Uneasy is the Head That Chases the Crown

Barry Bonds broke out of a slump today, smacking two home runs and bringing his career total to 753. That leaves him two away from tying the record established by Hank Aaron more than 30 years ago.

Strangely, the reaction to Bonds' accomplishment has been rather mixed. San Francisco Giants fans have openly embraced the record chase. But most of the rest of the country exhibits either indifference or outright hostility at the prospect of a man like Bonds holding such a precious record. In short, many baseball fans believe that Barry Bonds is unworthy of such an honor.

More than any other sport, baseball is heavily focused on individual statistics. Perhaps that's because the season is so long, with literally dozens of meaningless games to be played. Even the worst teams play 162 games each year, and no-hopers have to find ways of attracting fans to dull games. Promotions and give-aways draw some crowds to specific games, but sometimes the game has to sell itself. When a team is languishing in last place, individual players and their statistics may provide the only chance for clubs to fill the seats.

Major League Baseball alienated millions of fans during a season-ending work stoppage in 1994. Lifelong fans had vowed never to return to the sport and prospects for a full comeback looked grim in 1995. Fortunately for Major League Baseball, a couple of high-profile players were chasing individual statistical records, injecting an excitement into the game that the player's strike had removed. First, Cal Ripken, a universally popular player, chased down the long-standing record for most consecutive games played. Then, three years later, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa staged a friendly but compelling duel in attempting to break the single-season home run record. Both McGwire and Sosa ended up the season shattering Roger Maris' 37 year-old record, with McGwire establishing a new record of 70. A couple of years later, Bonds broke McGwire's single-season home run record, and Major League Baseball had completed the comeback from its low point in 1994. Sosa, McGwire and Bonds pursued their single season records amid whispered allegations of steroid abuse, but the fans were happy, the media were happy and the league was prospering, so nobody seemed to care. Until Jose Canseco resurfaced in 2005.

Jose Canseco had a long career in Major League Baseball. He was Rookie of the Year in 1986 and American League Most Valuable Player in 1988. Though he won 2 World Series rings and clobbered 462 home runs, Canseco's baseball career was considered a huge disappointment in some circles. Many felt that Canseco had the talent to be one of baseball's all-time great players, but injuries and personal shortcomings caused him to fall far short of his potential. Rumors surfaced that he had been taking performance-enhancing drugs, rumors that were further fuelled by accusations of domestic violence. In the end, Canseco will probably be best known for allowing a routine fly ball to bounce off his head and over the fence for a home run. In 2005, however, Canseco assumed the role of whistleblower. Whether he was motivated by legitimate concerns or by his own bitterness, Canseco shed light on the issue of steroid use in baseball. In his book entitled "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big", Canseco admitted taking steroids during his playing career, then accused a number of other players by name. As a result, a handful of high-profile active and retired players were called before Congress to testify and address allegations that they had used performance-enhancing drugs during their careers. Sosa and McGwire, who had once been credited with "saving" baseball, now stood accused of cheating. Short of clearing up the matter, their testimony before Congress only aroused more suspicion, forever tarnishing their careers and reputations. Meanwhile, Barry Bonds, another suspected steroid user, was chasing the most prestigious statistical record in baseball.

Barry Bonds has never been a universally popular player. As the unchallenged star of his team, Bonds has often demanded and received star treatment, leading him to be perceived as selfish and aloof. Bonds is not averse to confrontation, either. Throughout his career, Bonds has clashed with teammates, management and especially the media. In general, he is not seen as a very sympathetic character, and he leaves himself open to heavy media scrutiny. For the most part, Bonds does not get along with the press...and the press rarely misses an opportunity to magnify his shortcomings. In the wake of the Congressional Hearings on steroid use in baseball, Bonds was beginning to mount a serious challenge to Henry Aaron's career home run record. Until recently, Aaron's record of 755 home runs looked untouchable. Even after Bonds hit a record 73 home runs in 2001, it was generally accepted that the Giants' slugger was on the downside of an illustrious career. Since he was nearing the age of 40, his production was expected to slow down significantly, leading to retirement before the home run record was threatened. But he followed up his 73 home run season with several more big years. What once seemed impossible was starting to appear inevitable.

The closer Bonds was getting to the career record, the more questions were being asked. "Before" and "after" body comparisons were frequently featured on sports news programs to show how his physique had developed over the years. When Bonds first broke into baseball, he had a slim, muscular build. Years later, his body became more bulky and the size of his head appeared to increase significantly. His personal trainer was indicted on suspicion that he had distributed steroids to his clients. Bonds, of course, was implicated. Take a surly player who has never won a World Series, add allegations of steroid use and you have a controversy made for ESPN junkies: is Barry Bonds a worthy home run king? It certainly doesn't help Bonds' case that Henry Aaron, the current record holder is a very honorable man. A consistently great player, Hank Aaron was often upstaged by flashier players in bigger media markets. As Aaron quietly approached the career home run record in the early 1970s, he was subjected to hate mail and death threats from a lunatic fringe that didn't want to see a black man break the existing record. On occasion, Bonds hinted that racism motivated his detractors, as well. When compared to the overt racism Aaron faced, Bonds' complaint rings hollow.

So Bonds is just three home runs away from breaking Henry Aaron's record. As fans, writers, baseball executives and TV analysts compete to decide who is most outraged that such flawed person is about to be crowned king, I admit that I'm torn. It's sad that such a humble, decent man is about to lose his place in the history books to such a nasty piece of work. But I can't help but feel a little sorry for Barry Bonds. Here's a guy who's had a sparkling career, someone who was an automatic selection for the Hall of Fame even before his single season and career home run record chases kicked off. He's one of the 4 or 5 players most responsible for bringing Major League Baseball back from the ashes. Besides, baseball wasn't concerned about steroids in the game...as long as Bonds, Sosa and McGwire were making the league money hand over fist, it didn't matter how they did it. Now that Bonds is about to break the record, the hand-wringers emerge to discuss whether an asterisk should be attached to the new record as a sort of scarlet letter. After years of benefitting from looking the other way on the drug issue, some in baseball are looking to hang Barry Bonds out to dry. Come to think of it, I hope Bonds gets the record. Baseball deserves Barry Bonds as home run champion.