I’ve always considered the home run the most American part of baseball. With one swing of the bat, the hitter gets it all, and quickly too. He gets all four bases, all the adulation of the fans, all the credit for the one (or more) runs driven across the plate, and possibly, all the credit for a game, series or championship won. Preach On-Base Percentage and the wholly communist “small ball” all you like, but the home run is the play that gets remembered. You don’t have to look any further than SportsCenter to find that a homer can be called a big fly, tater, long ball, round-tripper and countless other catchy little names. Sadly, the sacrifice bunt gets only one name: sacrifice bunt.
Recently, feeling the crush of public scrutiny over his alleged steroid use and facing a lengthy rehabilitation from his second knee surgery since Spring Training began, Barry Lamar Bonds and his 703 career home runs commented to reporters that he may miss half or all of the upcoming season, possibly ending his career.
All those who truly love and understand the game can breathe a sigh of relief, for it appears, at least for now, that the ambassador to the single greatest record in American athletics will not be Barry Bonds.
As big as a marketing boon Major League Baseball might have received from Bonds’ Quest for 756, they no longer have to face the possibility of attaching an asterisk to their game’s most sacred of statistics. The possibility of a long-term Bonds absence at age 41 means that Hank Aaron will, in all likelihood, remain Home Run King, retaining a seat on a throne upon which he rightfully deserves to sit.
Starting in 1973, When Aaron was hard-charging at the iconic Babe Ruth’s record, America was in the throes of Watergate, Vietnam, and Roe v. Wade. The country was screaming for distraction, and Aaron provided, rising above hate mail and death threats to continue to crush home runs.
Aaron never stood at home plate to admire on of his shots, never danced to home plate, and never eyed the pitcher in defiance for coming high and inside. In other words, he was the antithesis of Bonds. Aaron played baseball in a manner fathers would be proud to tell their sons about, setting a positive example for all who played the game. He deserves to remain atop his perch as the greatest home run hitter of all time.
In an era where it becomes harder and harder to discern the juiced from the genuine with each passing day, fans deserve not to have to exalt a player like Bonds to the pinnacle of the sport. While Bonds’ career statistics, asterisks aside, tell the tale of a great baseball player (over 2,300 walks against a mere 1,428 strikeouts!), his personality is not one to be remembered. This is, after all, the player that once said he refused to offer advice to younger teammates, since they would likely not be on his team in the future.
So Barry, I’m sorry you’re “tired” of being beaten down by steroid allegations and leading questions by reporters. I’m sorry you didn’t know the substances your trainer was giving you were steroids, and I’m sorry you’re faced with the prospect of a career cut short, but I’ll lose no sleep with Aaron’s name atop the All-Time Home Run list. Remember, Aaron had to deal with allegations and threats too, only they were on his life, not his pride.
It’s rare that you’ll see the term “positive example” anywhere near the name of a baseball player during the coming seasons, and thankfully, it appears even rarer that you’ll see the term “new home run king.” If this truly is the beginning of the end of Bonds’ career, we can look back at one of the greatest to ever play the game between the lines, and one of the worst to play it outside of them. His resume speaks volumes about his baseball prowess, but public opinion shouts them about his lack of personality, lack of compassion and lack of dedication to the fans of baseball.
Now that the purported “Steroid Era” has been exposed, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 60 or even 50 home run seasons will vanish, and with them, any challenge of Hank Aaron’s place in history.
Long live the king.