756*

(written 8/14/07)

There are things in life where change is good; whether it's taking a new job, moving to a new city, or some people in some cases, starting a new relationship. Change symbolizes a lot of things, but as a whole it represents a fresh start, a new endeavor if you will. The uniqueness of change is, to a person, it can represent a multitude of expressions, feelings, and sentiments. There are few very, if any, moments in ones life which encapsulate these better than new beginnings.

By now, it is impossible to not know there has been a change in one of the most hallowed, if not the, most hallowed sports records of all-time. This past Tuesday, Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron on the all-time career list for Most Homeruns in Major League Baseball history, hitting the 756th one of his illustrious, albeit controversial, career. Yes, there has been a change, but this doesn't make it right. Records are meant to be broken, or are they?

Throughout the course of history, not just in sports, records have symbolized one thing: greatness, coupled with longevity. When Aaron broke Babe Ruth's homerun record in 1974, he wasn't just fighting off the Ghost of Babe Ruth; he wasn't just facing opposing pitchers hell-bent on not allowing a homerun to Aaron; he was facing something, which to this day in age, we are still facing: racism. Make no mistake about it, especially in the Southern states, racism does exist, and Aaron not only had to put up with the pressures of being a successful ballplayer, who happened to be black, he had to face the constant death threats he was exposed to during his chase of Ruth.

The thing which separates him from Bonds is this: the pressures of one weren't self-imposed, while the pressures of another one were. Aaron couldn't just stop being a black man who faced racism from others; he had no control over what other did, said, wrote, and shouted at him. Bonds, on the other hand, had the option to not impose anything he didn't have coming, and herein lays the biggest difference.

Sure, Bonds was vilified before he came close to breaking the record; it was no secret Bonds is one of the biggest jerks of all-time in sports. But, what made this worse was the "suspicion" of him taking performance enhancing supplements: steroids. He made the choice to use this stuff; he brought this stuff on himself, and he deserves any, and all, repercussions he may suffer. The only thing Aaron brought on was doing his job as a clean-up hitter. Unfortunately, it might be too late for Bonds to prove, much less admit, what the general public already knows. It's about as much of a secret Bonds used steroids as it is R. Kelly likes teenage girls; unfortunately, there is tape of one and not the other…which is sick on a totally different level.

Sure, Bonds hasn't, and he probably never will, admit to taking any type of performance enhancing drugs, but face the facts, a book, entitled Game of Shadows was written about Bonds detailing Bonds and his usage of steroids. If that wasn't enough, there may be a grand jury indictment on him for lying about using steroids. Throw in the fact his personal trainer now sits in jail for not cooperating about what Bonds was using and how much he was using and suspicions are running wild. And this doesn't even begin to touch on the physiological changes his body has gone through while in the later stages of his career, much less his prime. My graduate degree is in physiology, trust me, these are not all coincidences; if anything they are damning proof to the public.

And really, isn't the only opinion which really matters that of the public opinion? Often times, the public crucifies public figures before facts are known? This doesn't just include Bonds, but you can include OJ Simpson and Michael Vick. These people were panned in the court of public opinion, but the similarity they have to Bonds is this: all the evidence proved they were/are guilty. Does this always play out in the actual court of law? No, look at OJ, he is playing golf in Florida; Vick has yet to go to trial and it is possible Bonds wont ever go to trial. Instances like this just prove the matter of public opinion is just as strong, if not stronger, than the court of law. Think about it: Vick lost all of his endorsements because he is associated with dog-fighting, OJ is now a walking punch-line, and, properly enough, Bonds may own the home-run record, but he isn't the Homerun King in the eyes of the public.

"One of the biggest reasons the public is out to get Bonds is because he is black; this is why people want to get him", this statement is just about what every Bonds defender says. Just about every sports talker caller will say this on air, bullshit. Yeah, sure Americans have prejudices, this will never change, yet, smart people know the furthest thing that is playing a role in this is race. Aaron is black, Willie Mays is black, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, and The Rock are all half black, yet there is no controversy around them for being successful and doing the great things they are all doing in their respective games. White people didn't rush to defend Pete Rose when he admitted to betting on baseball, no, the facts were out, it was just a matter of accepting them. I would frown on anyone who has done what Bonds has done; black, brown, white, red, purple. The color of a man's skin tone, but more importantly, ignorance, creates racism; the sanctity of a new homerun record holder doesn't. It was well chronicled Ruth's widow said if Babe was still alive; he would root for Aaron to break Ruth's record. In Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech was just about equality of black people in America, every one in America has equal rights, and those rights also include being the all-time homerun hitter…just ask Aaron.

