The Chris Moeller Archives

The new home run champion of all-time

Congratulations to Barry Bonds, baseball's new home run king. The Giants' leftfielder got the riotous reception he deserved last night in San Francisco upon hitting his 756th career home run, and the former champ, Hank Aaron, whose own commissioner blew him off in 1974, saved himself a world of shame and embarrassment by agreeing at last to appear at the stadium via a taped tribute to Bonds on the centerfield scoreboard after the 5th inning dinger.

I've written on the blog before that I believe Bonds is a worthy successor to the home run throne once sat upon by the greatest slugger of them all, Babe Ruth, and also that Aaron's numbers should always be as equally suspect as Bonds because he too played in an era when players gorged on performance-boosters (amphetamines), and because a former teammate claims that he and his colleagues "were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses" in the 1960s and 70s.

I've expressed before, as well, that Bud Selig is a laughingstock as the sport's commissioner, if he can be considered a commissioner at all when he doesn't perform half of his duties. And he's a hypocrite for condemning players who made hard choices about physical performance-enhancement while attempting to compete under the guidelines set by the club owners.

In the immediate aftermath of Bonds' historic feat, though, I'd like to direct my vitriol squarely at the MSM, that is, the mainstream news media. I invite them tonight to simply "go suck it." They got it wrong time and time again this year with Bonds. They told us that the fans despised Bonds, and then those fans voted him a starting spot on the NL All-Star team. They predicted that visiting fans would jeer Bonds if he made history in their ballpark, but the Padres-killing Barry was given a warm reception when he tied Aaron's mark Saturday in San Diego, then an exuberant Mets fan made off with historic home run ball #756 in San Francisco and refused post-game interview requests. They had to re-write their stories one more time after Aaron's smiling countenance was projected upon the Jumbotron at San Fran's "Your-Corporate-Name-Here" Park.

Bonds has had an extraordinary career. In the 1990s, when the game was built on both speed and power, he averaged 36 home runs and 34 steals per season. In 2001, at the age of 37, he hit a record 73 home runs. At 38, he batted .370. At 39, he won his 6th MVP award, clubbing 45 home runs in only 390 at-bats, and at 40, he won his 7th MVP after becoming the first player ever to register an on-base percentage over .600.

The men who walk between the lines recognize and respect Bonds' brilliance. "I think it's pretty cool," said Jim Edmonds of the Cardinals, "I think it's good for baseball and I think it's a pretty neat thing."

I do too.

posted by CM @ 9:44 PM