“My career is an open book, but my life is not.”-Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds is the all-time home run king with 762. After making it into the 700 club the world was mesmerized by his ability to take advantage of every opportunity he was given. With his notorious power, pitchers and coaches began to walk him almost exclusively. A great season for a hitter would be getting 200 hits. He was walked 232 times in 2004, during his prime.
One odd story that portrays his dominance so well is when he was intentionally walked while the bases were loaded, bringing in a run. They would rather give up a run than test the strength of Bonds. This is just one story where the world’s best home run hitter had made teams look cowardly.
“It’s called talent. I just have it. I can’t explain it. You either have it or you don’t.”-Barry Bonds.
Bond’s was a person you never looked away from. He was a super human entity that deserved all the praise and glory. But his name would be forever tainted by steroid and other P.E.D. allegations. His records, which had seemed unbreakable began to look sad. All the baseball legends and historians who considered Bonds as one of the greatest of all time, were embarrassed. It was an instant disappointment to see such a beloved record have an asterisk by it. This is a forever standing accomplishment with a never ending argument surrounding the validity of its value. Was this a great feat regardless of drugs? Or was this a travesty to the integrity of Major League Baseball? Everyone has their opinion on Barry Bonds, but his on field presence and dominance was something that everyone had to see.
“The rest of us play in the major leagues. He’s at another level.” – Teammate Rich Aurilia
Bonds’s reign over all in baseball ended in 2007 when he retired after 22 years of major league service. Bonds finished his career as the all-time leader in home runs, walks and intentional walks. He has spent the past seven years spending time with his family. When he wasn’t with his family, he was in the court room, arguing his case against Major League Baseball. When he wasn’t with his family or in the court room, he was sitting in the first row by the on deck circle at Giants’ games. He had some issues with the giants after he retired, but they found a common ground, and he has been honored at Giants games and welcomed back into the family.
“He’s the one guy in our league I would pay to watch.” – Matt Williams
Bonds was never found guilty of using P.E.D’s, but he wasn’t found not guilty either. During the “steroid era” in baseball, all we could really see was a bunch of masculine men pointing fingers and saying he did this and he did that. The lack of evidence was the main issue for Major League Baseball. All the league knew was that these guys were breaking records easily. The mere size of the accused athletes was practically evidence in the trials, just because MLB lawyers had no other evidence. In the trial against Bonds, he was found Guilty on obstruction of justice. In 2003 he was supposed to answer each question yes or no, but instead answered a vital question about being injected with steroids with a rambling unclear response. He was placed under house arrest for fifteen days and two years of probation.
“Sometimes I surprise my own damn self.” –Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds will be returning to the San Francisco Giants this spring training as a hitting instructor. “I don’t even know if I’ll be good at it but if I have an opportunity to be around the game and make an impact I’m gonna try” he is being given seven days to show how he can communicate and teach this very young Giants roster. If he is able to teach the mechanics that gave him so much success, the Giants might have found the holy grail of hitting coaches.
“I know exactly what my son’s gone through, because I went through the same damn thing myself. They said I was supposed to be the next Willie Mays. When they told me that, it was an honor. You’re talking about the guy I consider the greatest player to ever wear shoes. I probably had more success than anyone they ever put the Mays label on. You show me another guy who’s going to go 30-30 five times. I sure hadn’t met him until my son did it. But all the writers kept talking about was my ‘potential’…’You haven’t reached your potential,’ they would say. Well, unless you (writers) win a Pulitzer Prize, you haven’t reached your potential, either!” – Bobby Bonds