Say it ain`t so

I hope Bob Krieger wasn`t imbibing something while writing probably the best piece I`ve read anywhere on the whole Bonds home run record run.

Writers are notorious for using alcohol to open portals.

Musicians are partial to the opiates...smack for the jazz people. Is Chet Bakers music flawed? Stan Getz..Paul Desmond? Charley Parker..Billie Holliday..and on and on..asterisks after the credits..Sister Morphine the muse

Glenn Gould was rumoured to require a trunk to hold his "meds" while on the road.

He remarked that actually an average size briefcase would suffice.

Painters go for the hallucinogens..poets love `em all...some poets at some time.

druggie

Barry Bonds is a druggie, pure and simple. He is a lousy role model, a cheat and should not get any recognition. Instead, give the award to the drug lab that produced the steroids and kick him the hell out of the league. And next time the press wrings its hands about drug use in the schools think about the druggie athletes and the influence they exert on the young.

Cheating

I deplore Bonds's cheating by taking steroids. But I also deplore singling him out when probably 75% of the players were doing the same thing, and the baseball owners, the commissioner, and most of the fans, turned a blind eye. I've seen most of the modern day greats play, and Bonds is the most spectacular and dangerous hitter I have ever seen. For much of his career he has had no weaknesses. His record is tainted due to his decision to cheat, but he is still one of the greatest hitters of all time. Aaron show a lot of class in congratulating him. Bud Selig didn't.

Well Said...

The last two words of this article are the best. Who cares?

As a former baseball fan it seems to me that Bob has made a compelling argument for how much baseball sucks in general, from its cheaters to its obnoxious fans. I must agree that this is not a new phenomenon, as Bob helps highlight, it has sucked almost since its inception and I think now a larger number of people are starting to realize it.

The sooner it gets relegated to the position of professional cycling in Europe, where entire countries are no longer interested in airing the sports premiere event, the better.

Ball Four

One of the best sports books ever written, period, by Jim Boutin. The inside story of Baseball when it was frowned upon to even discuss your salary! Like bob the cat, it's good fun to read!

ground balls man..strikeouts are fascist

Ball Four..definitely one of the best..

The Wrong Stuff by Bill "Spaceman" Lee was a lot of fun...anything by Bill Lee is good stuff.

Maybe the moral here is...

that we expect too much from professional athletes. It's all very well to receive fun value from watching people hitting balls with bats but to shower them with adoration and expect to bask in their reflected glory is all wrong. We oughta respect people for depth and breadth of their character rather than the ephemeral shininess of dubious achievements.

The real question to ask anyone with a strong opinion on either side of the question "Is he a cheater?" is "Why, exactly, do you care?" What is it about our star-obsessed culture that makes them care so much about a guy doing something so spectacularly inconsequential as hitting balls over walls?

The outrage is in the comparison of Stats.

So much of the baseball commentary is on statistics i.e. the number of home runs, etc.. The fact is that Hank Aaron's record is a much greater accomplishment. Statistics will never fairly compare how Aaron would have played in today's game and how Bonds would have played in Aaron's time. Bonds has fewer of the racial barriers in the game an all of the access to enhancements. Hank Aaron is still the best.

Bonds is a product of his times ....

Great article! I agree with pretty much everything in it, but it should be emphasized that Barry Bonds is a product of his times.

Did professional baseball actively encourage its players to take steriods in the 90s? No, but it came damn close! Let's face it, the excitement of all those players trying to surpass Maris literally saved baseball. They had no policy on steriods. None! They were willing to turn a blind eye to whatever their athletes took in order to make their game profitable again. It was only those Senate hearings that forced them to look at the issue. They got what they asked for, and now they can't complain about the result. If media and fans truly were disgusted then they could have stayed away from the ballpark. But, they didn't and they got what they paid for. Bonds may be a jerk, but those that are fans and hate Bonds for taking steriods are nothing but hypocrites.

