Don't hate on Barry

By Dan Nied [send email]

I don’t like Barry Bonds.

But not because he did steroids.

Bonds is arrogant, egomaniacal and seems to have a bit of a God complex. Those are bigger reasons to dislike a man than taking advantage of a loophole.

In fact, Bonds hasn’t negatively affected my life one bit. Since he allegedly began using steroids in 1998, the San Francisco Giants outfielder and former surefire hall of famer has done nothing but entertain on the levels of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan or any other uniquely American treasure.

In 2001 Bonds smashed 73 home runs en route to the single-season home run record. While that mark might be subject to scrutiny now, at the time it was something special that had not been seen in at least, oh, three years.

After that, a televised Bonds at bat became must see TV. The only negative about watching Bonds in the last seven years is that a walk was more likely than a home run. For that, National League pitchers should be booed, not Bonds.

In recent years, Bonds’ steroid saga has provided more than enough interesting reading. And no earlier than last night, he provided me with a column idea.

Is it surprising that Bonds took steroids? It seems on the surface that he cheated the game and, worse, the fans. But a juiced Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in a season. A non-juiced Barry Bonds hit 46, his pre-steroid career high in 1993. Which season would you rather witness?

The fact that the public and media would play holier-than-thou is a result of one simple fact: Bonds is a jerk.

He refuses to give outright answers to legitimate questions. There are stories about Bonds walking past preteen autograph seekers. And in an excerpt from the new book Game of Shadows, Bonds threatens to kill his mistress if he ever finds her with another man.

And that says, “This isn’t a very nice guy.”

Because of that Bonds never seduced the country like fellow home run kings Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He never even came close to winning over fans like Big Mac or Slammin’ Sammy.

Is it any coincidence that McGwire and Sosa have largely avoided the steroid backlash, though, in a congressional hearing, neither could deny using performance enhancing drugs?

And why do steroids concern the fans so much anyway? Do these drugs denote a loss of innocence for baseball fans who used to identify with players? Or is it the players who lost their innocence? Or the game itself?

No.

In the end, baseball is only entertainment. George Lucas doesn’t catch any flak for using special effects to make 8-foot tall, hair-covered beasts interact with humans. Maybe fans should cut Bonds the same kind of slack. Isn’t it enough to simply appreciate the show performed by Bonds and baseball’s other faux home run champs?

If anything Bonds should be celebrated for his entertainment value. He has provided the American people with a chance to watch, over the course of a few short years, his head grow large enough to eclipse the sun.

Isn’t that worth it?

If need be, keep Bonds out of the hall of fame. But keep him on the field for as long as possible. The next round of uproar is scheduled early this season when Bonds goes for career home run 715. With that he will pass Babe Ruth for second on the all time list.

And that will almost surely provide the greatest show on earth.