So it finally happened: Barry Bonds is the All-Time Home Run King. And
while his name may be smeared from sea to shining sea and his
achievement referred to as tainted, I say it is hypocrisy, and that we
should crown our king, no strings attached.

The player isn't tainted, the sport is. Back in the 90's, (remember
then) baseball had record low viewership and attendance. You see, a
bunch of millionaire players and billionaire owners had a big
disagreement over a relatively small percentage of their money, and the
players didn't play for half a season over it. Unfortunately, this
small percentage was exponentially more than the average baseball fan
family made in a year. People got angry, and stayed away in droves.

Then, in the 98-99 season, something magical happened. Players began
hitting baseballs, literally, like never before. Two steroid users were
each threatening the sport's longest standing important record. This
home run chase saved the sport, and brought it to where it is today.
Period. Barry is simply the greatest of these enhanced hitters. Barry
broke the record set by that chase. Barry hit baseballs that were
thrown by steroid enhanced pitchers. Barry hit more HRs than any man to
ever live. This is a sport where players have popped pre-game
amphetamines for decades and were seen smoking in the dugout in the
sport's so-called glory days.

Do any of you honestly believe Babe Ruth was a better man than Barry
Bonds? Seriously? The Segregation King? He was playing homerun derby
with a bunch of 150 pound scrawny white pitchers before literally anyone
lifted weights. If he had not abused his body so badly with all the
standard vices he easily could have set records that still would stand
today. The only difference in perception is 24 hour news services.

So crown Barry Bonds. Do not let the state of sports as a whole bury a
lifetime of dedication and perseverance. Hank Aaron saw through the BS
and the e-lynchings. We are all dictated by our times. Thomas
Jefferson had slaves. JFK had mistresses by the dozens. Barry has
steroids. Hope for the future, but do not dwell in the past nor deny
the present.

Barry Bonds may be the most hated man in America. With the possible exception of President Bush, no one's name is smeared in the headlines more than that of the Giants slugger. Even with all the obvious, fair reasons to dislike Bonds, it's time to back off the assault. Big time. To clarify ahead of time, I do not love Bonds. I dislike the use of steroids and I think athletes should give away autographs till their arms are sore from signing (I know it's easy for me to say this, when no one cares about my autograph, but no one can convince me that a kid screaming for a scrap of paper with a jock's name on it isn't worth the fifteen seconds it takes to jot down a signature). In addition, I'm pretty sure Bonds knew what drugs he was doing, and that he has permanently marred his achievements with his steroid use. But let's be clear here: baseball is just a game. News flash: Barry Bonds is not a murderer. He has never raped a woman. He has never kidnapped a child. With these three guarantees, he should already be off the cover of Antichrist Weekly. But somehow he remains public enemy number one. Even on the field, Bonds has never been paid to throw a game, much less a World Series, he has never purposefully hurt another player, nor has he ever attacked an umpire. So why then are we so dedicated to dragging this man through a gutter? The sanctity of the sport? We're nearly ninety years late for that. Let us not forget where we've been; baseball has been torn by, and survived, far worse scandals than will ever come from the man with bowling ball biceps and a beach ball head. The attacks on Bonds have gone too far for too long. When a Google News search for "Barry Bonds steroids" finds more stories than searches for "Saddam Hussein weapons" or even "bin Laden terror" (honestly, try it, no quotes) then our hatred, hounding, and hell-bent lynching of Bonds needs to stop. Any day now Bonds will tie and then break the total home run mark set by Babe Ruth. Baseball fans around the nation have been treating this as a cataclysmic event on par with the end of days. What is so awful about Bonds taking the second place mark away from a drunken lecher? Bonds is not a perfect role model. He cheated. There should be an asterisk by his name in the record books. But his name should be in those books. Bonds did not do anything that countless others haven't done as well. He became the best player he could be by any means necessary. While the ends didn't justify the means, the ends are unparalleled. The reason Bonds is hated more than baseball's other caught steroid users is that he was the best at it. Bonds' gravest sin is being the best player in any sport ever to use steroids.