Al Downing of the Dodgers for giving up Aaron's 715th. But back in 1976, as the Hammer was winding down his career, several pitchers had to face him as he sat on 755 home runs - his eventual total. One of those pitchers was Mike Bacsik - father of last night's victim. Had Aaron gotten the right pitch, then the 756th home run for both Aaron and Bonds would have come off of Mike Bacsik. Man, you gotta love baseball!
