Barry Bonds – The OJ Simpson of the 21st Century
- Baseball, Societal Issues, Sports -
Listen to both sides of the Bonds arguments.
Notice the racial divide?
Doesn’t it feel like 1995 all over again?
Thankfully though, this is not a case of murder. Instead, this is the national pastime, which a case of integrity is on the line, rather than a life.
Let’s look at the similarities:
- Both are African-American
- Both assumed guilty by the public
- Both find themselves sparking a racial divide
Bonds accusers tend to be white. They’re positive he’s abused an amalgam of steroids and every other enhancer he could get his hands on (see the #1 Bonds accusatory book, “Game of Shadows”) and has damaged the integrity of the sport almost single-handedly. To them, Bonds is as guilty as OJ in ‘95.
Bonds defenders tend to be black. They may or may not believe Bonds used performance enhancers, but they do not agree that he is the baseball villain that the books and accusers make him out to be. They see Bonds as the scapegoat for the dark cloud of steroids which has lingered over the MLB for the past decade. For the most part, to them, Bonds is as innocent as OJ in ‘95.
We remember the jury’s ruling – not guilty.
Upon hearing the ruling, people were filled with the mixed emotions you would expect. Black people cheered, while white people felt cheated by the American judicial system.
But why? Just as Chris Rock said, black people did not receive an “OJ innocence prize.” White people didn’t get a penalty charged against them. But still, the cultures clashed. Riots happened, and racial tension was as evident as ever – almost as much as it is now.
The Bonds BALCO inspired investigation, commissioned by MLB commish Bud Selig, looks to end similar to the OJ trials.
In the OJ trials, people debated responsibility for a loss of life. With Bonds, people debate responsibility for tainting the integrity of a business.
In fact, this business even looks and plays a lot like the same sport kids played when they were little, back when the business was still viewed as “just a game.”
I won’t lie, I’m a Barry Bonds (the athlete) fan.
In his younger days with the Pittsburg Pirates, his mix of power with speed was nearly unmatched.
The only other player during the time who could match this same mix was former best seller Jose Canseco.
Both are members of the 40 homers, 40 stolen bases club. Jose Canseco is an admitted steroids user. Bonds admitted only to taking what he thought was flaxseed oil for a short period of time, but is rumored to have been a steroids abuser.
Fans hate Bonds (the person) but love Bonds (the athlete). That is until lately, as he’s approached Fans don’t care about Canseco in either respect. But Canseco has what Bonds does not – a championship. Who else was on the Athletics’s championship team? Mark McGuire. Along with Canseco, he sat with other suspected steroid users Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, and made the news by repeatedly saying that he didn’t want to talk about the past and rumors of steroid use in his playing days.
McGuire was scrutinized for dancing around direct questions of whether he was guilty of steroid use. But in none of the talk did people say McGuire’s records should be stricken from the records. Neither did they say the championship Canseco and McGuire helped earn should be revoked. But with Bonds, people have practically screamed “off with his head!”
Records, MVPs, and pennants, all results of Bonds’ outstanding performance as a player, all are part of talks to either be accompanied with an asterisk, or removed from the record books alltogether.
Why is Bonds treated different than Canseco and McGuire?
Aren’t they all accused of the same crime, yet only one has admitted to any wrongdoing?
Call Barry Bonds what you will, but you’ve looked in awe as he sent pitches from all angles into McCovey Cove at PacBell Park.
You cheered on the 1998 home run chase for Roger Maris’s 61 in a season that two players – Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa – led and eventually conquered with 70 and 66, respectively.
Even when the Maris family waited around at the various stadiums for McGuire to tie and then break 61, you were touched by the sportsmanship that went onto Maris’s own flesh and blood.
But now, as Bonds zones in on George Herman “Babe” Ruth’s 714 all-time home run record – second, by the way, to a man named Henry “Hammerin Hank” Aaron – you say his records should be removed because it’s “quite apparent” that he used performance enhancers?
I say get real.
Unless the MLB is willing to expunge records from multiple players, including Raphael Palmeiro (who actually tested positive for a performance enhancer), Jason Giambi (who admitted to using enhancers, and soon was allowed back on the Yankees and back into public eye and affection), and Jose Canseco (wrote the book which was powerful enough to involve Congress’ precious time in cracking down on steroid abusers), then the consensus should be that no matter the player, the records should just be noted that steroids may/may not have affected records during the last 15 years.
But do we really think that the accused were the only juicers throughout the past years?
I think not.
Why not put an asterisk on old records for Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth who participated in baseball while black players were banned from the game?
Isn’t that a similar issue? The integrity of the game was tainted back then, because discrimination allowed for one set of players to define the record books that could have been altered in many ways.
I’m a Bonds fan, but I believe he took performance enhancers. His body grew throughout the last few years, as he got older, and while he wears baggy clothes, I’ve heard his physique is that of a bodybuilder. But even if
For now, I have to agree with Yankee great “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson’s comment on the Dan Patrick Show, “If these guys have not tested, it is unfair to commit them to guilt.”
It’s forgotten by many, but in America, you’re innocent until proven guilty.
OJ Simpson never got that luxury. Neither has Bonds.
But as much as baseball fans want to burn Bonds at the stake, even if the investigation turns out to reveal rampant steroid use in baseball, they have a monumental decision to make.
Do they go on and let Bonds chase Aaron and Ruth’s all-time home run marks, or do they ban him, and his records from baseball?
The MLB is in a corner. If they crucify Bonds, even more questions about who else juiced in the game arise.
No one seemed to speculate about his total until after Bonds concluded the 2001 season with 73 home runs, his career total reaching 567 – 147 shy of The Babe’s record, and 188 less than Hammerin Hank.
Now that he’s 7 homers away from The Babe, the investigation could turn out to be the newest formal “witch hunt” in baseball. But as long as Bonds is the lone scapegoat used in arguments for revising old baseball stats, and not McGuire, Palmeiro, Caminiti, and McGuire in the same sentence, the race issue will remain.
It’s not as simple as deleting the single records of these players who may have “cheated” the game for their own benefit. In accomplishing their individual feats, teams won pennants, championships, and gained notoriety helping gain revenue. Because of that, all of those records and awards were compromised and have to be adjusted the same way as the individual record. It’s only fair.
We fans should’ve seen this coming, but we looked the other way because home runs are exciting.
Essentially we feel cheated for what we ignored and brushed under the rug years ago.
Serves us all right.
While there is no easy way to handle the looming steroid cloud, baseball can do itself a favor and scrutinize all players during the steroid years, and not the more popular, easier to hate ones like Bonds.
Until the cloud is cleared, we have no choice but to be skeptics of all over-achievers, including fan favorites.
Roger Clemens, who competed for a Cy Young award years after many people thought he was over the hill and done, needs to be investigated.
Jim Thome, who went through alternate years of great statistical years and injuries but now is off to a wonderful start with the White Sox, needs to be investigated.
The young, Bonds-like swinging slugger Robert Pujols, considered the second best batter in baseball (first is Bonds, if you didn’t know), should be investigated for, if nothing else, putting up amazing statistics that rival that of Bonds.
If we’re going to start a witch hunt, don’t let color or personality factor in. Let’s get them all, so we don’t have to relive 1995.
Timothy Hopkins runs TimothyLukeHopkins.com, and frequently writes and edits articles for www.mindritesports.com. He can be emailed at TimothyLukeHopkins@gmail.com.
