Turbula
Volume II, Issue III Autumn 2003

From the Bleachers
No class

Barry BondsIt seems likely now that Barry Bonds will indeed pass Hank Aaron one day in the next couple of years for the major league home run record.

And while not to diminish the remarkable combination of talent and effort required for such a feat, it's not really asking too much to wish that Bonds were a more likeable figure.

When Aaron broke Ruth's record, there were threats against him and his family from racist idiots who didn't like the idea of a black man holding such a prestigious record.

But Aaron's self-effacing modesty and innate decency won over the vast majority of the public, and if a quiet champion in the years since, he's never been less than a wonderful ambassador for the game.

Bonds' stand-offish attitude makes him more oaf than hero; he displays little loyalty to a game that has made him wealthy beyond most folks' wildest dreams, and has spared him the necessity of finding a job.

His accomplishments deserve our full respect and acknowledgement; the game, however, also deserves a bit more from Bonds.




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