I see the national media ripping Giants fans for rooting for Barry Bonds. I have several friends that cannot comprehend how a hardcore sports fan can root for Barry. After Barry hit 756, headlines from around the country ripped Bonds (KING OF SHAME, Barroids, Asterisks or 756 with the numbers put together by syringes). I could just say I root for Barry because I am a Giants fan. But it is more than that.
Barry Bonds is a supremely gifted athlete that has done things no one else has done. Let's say GAME OF SHADOWS is true. He has an ego and was accomplishes great things that no one else noticed because everyone was focusing on McGwire and Sosa. I am not going to say that I don't think he took steroids. He said he did. But why is one man taking the heat for a sport where steroids was prevalent. Is he the only one that did it? No. But he is the man breaking the greatest record in all of sports.
Many say that he cheated the game! Sports are full of cheaters. Every single person that roots for a major college is rooting for coaches, athletes, and administrators that have illegally recruited students with bribes and other monetary gifts. USC fans still cheer for their team. Even the A's fans from across the bay love to get on my case. PUH-LEASE! If you want as asterisks by Barry's record, give back the 89 World Series. And NFL Fans still love Shawn Merriman, who was busted for steroids and went to the probowl in the same season. Hypocrites!
I have had season tickets in the left field bleachers for 8 years. I have seen Barry give love to the fans there on countless occasions. Barry very well could be a jerk. Barry did have to live through the media getting on his dad's case for not being able to be the next Willie Mays. He might believe the media drove his dad to drink. I don't blame Barry for his distaste of the media. In fact, if he ignored me when I asked for an autograph then I would not hate him. I cheer him for his talent.
I have seen so many great home runs hit by Barry that is amazing. I was there for 500, 600, 660, 700, 715, 756 and #71. He provided those great moments I have shared with other fans and will never forget. I saw him blast a Eric Gagne 100 mph fastball over the 421 foot sign at pacbell when Gagne was unhittable. And Dodger fans, you want to talk steroids, lets talk Gagne. Dang, where did that guy come from. He has awed me and those moments will never be taken away.
He helped make the Giants a winning franchise for over a decade. He changed the game. No person has ever sold more rubber chickens than Barry. The fact is, Barry Bonds is the most talented player than many of us will ever see in our lifetime. If I am an idiot for rooting for him then so be it. But if you can respect what he has done then I am not the only idiot.
Put the record out of reach!
BARRY, BARRY, BARRY!
Barry Bonds is a supremely gifted athlete that has done things no one else has done. Let's say GAME OF SHADOWS is true. He has an ego and was accomplishes great things that no one else noticed because everyone was focusing on McGwire and Sosa. I am not going to say that I don't think he took steroids. He said he did. But why is one man taking the heat for a sport where steroids was prevalent. Is he the only one that did it? No. But he is the man breaking the greatest record in all of sports.
Many say that he cheated the game! Sports are full of cheaters. Every single person that roots for a major college is rooting for coaches, athletes, and administrators that have illegally recruited students with bribes and other monetary gifts. USC fans still cheer for their team. Even the A's fans from across the bay love to get on my case. PUH-LEASE! If you want as asterisks by Barry's record, give back the 89 World Series. And NFL Fans still love Shawn Merriman, who was busted for steroids and went to the probowl in the same season. Hypocrites!
I have had season tickets in the left field bleachers for 8 years. I have seen Barry give love to the fans there on countless occasions. Barry very well could be a jerk. Barry did have to live through the media getting on his dad's case for not being able to be the next Willie Mays. He might believe the media drove his dad to drink. I don't blame Barry for his distaste of the media. In fact, if he ignored me when I asked for an autograph then I would not hate him. I cheer him for his talent.
I have seen so many great home runs hit by Barry that is amazing. I was there for 500, 600, 660, 700, 715, 756 and #71. He provided those great moments I have shared with other fans and will never forget. I saw him blast a Eric Gagne 100 mph fastball over the 421 foot sign at pacbell when Gagne was unhittable. And Dodger fans, you want to talk steroids, lets talk Gagne. Dang, where did that guy come from. He has awed me and those moments will never be taken away.
He helped make the Giants a winning franchise for over a decade. He changed the game. No person has ever sold more rubber chickens than Barry. The fact is, Barry Bonds is the most talented player than many of us will ever see in our lifetime. If I am an idiot for rooting for him then so be it. But if you can respect what he has done then I am not the only idiot.
Put the record out of reach!
BARRY, BARRY, BARRY!
3 comments:
Lance.....you're spot on, brother!
People and the media who hate on Bonds do it for one reason and one reason only....spite. What else could explain the fact that the public seems to turn a blind eye on the accomplishments of Roger Clemens (who by the way has done things no other pitcher has ever done after the age of 35...look it up....it's Bonds-like!) or Luis Gonzalez's unreal 57 home runs in 2001 or Bret Boone's mysterious decline and sudden retirement once steroids became an issue or for that matter, Brady Anderson's mind blowing 50 home runs back in 1996 (you can't tell me Brady wasn't on steroids).
The way I view it, Bonds has become the scapegoat for steroid use for two reasons....one, he is a jerk...make no mistake that Bonds is one of the biggest jerks to put on a major league uniform ever...period. He is an easy target because he does not bend over backwards for the media and in fact, possibly may have more enemies in the media than George W. (that's not confirmed but you get my drift:-). The second reason and I hate to go there but it is race...let's be real, do you think Mark McGwire would have received such poor treatment from visitor fans as he pursued Aaron's record??....no and you know why?...because he is white. Sure, he might not make it into the Hall of Fame but do you think he received constant hate mail from anonymous assholes that don’t have the balls to say it to the athlete’s face??
The whole debate over the record being tainted bugs the hell out of me too. Sports is purely entertainment and distraction from everything that sucks in the world (I don’t think I need to go into details but there is whole lot of shitty stuff going on out there)....why do people feel it’s their right or privilege to bash a record that they think it is tainted when they probably couldn’t hit a 50 mile an hour fastball out of AT&T Park’s infield?? The fact that a majority of people outside of California can't enjoy Bonds for what he is worth (a phenomenonal athlete who took full advantage of an era where performance enhancing drugs were not only running rampant but purposely ignored by MLB) shows me how out of touch individuals really are with reality.
As Lance so eloquently put it, Bonds has produced so many memories for all Bay Area baseball fans that none of us will ever, ever forget....and I can't thank Bonds enough for it. Now, I just hope Sabean can rebuild a contender in a hurry because I am sick of turning off the game after Bonds leaves for a pinch hitter!:-)
Ah, you guys. What heartfelt comments about Barry. Even though I don't consider myself to be a true baseball fan, I know of the record, I'm well aware that Bonds have used steroids, and also know that steroids and other (performance enhancing) drugs may be widely used among the sports industry. Okay, so knowing that, you can label me an "idiot" because I'm still rooting for Barry. One person shouldn't be singled out and hated on for doing something that many others are doing.
Hank Aaron; a true great, no chemical additives!
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