The Baseball Column: Barry, Stay Away
POSTED: 2:42 pm EDT May 6,
2005
UPDATED: 2:52 pm EDT May 6,
2005
Email
Print
Rant One: Enough Is Enough
It was announced earlier this week that Barry Bonds will undergo a third surgery on his ailing right knee. Mid-July is now considered the earliest we can expect the seven-time MVP to rejoin the Giants lineup. "Never" sounds a lot better to me.
Look Barry, we all know you cheated. You broke the single season homerun record, once the most hallowed in all of sports, and became just the third man to join the 700 homer club. You’ve done enough damage; we all need to move on. The worst thing for baseball would be for you to come back and pass Ruth and Aaron. It would only delay the healing process and turn what should be a crowing moment in the games' history into a bitter, hollow sideshow.
Rant Two: Throw In The Towel?
When former big league pitcher Tom House (who coincidentally caught Aaron's 715th homerun ball in the bullpen of Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium back in 1974) announced this week that players as far back as the late 1960s were taking steroids, I was overcome with resignation. Has anything ever been done naturally?Maybe we should just stop the tests. It's probably just a charade anyway. The best, most high profile players will probably always be able to beat the tests, while the Juan Rincon's of the baseball world will pay the price. What’s the point?Rant Three: Unsung Hero
Washington's Livan Hernandez is one of the most underappreciated players in the game. The husky hurler has led the NL in innings and complete games the past two years. He completed nine games last season, while no other major league pitcher had more than five. A .236 career hitter who is often called on to pinch hit, the Cuban was third in the league with 15 sacrifice hits in 2004.
It was announced earlier this week that Barry Bonds will undergo a third surgery on his ailing right knee. Mid-July is now considered the earliest we can expect the seven-time MVP to rejoin the Giants lineup. "Never" sounds a lot better to me.
Look Barry, we all know you cheated. You broke the single season homerun record, once the most hallowed in all of sports, and became just the third man to join the 700 homer club. You’ve done enough damage; we all need to move on. The worst thing for baseball would be for you to come back and pass Ruth and Aaron. It would only delay the healing process and turn what should be a crowing moment in the games' history into a bitter, hollow sideshow.
Rant Two: Throw In The Towel?
When former big league pitcher Tom House (who coincidentally caught Aaron's 715th homerun ball in the bullpen of Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium back in 1974) announced this week that players as far back as the late 1960s were taking steroids, I was overcome with resignation. Has anything ever been done naturally?Maybe we should just stop the tests. It's probably just a charade anyway. The best, most high profile players will probably always be able to beat the tests, while the Juan Rincon's of the baseball world will pay the price. What’s the point?Rant Three: Unsung Hero
Washington's Livan Hernandez is one of the most underappreciated players in the game. The husky hurler has led the NL in innings and complete games the past two years. He completed nine games last season, while no other major league pitcher had more than five. A .236 career hitter who is often called on to pinch hit, the Cuban was third in the league with 15 sacrifice hits in 2004.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
