From what I read, I will be one of the few who cheers when Bonds finally breaks Hank Aaron’s hallowed home run record. It’s sad to think about what might have been. This could have been a magical season for Bonds where even casual fans discussed the importance of the record because everyone was following the chase. Much the same way people talked about Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa around the water cooler during the summer of 1998.
My justification in cheering for Bonds goes something like this: During this era of steroids, we have no way of knowing who took what. It’s quite obvious that some of the games great sluggers were juiced. But so were some pitchers yet they haven’t come under the same type of scrutiny. What if the pitchers were inching towards records that were as recognizable as most home runs in a season or most career home runs? Is it possible that some some pitchers, especially hard throwing relievers, were juiced up yet didn’t garner the attention showered on the sluggers? It’s not nearly as exciting to hear about a pitcher who picked up an extra 5 mph on his fast ball through the use of steroids. Why do we demand answers from our sluggers but the pitchers and other players were also gaining an unfair advantage through the use of steroids? Cheating is cheating is cheating.
Maybe Bonds has cheated by taking steroids. Maybe they have helped him recover more quickly from injury. But I have a hard time believing they help him swing a bat or see a baseball more clearly. They don’t improve his swing or his hand-eye coordination. It still takes an enormous amount of talent to hit a baseball at the professional level. Ask Danny Ainge or Michael Jordan.
While I don’t admire Bonds the person, I do admire Bonds the baseball player. And I will cheer when he breaks Aaron’s record.
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