On Barry Bonds: “Sympathy for the ‘Devil’?”

Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on 25 Apr 2007 at 05:57 pm

Lots of people despise Barry Bonds.

They see the San Francisco Giants star as an egotistical, self-absorbed, steroid-pumping cheat.  For the first two descriptives, they point to as evidence his impatience with the media, his seeming aloofness from teammates, and the huge entourage of personal trainers and body guards that, up until this season, protectively huddled around and served him in the Giants locker room and elsewhere.  And, after all, there had to have been a reason for the famed cover of Sports Illustrated back in 1993 that read, “I’m Barry Bonds, And You’re Not.”

For the last, they trot out pictures of a clearly bigger and stronger Bonds, compared to the first half of his career.  And they point to the book, Game of Shadows, which certainly cast Bonds, his personal life, and his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs in the worst-possible light.

But I am a fan of Barry Bonds.  In fact, I am a huge fan.  I was a fan of his when he was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the early ’90s, became an even bigger fan as he collected seven MVP awards and eight Gold Gloves over the course of his nearly unparalleled career, and I remain a big fan even after the BALCO testimony and Game of Shadows.

Bonds’s comments yesterday in praise of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his spectacular start to the season — already 14 home-runs and 34 RBIs — are an example of why I am his fan:

“I am so happy for him, it’s great.  It is phenomenal to watch.  I hope you guys enjoy it too because he is just phenomenal.  I hope he hits a 100 [home-runs].”

Bonds went on to say he would ”be ecstatic” if A-Rod does break his single-season record of 73 home-runs. ”It wouldn’t bother me a bit,” Bonds said, because “that’s what the game is about.” 

Bonds, of course, is on the doorstep of breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time record of 755 home-runs, now just 15 short. But Bonds says he is rooting for Rodriguez to eventually break his soon-to-be career record, too.

Now, many of Bonds’s detractors are cynically scoffing at his remarks, thinking them self-serving at best.  Of course he is saying that, they reason, because he wants people to accept it when he breaks Aaron’s storied record, probably sometime in June.  As the not-so-personably-likeable-himself Steve Czaban of SportsTalk 980AM said this morning while I was driving to work, “Barry’s a jerk, but he’s not stupid.”

But to me, this praise of A-Rod seems consistent of Bonds.

Back in the early ’90s, there was only one player in baseball that could justly be considered Bonds’s peer, his only rival for the title “best player in baseball.”  That man was Ken Griffey, Jr., then of the Seattle Mariners.  And what struck me then was the genuine awe and appreciation that Bonds repeatedly expressed about Griffey.  In fact, I recall him conceding the aforementioned title, laughing off comparisons because, as Bonds would say, Griffey was just too good.

Bonds may have been underselling himself some, because as good as Griffey was, Bonds was the ultimate “five-tool player,” demonstrating great power, overall hitting ability, speed on the base paths, and Gold Glove ability in the outfield.  Griffey had superior power at the time — but not by much — and was even better in the outfield, being one of the very best in the history of the game with his glove.  But overall, Bonds was every bit as good as Griffey was, but with much greater speed.  Griffey would ultimately see his career ravaged by injury after injury, while Bonds sustained his excellence and got even better over the next decade.

Which is why I never found Sports Illustrated’s famed “I’m Barry Bonds, and you’re not” characterization such a negative.  Bonds was the best in baseball for most of his career, and is probably the second or third best ever (I would rank only Babe Ruth above him).  For Bonds to pretend others were as good or better than him would be false humility.  Which is why his praise of Griffey back then, and of A-Rod now, is the height of praise in baseball.

And it is not as though Bonds disrespects other players.  He shows his respect for every pitcher in the seriousness and focus he brings to every at bat.  And he has often praised the individual talents, hustle, and determination of other players, as he did David Eckstein, then of the Anaheim Angels, after the Giants lost to Eckstein’s team in the 2002 World Series.

In saying all this, I am not saying that I believe Bonds is some exalted saint. Far from it. 

In fact, his “faults” in the PR department are part of what has long endeared me to Bonds.  “Endeared” is probably too strong of a word.  Rather, I have long sympathized with him.

You see, I can relate to Bonds.  Not in terms of talent, fame or money, of course.  But in terms of how I believe I would react under the pressure of the media hordes. 

Like Bonds,  I do not believe I would be able to smilingly submit to hours upon hours of ceaseless questions, when all I want to do is get home to my family.  Bonds has had many great one-on-one interviews with sportswriters and sportscasters.  And he has always seemed quite at ease, happy, and affable at those times.  It may or may not be unreasonable of him, but I can certainly understand why he has long sought to draw a line and has preferred to meet with the media on his terms.

So, I sympathize with Bonds because I see some of my own dark side in him. That may reflect badly on me, but so be it.

Bonds is a baseball player, and should be judged first and foremost in that regard by what he does on the field and how he compares to other players of his era.  For all his personal faults, he is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime baseball player. 

Barry Bonds is a top-tier Hall of Famer. I am his fan.

© 2004-2008 Eric F. Langborgh