Fastball Fans

Today has been a light day here at the office, as I have been catching up on stuff and doing the little things, but I have not blogged like this in a while. The day’s work is almost done and I have the IPod on with Chamillionaire’s “Riding Dirty� in the background, and just got done hearing the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ great song, “Snow�.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o />

First off, I was just reading the news now and to any baseball fan out there, is it little reason why most people find Barry Bonds to be an a**hole?

From ESPN.com:

As Barry Bonds nears his record 756th home run, he’s stockpiling quite a collection of souvenirs — bats, balls, helmets and spikes, pieces of baseball history perfectly suited for the Hall of Fame.

Whether he’ll donate any of them to < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Cooperstown, however, is in doubt.

“I’m not worried about the Hall,” the San Francisco slugger said during a recent homer drought. “I take care of me.”

No wonder those at the museum are getting concerned, especially with Bonds only 10 homers shy of breaking Hank Aaron’s career mark.

“There’s uncertainty,” Hall vice president Jeff Idelson acknowledged.

Around 35,000 artifacts are shown and stored at the shrine, and about a dozen pertain to Bonds.

There is a bat from his rookie year and cleats from him becoming the first player in the 400-homer/400-steal club. Unsolicited, he sent the bat and ball from his 2,000th hit. A batting practice bat from the 2002 World Series was the last thing Bonds provided.

“Doesn’t everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?” he said last week.

The most prized items, the ones that fans would really want to see, are missing.

Nothing directly from Bonds to highlight his 500th home run. Ditto for homers 714 and 715, when he tied and passed Babe Ruth. Same for anything tied to him topping Mark McGwire’s single-season total of 70.

Well, it is little wonder why a lot of people hate Bonds? Obviously, Barry cannot turn back the clock on the past; however, there’s no time better than the present to change his image.

As he gets closer to the cusp of Hank’s record, Barry should try to be kinder and gentler. He may not care, but his legacy depends greatly on how he handles breaking the record (aside from the drug talk).

If he were smart, he’d wise up and let the people see the mementos that have led to the great moment.

Barry, keep in mind — there’s more to the game than just YOU.