It's Over. Let's Move On...

Barry Bonds finally hit No. 756 last night. I couldn't be happier. It is finally over. It is a shame that this isn't a moment that most of us will look back on fondly, one where we will someday say to our children "I remember where I was when the Greatest Record In Sports was broken". Still, I'm glad it is over. I'm tired of hearing about it, for a year or more it has been a cloud over my beloved Baseball. And now, whatever Bonds does, whether he hits 50 more home runs or retires tomorrow, it will all just be numbers. It isn't Hank Aaron anymore, it isn't Balco anymore, it isn't steroids anymore, it isn't really even Barry Bonds anymore. It is just a number, a number that will sit waiting to be broken, as all records do.

Say what you will about Bonds, but don't blame him. Don't blame him for doing steroids, he cetainly wasn't the only one and really, steroid use was Major League Baseball's problem to address yet for years they willingly ignored it. Don't blame him for being unlikeable, at least he's not pretending to be someone he's not. And most of all, don't blame him for unseating Henry Aaron. Regardless of how you feel about Bonds personally or professionally, don't blame him for being so damned good at what he does. Barry Bonds hits baseballs. He hits them hard and he hits them far. And he does so prolifically.

I'm not celebrating Bonds achievement because, like many of you, I simply don't like the guy. But I'll respect the prowess, and the number...all the while looking for some one to surpass him, to take his name down from the top spot. I've never been one to subscribe to the theory that athletes need to be held to a higher standard, that they should be role models for society. I genuinely respect and appreciate the players who do go out of their way to try to improve this world that we live in. It isn't their responsibility however, and I think it is unfair of us to expect otherwise. Michael Jordan is arguably the Greatest Basketball Player of All-Time, but he's certainly no great humanitarian. On the contrary, he's a cigar smoking, gambling, power broker who has struggled with marital problems and has built a global empire that perhaps relies on less-than-savory labor practices to produce many of its products. In other words, he's human. He has done good, and he's made mistakes, but he's always been Michael Jordan, the human being. Well, the same is true of Barry Bonds. He's just a human being, like you or I, doing what he does. So while we don't have to be happy about the fact that Bonds is now the "Greatest Home Run Hitter in History", at least let's revel in the fact that it is over. We can all move on now, you, me...and Barry.



One last tidbit. The Celtics just signed veteran forward/center Scot Pollard for $1.2 million. Here's some fun math for you: $1,200,000 divided by 82 games equals approximately $14,634 per game. Divide that by 6 fouls per game and you see that the Celtics are paying somebody over $2400 per foul for the 2007-2008 season. I Love This Game.