The sad thing is how little a spotlight is turned on the CFL with its steriod issues. That is a league willing to take the NFLs suspended players, up until this year, with no questions asked. They don't do any drug testing! Stars like Allen Pitts were caught with vials of steriods crossing the border, and the CFL was so unconcerned that they didn't even suspend him. You'd think after Ben Johnson we'd be fanatics about keeping our sports clean. The numbers of "recreational" users is reportingly getting bigger all the time. Atleast baseball is doing something about it now. Too late to put an * next to Bonds name, but atleast they have been testing their players since 2001.

Pot calling the kettle....

Personally I like watching Cuban baseball better. The level of play in the Cuban league isn't quite as good as MLB, but they have players as good as anyone in MLB, and they almost certainly are drug free. Even if they wanted to take performance enhancing drugs there's no way they could afford them. My father tells me that Cuban baseball has a similar atmosphere to MLB in the '50s, but without the racism.

As for Working Memory's comment: what's wrong with calling someone who is black, black? In common parlance it isn't considered derogatory. But more importantly, you are aware that not everyone who is black is African American, aren't you? A former girlfriend of mine, who happens to be black, would be royally pissed if you called her an African American, primarily because she's British. Another former girlfriend, who is African American, didn't like the term because it was too long, and preferred black. Then again in Cuba you wouldn't want to call a mulata, negra or visa versa (and truth told I get lost with all the color gradations they have there).

But I have no doubt most of the negative reaction in the US toward Bonds is rooted in racism. Of course the fact that he's also apparently an ass also doesn't help (of course steroids quite often turn people mean). As for doping, most elite athletes (not just American ones) have been doing that for as long as the drugs have been available. Frankly, I don't know what the big deal is, there's nothing pure about professional sports, there never has been.

It's in the rules

Yep, cheating is built into the rules of the game. To me the deliberate "tactic" of a manager calling for a pass on balls to avoid a dangerous battsman is cheating. Better yet it's an act of a coward.
The same goes for the "fair catch" in their version of football.

tough enough

They (Cubans) did reach the final of the World Baseball championships recently..losing to Japan in the final. Most of the teams were made up of MLB pros. The Americans and Puerto Ricans..Dominicans and Canadians were almost exclusively star major leaguers...and of course the Japan team.

The one thing that made me a little uneasy with the Cuban team was their (understandable) paranoia..their us against the world view of things...a lot of arguing..with considerably more edge than the usual baseball arguments. They felt everything was stacked against them and were very quick to protest any perceived slight no matter how small. Too bad, cause they are a joy to watch play...they really go for it.

At one tournament (Olympics?) I remember a Canadian going out of his way to deliver a cheap shot to a Cuban catcher on a play at home plate...a really cheap shot..the Cuban got up and decked him.

Another time..maybe it was the same tournament..a group of anti-Cuban protesters appeared on the right field area. The Cuban dugout emptied en masse and charged at sprinter speed at the protesters. One of the players leading the charge was waving a Cuban flag..they were just sprinting..fast...when they reached the protesters they began duking it out.
These are really tough people..made almost too tough by the crap they`ve had to endure from the gangsters across the water.

Bobby Krieger hits Texas Leaguer!

Great piece Bob - captures the contradictory feelings many of us have about Barry Bonds and gives context to his considerable accomplishments.

I find it sad that in so many sports - Tour de Steroids, anyone? - including allegedly amateur Olympics - so many are out and out cheating and risking their health doing so.

If Bonds is guilty - and I deplore the fact that presumption of innocence is entirely lost on so many commentators - of steroid use, that asterisk will be well-deserved.

Until that determination, Bonds will simply remain yet another addition to baseball's dubious hall of fame.

But remind me never to go to the ballgame with you! Too chatty with the jerks.

- Bill Tieleman

Good point James

I don't completely agree with you James, but point taken and thank you regarding the "country of origin" issue.

The tone in which the comment was made turned me off. Mr. Krieger had me until he made it personal.

i.e. "Bonds is a jerk. A role model for jerks. He's also black which . . ."

According to Mr. Krieger, not only is Bonds a jerk, he's "also" black, which somehow makes being a jerk worse. It is not necessary to qualify jerk.

If you're going to write such harsh statements you should more carefully choose your words.

