1:19 PM Wed, Aug 08, 2007 | Permalink
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So he did it, everyone knew he would. Afterall Barry Bonds has been climbing in the all time rankings for over a decade. Then why do we feel so empty? Like many sportswriters and broadcasters of my age, we saw Henry Aaron break Babe Ruth's home run record either at the game or on television. Back then there were many terrible things said about "Hammerin' Hank" but Henry endured leaving a legacy of a gentleman. Contrast that to Bonds and there's no comparision. What is perplexing to me, why it is taking so long for Bonds to have his day in court if he is to have one? The BALCO scandal has gone on for years, yet in just months after the FBI got involved in the Michael Vick probe, indictments were handed down before this year's football season started. Vick's career is in major jeopardy.
Bonds is still under suspicion. I realize lawyers are involved in both cases, and the facts of the cases are different. Still if Bonds did what the writers said he did, then there will be no Hall of Fame. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson is remembered not for his lifetime batting average, .356, but for being involved in the "Black Sox Scandal" of 1919. Pete Rose isn't remembered for his 4,256 hits, but for betting on baseball. Now we come to the "Steroid Era." Its history is still being written. It's not only about who took what and when, it's also about those who didn't.
What happened to the legion of minor leaguers who didn't get the call because they could rip the ball out of the park? They played the game honorably, but may have watched as one of the teammates who was cheating did. What about the pitchers who had to be taken out of the game because what should have been a fly ball to right for an out, cleared the fence and ruled a three run home run? What happened to their careers. Outside of Houston does anyone remember Wilfredo Rodriguez? Cheating is cheating, whether it be a World Series which was rigged, a game that was fixed, or using illegal drugs to bulk up. In a game remembered by numbers, 756 may become notorious.
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