So what is Bonds legacy? I will be glad to tell you; he is a first ballot Hall of Famer, who some would argue he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He could do it; steal a base if you needed him to, draw an inordinate amount of walks, hit for average, play superb defense in the outfield, and of course he could hit homeruns. Frankly, when it comes down to the decision of whether or not to elect him to the Hall of Fame, it's a no-brainer; put simply, Bonds would have been in the same elite class as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams; he is a once in a life-time ball player.

The sad thing is this: Bonds was all of that before he the steroids discussion even came into play. As a Pirate in the 80's until his move to San Francisco in the 90's, Bonds was a great ball player, and as pictures (and the laws of human development) prove; he was a much different type of baseball player. He was one of the ones who could do it all, he was a sure fire Hall of Famer; poised to overtake his Godfather, Willie Mays, in the all-time home run total and do it legit. Whether you liked him or not, who I wholeheartedly detested, to say Bonds wasn't one of the premier players of the 80's through the 90's was just plain stubbornness. He was that good; he didn't need the speculation of steroids to enhance his worthiness; his playing on the field spoke volumes about how great he was. Unfortunately, it wasn't happy with that, many reports say he was envious of the adulation America had for Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in their pursuit of the record for most homeruns in one season. Bonds wanted that, he needed that; the feeling of finally being accepted and looked up to by his peers, but more importantly, the public. Was it worth it? You tell me.

In my Wrestling With Demons blog I wrote several weeks ago, I mentioned people, not just athletes, will do just about anything to better themselves, they will take short-cuts, they will cheat, they will forgo their values and morals in order to put themselves in a better state. When Chris Benoit was found to have steroids in his system at the time of those horrific murders, people automatically blamed steroids; rightfully, or not, steroids did play some sort of role in what transpired. Right then and there, Benoit's legacy wasn't that of a great, albeit underrated wrestler, it was "that guy who killed his wife and kid". Granted, Bonds' state is no where near as severe as what happened with Benoit, but the similarity herein lies, was doing what they did worth it? Was it worth all the repercussions of what their actions might bring?

In Bonds' case this is even prevalent because, admittedly or not, baseball is America's past-time, it's Americana to the extent. There was no other game as pure as baseball; basketball will never be as popular as football, but football will never represent America as baseball did for an extended period of time. Sure, football is more popular than baseball, but baseball is more relevant to its people. People can align with Babe Ruth, discuss Maris' season and whether Mickey would've beat the record in 1961 if he was healthy. Who was better Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens in their prime; these debates can go on and on and on…and there is no right answer. There is the problem, when people look back at Bonds and discuss his 756^th homerun, their judgment is already clouded by what they know and what they want to believe: the purity is gone. What good is having an expensive piece of jewelry if it's scratched, tarnished, and tainted? Sure, it may have some redeeming value, but to those who really, really know, it's nothing but a mirage. Same thing applies to this record.

Here's a quote from Bonds' manager, Bruce Bochy, "If they feel that way, I feel for them," "I feel this is a time to celebrate. I would hope that everybody that loves this game and has a passion for it would celebrate. I think it's time to move on."

Don't worry Bruce, I love baseball more than anyone else; it's given me so opportunities in my life words can't describe it. Sure, Bonds' is the all-time homerun record holder, but he's not a hero. Let's celebrate those which are; the ones who did it the right way. Sure there may not be an asterisk by his record (yet), but let's face it, his legacy won't be remembered the same way others did it. Ruth, Aaron, Willie Mays, Rocky Balboa, Now they did it the right way. So if you excuse me, I'm going to watch Rocky IV, even though Drago was using steroids, he still couldn't beat Rocky, funny, the more things change, the more the stay the same. Until next week…