Barry Bonds and his Love/Hate Relationship with the Media

So Barry Bonds had hip surgery in an attempt to get healthy enough to play baseball again. With the way he treats the media, the pending perjury trial, and the volatile nature of how he is perceived in the public, it is inevitable that he will be talked about. His timing is impeccable, as usual, at a time of year when college football bowl games and the start of the NFL playoffs should be the focus of the sports world.

The media cannot seem to get enough of Barry Bonds. On the one hand, they love to crucify him at every opportunity. The amount of coverage of his pending trial for possibly lying in a federal court paled only in comparison to the love affair the New England Patriots got last year while going for the first perfect season since the 1972 Dolphins. And just like preordaining the Pats and the greatest team every (before losing in the Super Bowl), Bonds is already guilty in many peoples eyes. He may have lied to the court, he may have told the trust, or just misstated what he thought he remembered. No one really knows without being in his mind or having video evidence of the actual events in question. Yet without all the actual facts, most would rather see him punished than give him is day in court.

But then there are also those that think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Let's compare his chances to get the the Hall of Fame to those of Mark McGuire. Some voters and baseball writers say Barry Bonds is a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer. These same people say Mark McGuire is never getting in because they did not like his responses to Congress regarding steroids and the Mitchell Report. Bonds has never failed a drug test and is only accused of lying about possible steroids use. McGuire never tested positive for any banned substances either, but did admit to using Creatine which was legal at the time. So how is it the McGuire is destined to only get into Cooperstown by paying for a tour and Bonds already has his bust in a storage shed just waiting for it to become official? I don't know, but both are just as important to the history of the game. Big Mac's chase of Roger Maris and the single season home run record brought the fans back to a game that was ravaged by the strike. Bonds is the current career and single season home run leader and has more MVP awards then anyone in history. The only difference is the arrogance of the baseball writers and their sense of entitlement to "Preserve the sanctity of the game." People can hate on Bonds, but he never flat out made a statement, or lack of a statement, that the writers can point to like McGuire not admitting to steroid use at the Senate hearings. They both belong in for their on-the-field accomplishments, but only Bonds will get their due to his support but the "right" people.

Depending on which media outlet you get your sports information from, he is either a tumor on the rear end of the National Pastime or a victim of his own success deserving of our admiration and our sympathy. Whether you are a S.F. Giants fan or you like someone else, he is getting a raw deal or he needs to go away and never be heard from again. Love him or hate him, you cannot talk about baseball in the last 20 years without a mention of Barry Bonds. Either way, the current home run king is a polarizing figure that will have sports pundits talking for years.