Regarding Barry Bonds and the home run record, the steroid controversy matters, but for me it’s more personal as to why I don’t care about him getting this record.
Everyone who’s read my blog over any length of time knows I was a radio sports reporter in Denver. I still cover Broncos, but I used to cover all the teams. I was at a Rockies/Giants game and was in the Giants dugout waiting with some other reporters for Bonds to speak. I knew this was a dicey proposition because Bonds, like many other players, will often duck into the showers to avoid interviews. On this night Barry was taking questions so I stuck my microphone into the group. Bonds saw the microphone, but when answering questions he responded by either shaking his head yes or no.
He never said a word.
Needless to say, I didn’t get my Bonds audio, but the moment will never be forgotten.
Now I never asked a question of him or had even met Bonds before, but that moment told me all I needed to know about this guy. He’s a jerk. Even when other reporters said he could be a great interview, all I could go by was how I was treated.
And that affects how I feel about Bonds holding this record.
When I read he hit 756, my first feeling was dismay. That’s not how new records should be hailed, but that’s the reality that Bonds brought upon himself. My next thought was, “so how many more homers does Alex Rodriguez need?” Which is saying something considering how much I despise the Yankees.
So congrats Barry, I guess, and thanks for making me the newest A-Rod fan.
Darren Copeland 