Earlier in the year, I was asked in a radio interview what I thought about Steve Phillips' proposal that the Giants sit Barry Bonds out for road games so he can break the home run record at home. I thought Phillips' suggestion was idiotic; the owners were growing tired of losing, while GM Brian Sabean's job was in question. To me, there was no way the Giants would choose to sit their best player for several games and increase their chances of losing, risking fan alienation, and people's jobs. Well, Barry Bonds will have seven games at AT&T Park in San Francisco to hit three home runs and surpass Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. If Barry doesn't, the team will be back on the road for another six games. Which brings me to Phillips, who once again on Baseball Tonight, suggested that the Giants sit Bonds on the road if he doesn't hit three home runs in the next seven games:
This has to happen at home...he better get the three home runs at home, and if he doesn't, I think the Giants have to sit him on the road against both the Dodgers and the Padres. You think about everything that's going on -- this is about history right now. This is bigger than the game. This is bigger than this pennant race so far this year. It ultimately comes back to what are the clips, what are the sound clips, what are the video clips, you want for history's sake to look back on this. If you look at the worst-case scenario, if Barry Bonds has to break this on the road in Los Angeles against their biggest rivals, what will that be? That will be booing, that will be people throwing things on the field, that will be people possibly coming on the field. The worst-case scenario could be very very ugly here. I think ultimately, the fact here is they're playing the Dodgers and Padres, so it's not going to impact the integrity of the schedule for that division race. And I know the knee-jerk reaction for everyone to say you're crazy, you can't do it, but for baseball's sake, this is exactly what has to happened.He was then challenged by John Kruk who was shocked that Phillips could just discount the Rockies and Diamondbacks from the race, making it less fair from them. Phillips continued:
It doesn't matter about that race; it's what is in the best interest of baseball right now. This race -- I know the Dodgers fans are crying, I know the Diamondbacks fans are crying -- the reality is, when we look back at this legacy for what Bonds is to the history of the game, it has to be people cheering for this record. It would be very very ugly right now.Dusty Baker agreed with Phillips that he felt Barry wanted to break it at home, but Baker felt Barry wanted to get it over with as soon as possible more than anything else. Kruk thought that fans would appreciate the record being broken and would cheer even if it's for a hated player -- just like Cubs fans did at Wrigley. But it was Karl Ravech who was most incensed.
Ravech pointed out that Phillips was trying to manipulate history, setting up a situation so that Barry would be cheered. Ravech thought that the circumstance should represent reality; if Bonds is met with so much hatred from fans, that should be part of him breaking the record. Bonds has made his bed, why shouldn't he sleep in it?
It's a great question and I side with Ravech and Kruk here. It would be flat out wrong for the Giants to sit Barry Bonds out for entire road trips to manipulate the way this moment is captured in history. And yes, Barry's absence in the lineup greatly affects the race, and makes the Giants a significantly worse team.
Previously at FanHouse:
Barry Bonds News
Home Run Chase
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2007 @ 9:57AM
chris said...
giants are not going anywhere,let him break it in frisco.LA would be terrible.
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7-23-2007 @ 10:07AM
ted said...
Bond's has been suported by the S.F fan base and they deserve to see this piece of history made. In the twilight of his carrer let this major accomplishment be as positive as possible regardless of the gray areas and negativity folowing Bond's
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7-23-2007 @ 10:18AM
dave williams said...
My personal opinioin is not where he breaks the record, that is honestly irrelevant. Baseball fans will cheer no matter where he hits the record breaking home run, if for no other reason than to say they were there at that game. It is no different than the millions who say they were at Woodstock, when there were onlt a couple hundred thousand. The bigger issue is should he be allowed to hit the record breaker. Given the totality of circumstances, his (allegedly) clear use of performance enhancing substances, this issue should be handled by the managers of the opposing teams, wether in San Fransisco, or elswhere, pitch to him, but nothing he could leave the park with. If you walk him you walk him. The time has come for someone to take a stand and responsibility and show the fans that baseball is Americas pastime, and that when you stoop to enhancements to gain that edge, then do not want to tell the truth, has Barry truly earned the right to hold this particular record, one of the pinnicles of baseball history, I think not.
