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opinion:
our view
Bonds chase self
serving
In 1998, the biggest
story in baseball was Mark McGwire's chase of the elusive home
run record set by Roger Maris decades ago.
Programs were interrupted to update you about the chase. Along
with that Sammy Sosa was also on that quest with McGwire, but
McGwire's chase was more publicized, not to mention more widely
cheered.
The chase for this home run record was something that many felt
would never happen again. Fast forward a mere three seasons
later and we are waiting to see if the San Francisco Giants'
Barry Bonds can now break "Big Mac's" record.
But the fact of the matter is that nobody outside a bunch of
hardcore baseball fans really care if Bonds breaks the record
or not.
The reason why is that Bonds is the epitome of the brash and
cocky, holier-than-thou overpaid sports star that we have all
come to hate.
His attitude is something to abhor, not something to revere.
This is a fact that has haunted Bonds for most of his career
and could be the reason why he has never been part of a winning
team, despite being on teams that always have the makings of
a champion.
Children who look up to him will only walk away thinking that
the way to play sports is with a bad attitude and a sense of
individualism.
Among the knocks on Bonds is that he does not even associate
with his teammates, he rides separately to every game, eats
his pre-game meals alone and is generally not even well understood
by his own teammates or coaches.
On top of that, there is no graciousness in Bonds' quest. When
asked about chasing the home run title by one reporter recently,
Bonds replied he didn't want to talk about it. After the reporter
pressed him, he went into a tirade that was uncalled for and
usually unheard of in the world of sports.
Even with a questionable past with fans and the bad press of
his own, McGwire's chase was filled with gracious moments like
hugging his son at home plate after breaking the record.
McGwire even had the grace to invite the family of Maris to
St. Louis so that they can be there when he did break the record
and acknowledged the great feat that was set years ago.
But Bonds is not even the type of person you really care about
unless you root for the team he is on. He has made no attempt
to be more gracious of a person or to use the spotlight for
anything else worthwhile.
Instead it's all about him. He walks, talks and acts like he
is God's gift to baseball and we, the general population of
the world, could frankly care less if he breaks the record much
less that we ever see or hear his name again.
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