Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter–Martin Luther King Jr.
Bobby Baseball is not a real person. He is made up of media accounts, water cooler conversations and privy moments of underlying sheer hatred. There are many other questions that I would pose to any journalist regarding the treatment of Barry Bonds. Why is he so hated? What did he do to merit said hatred? Will the person who has seen the grand jury testimony, please stand up? The two books that were written about Barry’s steroid use have not one stitch of proof. How come there aren’t more Jose Cansecos? What I want America to understand is this is not about steroids, it’s about the witch hunt. Blacks have had heroes dragged, stabbed, assassinated, hung, ridiculed, ostracized, falsely accused and nullified. These are some of the reasons why some Blacks come to the defense of Bonds. The way he and other athletes are treated in the media conjures images Blacks are sick of seeing and feeling. Lyle Alzado, Bill Romanowski, Ken Caminiti, Jason Giambi (Comeback Player of the Year? What?). These are some of the few athletes who weren’t branded with as hot a tool as the one Barry gets stuck on his muscular chest every single time he is interviewed. Could you deal with the scrutiny? Could you deal with the judgemental scolding saliva of drunk fans and their misled children alike?