more on bonds

Eugene Robinson writes that he just can't get hung up over Barry Bonds. He says he gets a bad rap because he's surly, and that although he does use steroids, so have others, and other heroes like Pete Rose have been tarnished.

True enough. But I still cannot applaud Bonds for breaking Hank Aaron's record, as he should do by the end of August. I'll give Bonds being a jerk. He's allowed to be. I don't care much about him hanging out with strippers and cheating on his wife. Lots of rich and famous men who spend months on the road do exactly the same thing.

But I don't feel like excusing the steroids. It is NOT a race thing, at least for me, although unfortunately surveys seem to indicate it is a factor. I don't want Mark McGuire to be in the Hall of Fame. I'd like to erase Bonds', McGuire's, and Sammy Sosa's 66+ home run seasons. And I firmly believe that Roger Clemens, one of the biggest assholes in baseball, is a long-time user of steroids too. Hell, I hate Clemens more than Bonds.

Again, the sad thing is that before Bonds started using steroids, he had already established himself as one of the very best hitters of all time. He was (is) a no-brainer Hall of Famer despite being a bit of a jerk. But I can't cheer for him when he passes Hank Aaron.