Barry Bonds is not a hero

Barry Bonds is the best player that has ever played the sport. Thank you very much.

Although I don't agree with Mr Conway, his statement is pretty close. Bonds is not the best all around player but he may be the best all around hitter to have played and that sentiment is shared by the late Tony Gwynn and last week Chipper Jones said the same thing. Willie Mays is right up there as the best who played. Ruth was a superstar during his era. Without stepping in a drainage ditch Mickey Mantle would have been equal to Mays and Roberto Clemente has to be in the discussion.

Regarding Mr. Nice's sentiments. It is complicated however as a former club house go-fer in the late 60's and 70's at the Stick I saw baseball players taking the equivalent of PED's. In their minds 'Greenies' helped them recover after a long ball game and an all-nighter the hotel bar and since they believed in them - players reach into three large fishbowls for their speed-uppers of choice.

Kids today know Barry is not a hero but they also know he was close to the greatest hitter of all time. Commissioner Selig's love affair with Sosa and McGwire after Selig shut baseball down with no World Series - brought fans back into the seats. From afar Bonds got jealous because he was a much better all around ball player than McGwire and Sosa. McGwire took PEDS that he kept on the top shelf of his locker for all to see. Androstinedione (sic) was already banned in the NFL yet McGwire was using it daily. Selig was complicit with about 300 players in the Mitchell report that took PED's.

PED's don't help players hit home runs, it helps ones body recover from the long grind of a 162+++ season. If PED's were the reason players hit Home Runs, then guys like FP Santangelo or Benito Santiago would have had years of 20 to 40 HR's but they did not.

The performance enhancing drug chemists are about 4 years ahead of major league baseball. Melky Cabrera got popped. Pudge Rodriguez got popped. There are players right now taking Testosterone supplements at the ration of 4:4 when they should be at 1:4.

There are guys in Minor League baseball that are on 50 game suspensions because they rolled the dice and did not think the club they are affiliated with would be tested.

People in the private sector or non pro baseball players also make egregious mistakes doing nefarious things at work or in the home. Spouses cheat on each other. Workers go to work and kill their co-workers. People are on the road who have already been convicted of 2-4 DUI's.

People deserve and usually get second chances. Bonds knows he treated people like a jerk. World Class musicians and entertainers do the same things to their entourage and family members.

Bonds - so to speak - is the reason Pac Bell aka ATT park was built. He chose to take the Clean and the Clear that he got from SNAC @ Victor Conte. Bonds owes his child hood friend / trainer Greg Anderson a lot of thanks. It was Greg who did time for his part in the fracas.

None of that detracts from his greatness as a hitter. In fact he was heading towards the Hall of Fame as a player for the Pirates before he got traded to SF.