It's understandable if you didn't notice. You've probably been too busy littering and urinating in the Trinity Heights neighborhood, searching for signs of social life on campus, or watching re-runs of Britney and Madonna kiss--er, singing--to get your daily dose of SportsCenter.
But if it happened to elude you, you heard it here first: Barry Bonds has gone from dominant to downright Herculean in recent weeks.
For several years now, it's been obvious that Bonds is the best player in the game; not since the heyday of Michael Jordan has anybody so ruled his sport. But with each passing day--with each home run launched into McCovey Cove, and with each intentional walk from a team too scared to let Bonds swing the bat--it becomes increasingly clear that Bonds is the best to ever set foot on a baseball diamond.
While Bonds has been rewriting history for the past few years, his play in the past few weeks belongs not in the record books, but in a bad Hollywood screenplay.
August 13th: Barry left the Giants to be with his father, former Major League all-star Bobby Bonds, who was suffering from lung cancer and other ailments. After spending five days by his father's side, Bonds returned with a heavy heart to lead the Giants in a series against the Atlanta Braves. In his first game back, Bonds came to the plate in the bottom of the tenth inning, with the score knotted at four. A few moments later, the game was over, and Bonds was circling the bases with an emotional, game-winning home run. Two days later, it was déjà vu all over again. Tenth inning, tie game, Bonds to the plate, walk-off home run. He simply wouldn't lose.
Two days later, Barry lost something he didn't have control of: the life of his father, who passed away August 23. The grieving son was away from his team for a week before returning to face the Arizona Diamondbacks and ace lefthander Randy Johnson. In his second at-bat, facing the best left-handed pitcher of his generation, with his mind still justifiably far from the baseball field, the left-handed Bonds launched a ball deep into the rightfield bleachers. The feat was so emotional for Bonds that he was later forced to leave the game due to an accelerated heart rate, he nearly doubled the rate for a normal adult.
The next day, he was back at it. Guess who came to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game? As usual, Barry didn't disappoint, lining a game-winning, two-run single.
It was simple, really; Bonds was ready to go home, and when he'd had enough, he put an end to things.
"Don't leave it up to me," Bonds told the Associated Press. "I don't like to play overtime."
And yet somehow a man so great that he can seemingly end a game at will remains one of the most unpopular players in baseball. He's criticized for being full of himself and for being unwilling to sacrifice his desires for others.
Food for thought: stack up Bonds next to Jordan, quite likely the most popular athlete of the past 20 years, if not ever. Both can make a claim to being the best player their sport has ever seen. Both are, by all accounts, hard-headed, arrogant players with an overwhelming drive to succeed and a maniacal work ethic, who have been known to alienate their teammates. Both are active in their communities (yes, that's right, Bonds contributes heavily to charity). And yet Jordan is deified while Bonds has become Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of many.
Why? It's all about image. While Jordan panders to the media to maintain his carefully sculpted public portrayal, escaping untouched from gambling and adultery scandals, Bonds lets it be known that he has no use for the media--and for this, he is crucified.
I love the fact that Bonds unashamedly rejects any duty to anyone. All Barry Bonds want is to win a championship, and to be the greatest baseball player in history. And he devotes himself entirely to those goals. What more should be demanded of him?
He has no duty to spend eight hours a day at a charity banquet, or to schmooze endlessly with reporters. As it turns out, Bonds is heavily involved with charity--he just does so quietly, for his own desires, unlike many other athletes who seek hoopla for their community work. At least Bonds is honest about his motives.
So in the next few weeks, enjoy watching what is likely the best baseball player in history trying to finally win his first championship, and ask yourself how Bonds really differs from Michael Jordan.
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