America's Pastime

While some prefer the term tainted, I like to adhere to the belief that a persons views are heavily influenced by their past. Yes multi billion dollar media conglomerates and political talking points so precise they seem German Engineered leave their imprint upon us all, but some vestiges of ones feeling are personally his or her own. Formalities accounted for please allow me to state I'm a Barry Bonds fan, and have been one for most of my life. Since I've haven't had the pleasure of any out of body experiences, some may surmise my allegiance of fandom to Bonds biases my assessment of issues which concern him. To those who believe such foolishness I patronizingly laugh at, if only to not unleash my anger towards perceived slander ,sorrta like friends who feel I'm just a complete Republican when it comes to the Steelers. Simply not true lol...

Yes it is factual Mr. Bonds firmly replaced Mike Diaz as my favorite baseball player during a time when I had a strong affinity baseball and had no concept of Puerto Rican nationality, so during my grade school tenure I would have put my 124 mph driving, Madonna banging, pre spiteful steroid informer/snitch Jose Canseco, rookie card up as collateral to back my "Bobby Bonilla is Black" beliefs. Since the Steelers sucked for most of the 80's I transfused my black n gold blood to the baseball diamond attaining many great memories along the way. Overcoming the hated Howard Johnson lead Metropolitans, witnessing the stoic half twisted both arms extended towards the heavens game winning homerun Bond's stance, rocking Pirate Eastern division t shirts, yes those where the days. My devotion to Bonds fandom has easily withstood his amazing ability to craft scenario that made all early 90's Braves pictures appear to the eye to be Cy Young reincarnations or Sid Bream a Judas and Francisco Cabrera a hero. