Chemists can rejoice: Bonds belts No. 715
The record they said would never be broken has now been surpassed twice. First by Hank Aaron, and now by Barry Bonds.
On Sunday Bonds hit his 715th home run, and in doing so he entered the record books, hopefully with an asterisk beside his name.
As many of you already know, I?m not a Bonds fan, but I will have to give credit where credit is due. But not to Bonds. The real credit should go to all those scientists who developed steroids, and especially to the ones who figured out how they help to increase muscle mass and strength.
In this era of modern science and technologies I guess it?s only fitting that Bonds? ability to hit long home runs be credited to biochemists.
Now I?ve never questioned his ability to hit the ball, but I have questioned his ability to hit so many home runs over the last five years.
I will give him all the credit in the world for his baseball talent and his hand-eye coordination, because let?s face it you have to be able to hit the ball in order to hit it far.
Regardless of how you feel about the chemically-induced homer, he has to be given some type of credit and recognition. Although it seems at least since the season started most fans have been outraged at Bonds and his steroid use.
In fact I think the fans have been very creative in showing their disapproval.
Now no fan should ever throw anything on the field, but the syringe thing was pretty funny. Every ballpark the Giants have played in has been filled with signs protesting Bonds? achievement. But the funniest sign I have seen was a sign, I believe in Cincinnati, which said, ?Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer.?
Some say you have to feel sorry for Bonds, but I say you don?t. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he continued to pump his body with muscle-enhancing drugs.
For me the biggest question remains. Does he deserve to have his name in the record books, asterisk or not, and should he be in the Hall of Fame? To me, the answer is simple: If he broke the rules of baseball then he shouldn?t be allowed in the Hall ? period.
Or if you let him in the Hall of Fame, then Pete Rose has to be reinstated. I ask you, what?s worse, using illegal performance enhancing drugs or gambling?
Now I?m not endorsing gambling, I?m just saying the greatest hitter of all time ? Rose ? has to be given credit, especially if you?re going to put Bonds and his record-breaking home runs in the Hall.
Bonds still has a ways to go if he?s going to break Aaron?s record of 755. But if he does, can Major League Baseball turn its head and make him the undisputed king of the diamond? Hopefully not.
If you?re a baseball fan, there are a lot of questions which should be asked and answered.
Breaking the rules is breaking the rules and there?s no way you can overlook both Bonds? and Rose?s achievements. Regardless of how you feel about Bonds or Rose, you do have to give them both equal treatment.
Hopefully Bonds will not break Aaron?s record and he can settle for second place, where he belongs.