Arguably the greatest player the game has ever seen should be praised, correct?
Instead, he is the poster boy of everything that was wrong with the game.
Barry Bonds has been a star everywhere he has gone, from Arizona State University, to the Pittsburgh Pirates, then in San Francisco where he elevated his game to superstardom.
There was never any doubt of how good he was, except there was always suspicion as to why his abilities never diminished as he got older.
I have read all the books: Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero, Game of Shadows, etc. The alleged evidence is very overwhelming.
The trial is now in full swing, and with Bonds admitting to using steroids, that should be the end of story right?
Not quite.
Bonds’ lawyer claims he was misled into taking them. His trainer told him he was taking flax seed oil and arthritis cream.
Ok, that was not the answer we were all looking for, but that is probably all we’re going to get at this or any point in the future. Bonds has continually denied his involvement since day one. In all reality, the dye was cast years ago, and the myth/legend of one of baseball’s greatest ended after the 1997 season.
Mark McGwire admitted to using, so did Alex Rodriguez and Any Pettitte. Since their confessions, their involvement in the scandal has all but been forgiven for the most part.
Bonds, on the other hand, has bucked the establishment since the beginning, more or less played the game by his own rules and always set the tone in the clubhouse (good or bad).
That being said, when you are the best in the game, some are more guarded than others. Maybe he was in the right, maybe he wasn’t. That cold shoulder given to many over the years is the least of his worries.
A legacy is tarnished forever, and despite what anyone says, Bonds is guilty no matter what happens at trial.
No normal reputation can withstand what Bonds has gone through. For all the denials he has spit out or whatever reason he has given for “using in error”, the words “user”, “cheater” and “liar” will always be associated with the man on top of the greatest record in all of sports.
Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective.
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