Bonds Has the Record, Let's Move On
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by Nejoshi
Now that Barry Bonds has finally launched his 756th long ball into orbit, there’s only one thing I want: For all the hype surrounding the record to be channeled into the exhilarating pennant races that are developing around the league. As soon as Bonds finally became the home run king, I was glad that it was over. Now that all the individual achievements have come and gone, we can turn our attention to the game, and all the exciting storylines that have been marinating during this infamous chase.
Say what you will about Bonds and his new record, there are just as many people that hate him for breaking the record (probably more) as are embracing him at the moment. However, during his pursuit of the hallowed home run record there was a renewed public attraction to baseball, something that has been missing in the so-called American Pastime up late.
Major League Baseball has suffered through a steady loss of popularity during the last few years, culminating with a pitiful World Series TV rating last year. The MLB would do themselves a great service if they could capitalize on all the attention surrounding the home run record, and use it to their advantage in promoting the country’s oldest active sporting league.
With the 755 mark eclipsed, many casual sports fans will turn their attention to the NFL preseason schedule, and worry about whether their team’s draft pick has been signed yet or not. By the way, Browns fans, Brady Quinn finally signed! But, take one look at the MLB standings on August 8th, and you see that all six divisions in baseball have the first and second place teams within five games. What does that mean? It means that there’s a lot of heart wrenching baseball going on outside of wherever the Giants are playing.
Instead of harpooning on all the negative publicity that the steroid controversy and Barry Bonds has created over the last few years, it’s time to give these divisional races some airplay. The Arizona Diamondbacks were left for dead after going 1-8 heading into the All-Star break, a stretch that dropped them to third place. Pundits believed Arizona was too young to compete in the NL West with the Dodgers and Padres, both of whom made the playoffs last year. Throw in an injury to Randy Johnson, the team’s only “big name” player, and the Diamondbacks were supposed to be finished.
Now, just three weeks after the All-Star Game, it’s those damn Diamondbacks who sit atop the division, while the Dodgers look gassed. It has been a sensational turnaround from the young kids in the desert, but it can just as easily reverse itself in the coming weeks. Who knows?
The NL West division race is one of six races that are beginning to take shape around baseball. The growing parity around the bigs has grown increasingly more widespread as the season has progressed, and now even the supposed juggernauts are in jeopardy of missing October. The AL and NL East division races appeared to be locked down by the Mets and Red Sox earlier in the season, but both have struggled to keep their foot on the gas in recent weeks.
Boston’s lead has dwindled to a pedestrian 5 games, still the most comfortable of any in the big leagues, but a significant cause for alarm considering that lead was 12 ½ games only two months ago.
Meanwhile, the Mets, who have been the National League’s clear-cut front runner the last two seasons, – with nothing to show for it, however – just can’t seem to hit the same gear that was responsible for their 97-win campaign in 2006. They have left an opening for the Braves and Phillies, neither of whom have efficiently taken advantage of the bone the Mets have thrown at them.
With (real) football – preseason football isn’t a sport – still approximately one month away, it’s time to keep our eyes glued to baseball. Only this time we won’t be watching for tainted home runs, instead we could be witnessing the conclusion of one of the most exciting regular seasons ever.