When you replace the word "also" with synonyms like "as well" or "on top of that" or, "in addition," the underlying sentiment is hard to ignore. Mr. Krieger might as well have wrote, "to make matters worse."

When you pick up a gun make sure you know where you're pointing it. It's not good enough to say you didn't know it was loaded.

When a writer, or anyone uses the term "I think" as a qualifier it indicates they aren't sure of the content. If you're not sure regarding such a sensitive subject you should keep it to yourself.

Writing carries huge responsibility to the community and society, which mainstream news media in Vancouver seem to find very challenging. (Mr. Krieger works for The Province)

I'm an average white guy and I don't see Bonds as anything but a professional athlete. His origin, color, or religion have zero to do with drug use or baseball.

I honestly never realized "average" white people hated "black" sports figures so much. I do know however that a small portion of racist white assholes hate people of color.

Thanks for clearing this up Mr. Krieger.

I hope it was an error in writing style, and not sentiment, and I'm hoping Mr. Krieger will shed a bit of light on what he really meant.

Slept on it - again

Thank you G for your observations, and, as always, your well thought-out comments.

To all concerned, I've slept on it for a second night, and even though I agree with G West's perspective, I've resolved myself to being edited.

I still however have not changed my mind about "how" Mr. Krieger got his point across.

Anyone who touches a stranger in public is looking for trouble. Talking to someone is fine, but touching them is way over the line, whether it is a tap, poke, or popcorn kernel bounced off the back of a noisy head.

Speaking as a director who has managed crowd control for stadium crowds as large as 65,000, the smart way to handle a situation with an unruly patron is to speak directly with staff at the venue, and I suppose as I read Mr. Krieger's column I was subconsciously making professional judgements regarding the personality of the author. My three strike analogy was accurate. In fact he was at a full count when he swung out. I never mentioned it earlier, but I didn't find the rapport he described with sports fans plausible or probable, which activated the needle on my bullshit meter.

By the time I got to the part where I detected an undertone of racism, either real or imagined, I had quickly linked to his bio to learn that Mr. Krieger is a political cartoonist - he makes his living creating controversy. I don't know his work because I never read tabloids, and contract a clipping service when necessary, so, unlike Mr. Beers, I was reacting only to what I saw in front of me.

Regarding my POV G, you're right, I did react like a (very progressive) Canadian. I have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse, sexism, and for people who treat animals inhumanely. (I also help old ladies cross the street and save whales in my spare time.)

Regarding my life experience, I spent almost twenty years working and living in the U.S. I managed large volunteer and paid crews of all colors in cities like NYC, Chicago, and LA, plus literally a thousand cities in between and around the world.

As a result, I have a sensitivity to racism that most Canadians cannot appreciate. One of my clients was a guest on Oprah Winfrey's morning show in the early 80's, and when you meet this lady, racism takes on a whole new meaning, and it stays with you for life. I was only half-kidding when I suggested in a previous post to contact her to weigh in on this issue.

cont'd in the next post ...

Slept on it - again continued ...

continued from previous post ...

I've only lived in Vancouver for four years, and I still have trouble adjusting to the liberal wild west mentality here regarding issues of race. Local politicians and news media talk a good game, but when I read in local newspapers how multi-culturally integrated they claim we are I scratch my head. I liken it more to a Bento Box existence. Granted, it's not much better in any other city, but the danger in Vancouver is in leading citizens to believe that we're doing something we are not.

If you don't know it's broke you can't fix it. The fashion in which Vancouver has managed the homeless, the mentally ill, and drug addicts in the Downtown Eastside for the last thirty years should give you a clue as to how well you ignore issues. If you're not embarrassed, it speaks volumes.

Coddling the public, as our local mainstream news media is notorious for, is dangerous and it is backwards. Mainstream news media here are largely reactive, and rarely proactive, although lately they are scrambling to play catch up because the Olympics are coming, and because citizen journalists are spilling the beans. My apology to hard-working and progressive farmers and ranchers, but do we really want to look like yesterday's rednecks on the world stage in 2010?

