Two weeks ago, a rare opportunity opened up for me, one that would open my eyes to a new concept.
Through a job during the summer with an affiliate, I was given the rare chance to assist the grounds-keeping crew of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.
On a chilly Thursday night at the beautiful SBC Park, I was sitting near the players’ dugout and near a living legend.
This man, no more than 10 feet from me, had become only the third player – after Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron – to hit more than 700 home runs in a career.
Few athletes anywhere, including many of the greats who have passed through San Francisco, have garnered as much attention and created such an aura as the Bay’s beloved number 25: Barry Bonds.
Near the time of my trip to the Bay Area, Bonds was making a return trip to the Giants lineup after months of rehabbing a nagging knee injury.
And as the orange faithful packed SBC Park those two nights to see their adored superstar against the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers, it got me thinking: How does Barry do it?
The laws of natural sports progression clearly state that as athletes’ career endure, success and fame dwindle. It’s happened to many before him: Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.
But now into his 40s, Bonds keeps slugging away. In fact, at the age of 37 he hit 73 home runs, a Major League Baseball record in 2001. To say it plainly: Bonds’ break-out season came 15 years into his career.
I am hesitant to believe that Bonds can naturally defy the laws of natural sports progression. Nearly all athletes reach a point in their careers when the time comes to hang the spikes or sneakers.
After all, sometimes an athlete is simply an over-the-hill has-been. Bonds, however, is still climbing that hill – and still is the man in terms of the long ball.
But this got me thinking again: If Bonds is clearly defying these laws unnaturally, who is to blame for him, and many others like him such as Rafael Palmeiro, who take illegal substances?
The obvious choice is the athlete, who probably consciously takes substances in order to maintain consistent power numbers.
But frankly, I’m tired of all the blame being placed upon the shoulders of baseball’s elite.
It’s time for the fans, who stood and erupted each time Bonds took a step toward the batter’s box, to be held partly accountable for the steroid epidemic of Major League Baseball.
How can Major League Baseball’s faithful praise Bonds for hitting home runs, support his millionaire status, but turn and point a finger when steroid use is mentioned?
In the eyes of Bonds, how do millions of dollars, fame and legendary status stack up against a few side effects caused by unnatural substances? The hypocrisy of the situation is overwhelming.
Society, fans of baseball and owners alike, must certainly take some responsibility for creating this pressure on athletes.
So, in back-to-back games during my time in San Francisco, Bonds went a combined 0-4. It was the most celebrated four at-bats of any player during the entire season.
I don’t doubt Bonds boasts an above-average swing or that he is the most entertaining player, but without his power numbers and some unnatural help, he would be sufficiently short of the superstar level.
Bonds gets paid to hit the long ball. He is renowned for hitting the long ball. So why wouldn’t he consume steroids to drag out his illustrious career of hitting the long ball?
So next time you contemplate solutions to Major League Baseball’s steroid controversy, consider the values of society before pointing the finger at the players.
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