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7-23-2007 @ 2:36PM
MaseratiJeff said...
Enough already with the lame comments of how the fans are soooooo affected by the "steroid" issue. Fans just care about seeing long home runs... faster and better football, and anything else that makes players better. Nobody ever cared what Ruth ate.. or how nasty and bigotted Cobb was. When we watch boxing matches, throughout history... the heavyweight division is the one that generally gets the most attention. The reason for this... is thats where the biggest strongest guys are. That is what people care about and pay to see. While at times there are great middleweights or other lighter fighters.. in general people care about the biggest strongest guys. If your football team wins the Superbowl, you don't care one bit whether 1 player or 40 players use steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. You will wear your jerseys and jackets, pump your chest out... and be happy.
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7-23-2007 @ 12:44PM
pat said...
I think Barry should sit for the rest of his career. He does not deserve to break the record, because he did it all on the steroids. Without them he would have never been in this situation. People that we hope one day might break it are the A-rod's and Griffey's. These men actually are able to hit homeruns without steroids. So I hope he never is able to hit another homerun.
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7-23-2007 @ 12:57PM
scott R. said...
I could care less where Bonds brakes the record, he is and never will be the true Home Run King, that is one man who did it woht pure power and did nto ahve to use drugs, to gain power. he is a disrespectto the past time that true fans like myself ahve grown up watching. he does nto even deserve to be in the sport, and baseball shoudl of gotten rid of him years ago. everyone talks about what Mike Vick did, and how the NFL shild force him to sit the year.
well I say baseball should of forced Bonds to sit, after he was stated to test postive for drugs many times in the past. but it is all for the money. Bud Deigl is no kind of leader to the sport. he knows what he did and does. but still refuses to do anyhtign about it. but I will end and say this Barry Bonds is no good and no matter how many home runs he has at teh end of his time, he will never be a ture Home Run King. that is one man and one man only. the Hammer Hank Aaron the true Champ of all Home Runs!!!!
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7-24-2007 @ 7:26AM
Mikel said...
I am no fan of Bonds but I feel the fans he does have are in San Fran.and there the ones who have stood bt him and deserve to see the *homerun hit.Also no matter if he (Bonds) was or was not taking drugs it is still one hell of a lot of homeruns to hit.I had hoped that Griffey jr would of broken the record but after all the time he has missed because of injurys he will not be the one,so It's up to A-Rod now.
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7-25-2007 @ 5:14AM
Mike Gutesha said...
This just another case of pro sports closing their eyes to make a buck and avoid anything bad about (Heaven forbid)black athletes. Oh my God will I be chastised for denegrating negro sports figures. I used to love baseball. But the head long rush for baseball to prostitute itself for a buck has sickened me as well as many others in my community.
The game is nothing but phony. The ball has been livened up so more home runs are hit then the unholy three (Sosa,McGwire and Bonds) hit home runs at a pace unbelieved. All three were on drugs to enhance performance but IT sold tickets and made money. Hank Aaron and his generation were real ballplayers. No one matches the greatest Babe Ruth. Bonds is not deserving of any recognition. He should be banned from baseball as should be Sosa and all three mentioned should have their records erased. Then and only then will baseball start back on the road to respectability.
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7-27-2007 @ 12:34AM
George B Vieto said...
Barry Bonds should not sit out games on the road because he might get booed or a fan riot might ensue. Whatever happened to screw what people think and just do my job attitude. I mean Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV fought Ivan Drago in Moscow and although he was booed at first because he gave the Muscovites a great show and by the twelth round he was cheered.
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7-28-2007 @ 2:01AM
Damien Casanova said...
Hypocrites! Hypocrites! Hypocrites! I am 100% positive that all the knuckleheads vehemently denouncing Bonds have no proof of his guilt of any wrongdoing. It is really true that empty heads always make the loudest noises. Don't ever pass judgement until you have all the facts...and that does not mean what you read in the paper or hear on the news is true. You have to be a fool to base your criticism of anyone based on hearsay.
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