ItsTheBlog™

Barry Bonds, in what might be his last All Star Game ever, was able to strike out in the Home Run Derby without even stepping up to the plate. Bonds had the opportunity to say thank you to the fans. And not just any fans but the very fans that stuck their neck out there and opened their mouth defending the Giant slugger when allegations of steroids and cheating took place. But screwing over the fans and pursuing an ego focused life shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

According to Barry he admits to enjoying the consistent boo's he receives throughout stadiums across America. Barry doesn't need fans. He doesn't need anybody else. But what Bonds fails to realize is that he does. If Bonds wishes to be remembered as the greatest hitter of all time (which he does), he's going to need the support of sportswriters and fans everywhere because as we have learned over time: nobody is bigger then the game though applaud Barry for his effort in attempt to be.

The following paragraph were written in response to an article in the UCSD guardian. I'm choosing to copy and paste because it's easier and feel as if I cannot state how I feel better than I did in this response.

"If you want us to consider only the man that played the game, then we should only, fittingly, reward the man that played the game. When he hits a major league baseball over the fence, then we shall give him his four bases. But when he attempts to get into the Hall of Fame, he has to face reality. Entrance into the hall of fame comes down to the opinion, yes I said opinion, of sports writers. If all we ever did was look at statistics, then why would we need sports writers to evaluate a player's value to be entered into the Hall of Fame? Couldn't we make this like College entrance admissions? We have a bar, and those players that achieve numbers superior are entered. Well it isn't like that. If numbers were the only thing sportswriters and fans cared about, then we wouldn't have such strong feelings for players like David Eckstein. We wouldn't. But we do because baseball is more about numbers. Just ask Pete Rose."

Is Bonds an ammbassador for baseball...you decide, "And if it does happen, the only number I care about is Babe Ruth's. Because as a left-handed hitter, I wiped him out. That's it. And in the baseball world, Babe Ruth's everything, right? I got his slugging percentage and I'll take his home runs and that's it. Don't talk about him no more."

Bonds needed to work out 6 days a week and take steroids to pass a guy that would drink after ballgames and stay in worser shape then Mo Vaughn. Who has more talent? Who has a candy bar named after him?

Bonds missed a chance to gain some "respect" in the baseball world by declining to participate in the Home Run Derby contest. But Bonds won't be missed in the coming years of baseball.