I let my personal feelings regarding racism affect my initial response, which on the surface and to some people might seem like a noble thing to do, but it was wrong. Even though I don't know Mr. Beers, except through his publication, I believe him when he told me Mr. Krieger is not a racist, and unless someone comes forward with evidence to the contrary I will continue to believe him, but a word of advice to Mr. Krieger, take a writing and sensitivity course if you want to write prose. If not, stick to cartoons where you have greater license to stretch and insult. Apparently, writing humorously seems to be harder than drawing humorously.

I stupidly decided to fight fire with fire, but as we all know ... firemen usually use water.

Working Memory: For a guy who has only been here four years

This:

has got the city, and its narcissistic view of who and what it is dead to rights.

I've spent much of my adult life on the coast and have come to exactly the same conclusions.

If the economy goes south, and it will, all those little flags we wave about cultural acceptance and racial diversity are going to end up going up in flames unless some leadership is sooner applied to the real problems of the Lower Mainland.

That little shoot 'em up on Broadway the other morning is just a mild taste of what's stirring below the racial radar.

A lot of people are going to be fighting fire with fire then; whether they like it or not my friend....

Response to Working Memory

I wasn't going to respond to Working Memory because I thought David Beers did a much better job of explaining my position than I ever could but, Jesus Christ... this is just ridiculous. But, I suppose, as a film director in Vancouver you've got a lot of time on your hands these days. Where to begin?

So... let me get this straight. Confronted with the situation of a guy standing in front of a little girl, booing loudly, you'd run off to find an usher??? Having read your posts I shouldn't be shocked at your tendency to over-react but are you kidding me? I didn't hit the guy. I tapped him on the back to get his attention. I asked him to sit down so the little girl could see the game. There was no "trouble". We had a discussion. It was the kind of conversation that happens at ballparks all the time without the need of usher intervention.

Which brings me to my next point. Have you ever been to a big league game? [Your use of the term “swung out” makes me think not.] Had you, you'd see that the vast majority of fans are white [or need I say Caucasian-Americans lest I re-offend your delicate sensibilities?]. Even in cities like Detroit, Atlanta or St Louis with overwhelming African-American populations, ballgame attendance is consistently over 90 percent white. And, in all those cities, except San Francisco, the same fans that cheered Mark McGwire boo the hell out of Barry Bonds. I wonder why?

There are a variety of explanations why blacks don't attend but I think [yes, yes... there I go... thinking again...] a fundamental reason is baseball has done little to reach out to their community. Many teams have fewer and fewer black ballplayers on their roster. As a result, there are fewer players for the community to identify with. Baseball has been racist since Cap Anson. And, with the brief exception of the 1960s when Mays, Aaron, McCovey, Gibson, Banks, Marichal and Clemente filled all star teams, baseball has always had an uncomfortable relationship with black players. I think it's clearly evident. And if you don't think America is racist then you sure as hell haven't talked to a black person. [African-American, Canadian, Cuban... whatever...]

Continued on next post...

Krieger's response continued...

But, here's what I wonder most. In all the responses to my piece, whether they agreed or disagreed, nobody else charged I was a racist. I'm left to one of three conclusions. Either Tyee readers are just too stupid to detect my prejudice, that they are all members of the Ku Klux Klan or maybe, just maybe, they grasped the not so subtle references to the contrary. Did you miss the part when I questioned if the fan booed McGwire as passionately as he did Bonds? The implication is the only difference between the two is skin colour. Or my suggesting Ruth's records might be suspect because he never played against black ballplayers? That all records prior to 1947 should have asterisks? Are those the assessments of a racist?

The funny thing is, I wrote the article because I was tired of Bonds being lynched in public. He may well have taken steroids. But he denies it and I have a lot of trouble convicting him before all the evidence is in.

It's true... I am not a writer. Just a cartoonist. [Oh, and by the way... you may dismiss me as just a tabloid cartoonist but you admit you haven't seen my work so I'd suggest you refrain from judging it. That would be... well... prejudice, wouldn't it?] And I'm always amazed at how worked up people can get over a cartoon. You seem to have the same reaction to my writing. The point I tried to make was that it's just baseball. Baseball's nothing more than entertainment. A guy broke a record. He may have cheated. Big deal. I enjoy watching him play. I'm sorry it was lost on you.

