On Monday night, Sept. 12, 2005 a living legend stepped back onto the field at SBC Park in San Francisco. The Giants played 145 games without this slugger and with three weeks left in the season, the Giants were fading away. Yes I am talking about number 25, the 7-time M.V.P., and the greatest baseball player of my generation who lacks the respect he deserves, Barry Bonds.
Sure, Bonds didn’t make the right decision to have his knee checked at the beginning of preseason, as he didn’t anticipate surgery would keep him out basically the entire season. But no one is perfect.
For the past few years, Bonds has been harassed with questions of taking steroids because of his personal trainer/BALCO associate, Greg Anderson. I mean we’ve seen the repercussions of a once respected 3,000-hit man in Raphael Palmeiro, to being publicly downsized to a forgotten man because he told the United States Congress that he never took steroids to find out later that he tested positive.
But wait a minute.
Has Bonds ever-tested positive during his 19-year career? Has anyone seen Bonds inject himself? NO and NO. Although Bonds has said he used “the cream,” a testosterone based ointment and “the clear,” or tetrahydrogestrinone in the past for his arthritis. Can cream instantly make a man hit home-runs every 1 in 7 at-bats? NO. Allow me to say it takes hard work and talent to hit a 400-foot homerun. Professionals have said it themselves, steroids may help, but if you don’t have any skills and good hand-eye coordination you won’t hit the long ball. Until this man is convicted of using steroids to hit his 700 plus homeruns then you can prove me wrong.
So why not respect this man?
All Bonds does is play baseball. You don’t see him in Gatorade commercials or telling the kids to “Just Do It.” That’s because he’s a baseball player and that’s what he does well. He never asked to be liked. I remember a couple of years ago, my brother and I stepped into a restaurant that Bonds was dining at and soon enough when Bonds was done, my brother stepped up say hi to the Giant. I just sat there because I already knew that Barry would ignore him. Barry and his associates quietly walked away from my excited brother. Maybe it was because it was Bonds needed his time away from the field and the fans? Sure he comes off as an a*******, but Bonds doesn’t need approval off the field from anyone. He shows up to the park, takes his shags and does batting practice. All Bonds wants is the respect ON THE FIELD.
So where is the love?
When Bonds announces his retirement from the game of baseball, the fans will start to miss him dearly. Who else in other cities will fans boo and say, “Barry sucks.” Who else will be the cover boy of “hasn’t been convicted of-but we love to think he’s on steroids?” Baseball fans face it; he’s the greatest and should be appreciated for his work on the field. You know you missed Barry at a minimal this season. He gets walked even with the bases-loaded because pitchers fear, (a.k.a. RESPECT) him. He showed up to SBC Park Monday night to 39,950 people giving him a standing ovation and no one sat down during his first two at-bats. That’s RESPECT.
Baseball fans will regret it when Bonds hangs it up.
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