Bonds, Briefly
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by Editoratlegendofcecilioguante
This was originally posted on my blog, The Legend of Cecilio Guante, here.
I'll be brief because it's old. But it seems that this moment was made for modern media and the blogosphere. The chance for every one of millions of "citizen reporters" to say their piece. And, as an individual with a sports blog, it almost seems like I have to address it...and then like everyone else...I'll quickly move on.
So here goes...
I watched it live last night, and the sensation was weird. Seems a horrible and insufficient adjective to describe the breaking of the most revered record in American sports. But that's what it was. Weird.
I'm sure other people have echoed similar sentiments, but I haven't had the time today to scour through the thousands of bloggers who likely addressed the topic late last night or early this morning (so apologies if this ends up sounding like someone else, but I've been holed up in an office all day).
Last night I watched Bonds hit 756. And this morning, I caught some commetary on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the morning. That's it. Haven't gone to ESPN.com. Haven't checked out Deadspin, The Big Lead and others of the blogosphere's movers and shakers. Didn't even see the back pages of the tabliods this morning.
Based on that "exposure" alone, here is a random rundown of 10 observations connected to this event. At the end, I conclude...well, you can see...
1. I found myself becoming more sympathetic for Bonds last night than I ever have before, and I'm not quite sure why
2. Bonds' comments came off to me as genuine and thoughtful
3. Aaron's taped message was the appropriate response and "felt right"
4. The Giants PA announcer is unbearable
5. The reaction of the Giants players seemed to confirm a lot of what has always been written about Barry...no one (besides Barry's son) took that excited hop to the top step of the dugout...no one ran to be first in line to do the 'ole jump around and bang on his helmet (granted that might not have been protocol for this particular dong)...and no one looked genuinely excited for him other than, perhaps, Omar Vizquel
6. A guest on Mike & Mike (can't recall who now) mentioned getting goosebumps watching the home run. Are you f-in kidding me? I couldn't have felt a more opposite reaction. It was like a weird out-of-viewing-body experience. It was artificial. Nothing about it was emotional, outside of a brief moment when Bonds looked up at Jumbotron and listened to Aaron's words. Goosebumps?
7. Pro move by Bascik with the tip of the cap. Well played by a relative journeyman.
8. My first thought post homerun was about where I'd be when this record falls...and something about envisioning A-Rod doing it enduced nausea. And it's not just because I hate the Yankees. It's about the man who held the record. Holding this record puts the owner of that honor in an automatic position of ambassador of our pasttime. Baseball fans everywhere could be proud of the man who held that record. It would be nice if the next one in line could produce that same feeling.
9. They played Jon Miller's radio call during the broadcast. Only hearing him as part of Sunday Night Baeseball negatively affects my perception of Miller. Thought his call was great and sure he's a delight to listen to on the radio sans you-know-who.
10. Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players to ever play this game.
The last observation is not news to anyone. But, it's tied to #1 on the list for me. Last night, for the first time, I found myself swinging towards the other end of this seemingly eternal debate. I found myself not so much caring about the cheating or the steroids or the indictment or any of that. I found myself thinking about Barry Bonds, the baseball player. Not Barry the person. He may be selfish. He may be a horrible teammate. He may lack respect for the media. But, you know what, Barry Bonds is a tremendous, tremendous baseball player.
Enhanced or not, he is a sight to behold. His swing, his eye, his approach to hitting a baseball. It is a joy to watch him play the game. And this achievement should be recognized as a significant moment in a hall-of-fame career. Bonds is a player I will tell my kids about. And I'm thinking more and more that telling them about all the stuff that's been talked about in the media and online for the past months, years is not what I'll mention.
Instead, it might be about the Barry Bonds who was a feared player in three decades. Barry Bonds who was at one time a premier defensive outfielder and winner of eight gold gloves. Barry Bonds who hit for average, stole bases, made acrobatic catches and showed off a good arm. Barry Bonds, one of the most dominant players in the sport for the better part of the 1990s. Barry Bonds, perhaps the best hitter I've ever seen.
We'll see...