So, am I a racist? Apparently. I certainly seem to have little tolerance for the "average white guy".

Krieger

in the days of Babe...

OK - there's one thing that really gripes me about this 'record' and, indeed the record that Aaron set....
The Babe did it when baseballs were 'dead', fences were out of sight, there weren't enhancement steroids and - he and Gehrig hit more home runs than complete teams did.

And, Babe was a drinker and womanizer...which is said to be a huge detriment to his accomplishment.

What a helluvan athlete!!!!!!!

Hold on there, Jack...

It's widely known that the dead ball era ended with the emergence of Ruth in 1919.

Some say the owners juiced up the ball after the Black Sox scandal to help the sport recover, which is eerily reminicent of how the ball suddenly started popping out of the park like popcorn out of a hot open pot after the baseball strike of the '90s. It was the juiced up ball, some say, and some hitter-friendly rule changes, that gave hitters the advantage that really helped Ruth and Gehrig do what they did. Here's a link.

So, no, Ruth wasn't hitting in the dead ball era. He was the first power hitter in the rabbit ball era.

And, in fact, fences were not out of site. In fact, some say Yankee Stadium was not so much "The house that Ruth built" but more accurately, "The house built for Ruth" because of it's cozy right field fence, where Ruth put most of his home runs.

Add this to the fact that Ruth had Gehrig right behind him in a line up that was nicknamed "Murderer's Row," which forced the pitchers to have to pitch to him.

So, yes, Ruth's talents were prodigious, but don't take away those of Aaron and Bonds who, while they did have other advantages, did not have these.

We can go back and forth like this about advantages and disadvantages of each ballplayer, but the fact is, they're all phenomenal and deserve to be praised for their prodigious talents.

Geoff D.

corrected?

All good points Eternalux...plus, admittedly there is better pitching today.

However, I neglected to list one of Ruth's faults which should have further challenged his accomplishment.
He was a habitual cigar smoker.
I suppose one can say that womanizing, boozing, and cigar smoking made up his enhancement steroid.

Production

Doesn't Ruth tend to come out on top when you chart home runs against at bats? Although, as observed, batting order has a role in that as well.

And, don't forget he was a pitcher and saw limited at bats until after his sale to to the Yankees (1914 - 1919). Had his whole career been as an out and out slugger I doubt anyone would have caught him.

In terms of his value to an organization, I think a quick look at the effect of Ruth as a team sparkplug (when compared with either Henry Aaron or Barry Bonds and the records of the teams they played with) is the real indicator of relative value.

No?

Yep...good points...

Ruth's evening activities certainly add to the mythology. Can't argue with that.

Was Babe Ruth more of a sparkplug than the others? To be honest, i am more of a fan of the history of baseball than a fan of the current game, meaning that I haven't watched much of the San Fransisco Giants. And I don't know much about the Aaron era with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves teams. But asking if Ruth was more of a sparkplug gets us into the age-old debate about what actually makes an mvp. Sure, Ruth (in his own words) was the straw that stirred the drink on the yankees, but look at the lineup that surrounded him -- Gehrig, Earle Combs, Bob Meusel all batted over .335 in 1927, most were batting higher than .350. Tony Lazzeri was no slouch, either, knocking in over 100 RBIs. Some consider it the best in baseball team in history. Six players from this team ended up in the hall of fame.

The point i'm making is that the "relative value" is still a hard thing to guage.

Plus, one thing that hasn't been mentioned much is that Ruth was a divisive figure on the team, also. For years he tried to have Miller Huggins, the manager, fired. Plus, Gehrig, who was once best friends with Ruth, eventually turned his back on the man. Echos of Barry Bonds, perhaps?

But, yes, can't deny Ruth's output would have been significantly higher if he'd started as a hitter not a pitcher.

But we should also be talking about Sadaharu Oh from Japan (868 home runs) and Josh Gibson (the only man to hit a ball OUT of Yankee Stadium) from the Negro leagues if we want to talk about the best ever.

Geoff D.