Barry Bonds, I mean. He hit home run No. 755 in the second inning off Clay Hensley of the San Diego Padres last night. There was no doubt that he would tie Aaron’s record this season, and he’ll certainly break it within the next week or so, but still… I just hated that the moment actually arrived.
In watching the replays on SportsCenter, I’m surprised at how many cheers there were from the San Diego crowd. I was hoping that the boos would drown out the cheers, but that’s not how it was at all. In fact, if there were any boos, I couldn’t really hear them. Come on, folks! This guy’s a cheater and there’s no way this record is legit. How Bonds can even take pride in something that he achieved through doping is beyond me.
Some people think the negative attention Bonds is getting amounts to little more than a witch hunt. But all you have to do is look at the numbers. Prior to 2001, Bonds had never even hit 50 homers in a single season:
1996 - 42
1997 - 40
1998 - 37
1999 - 34
2000 - 49
Then in the year 2001, at the age of 35, he suddenly EXPLODES for 73 home runs? At a time when most other hitters’ numbers start to decline? And no one thought that was strange?
What a joke. Hammerin’ Hank doesn’t deserve to be overtaken by a cheater.
(AP photo)
