Pat Morgan on Bonds

Since Barry Bonds is one home run away from overtaking Hank Aaron, I figure this is the best time to give my take on it. I am someone who is tired of hearing about Bonds and everything that he is doing. ESPN's Pedro Gomez reports Bonds was seen eating a sandwich around 3:35 p.m., but the contents of the meal are unclear at this time. You know what I mean. That's what ESPN has become, but that is a post for another day. Bonds, before everyone believes he started steroids, was a clear cut hall-of-famer. Without the 'roids he would have easily reached 500, perhaps 600 home runs. Put that with his 500+ stolen bases he would be a first-ballot lock.

Is it fair that he should be the posterboy for the steroid era? Probably not, but he did cheat and he deserves all the public scrutiny he has received. Bonds is the one going for the record, no one cares about Jason Grimsley or Guillermo Mota. Only Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi, to an extent, have diverted the attention from Bonds. Again, it is not fair Bonds gets most of the spotlight for the steroid scandal, but remember he cheated the game first. So, I do not feel bad for him, AT ALL. It's too bad the most cherished record in all of sports will be broken by a cheater. Those who say he hasn't been proven guilty need to look at the facts (and the picture below).

Numerous reports have come out about his use. His trainer won't testify and has been in and out of jail for that. His head is about the size of a globe now, and this is a guy who was a stick when he came on the scene. If I were Bud Selig, I'd try as hard as I could to get him to talk with George Mitchell, who is running the steroid investigation, but that's if this entire investigation is going to actually amount to something. It's been going on two years and nothing has come from it. Plus the players' union for baseball is perhaps the strongest union in the world. They'd never allow Selig to do anything like that, unless Bonds slips like Giambi did. That is as likely as Jaleel White finding some kind of main stream work again.

Sadly, the MLB players' union thinks they are above the law. Look at the Tour de France. They just removed their overall leader during the event because he took and illegal blood transfusion. I would love to see Barry Bonds break the homerun record in Los Angeles this week. Wow! That chorus of booes would be so fitting.

Pat Morgan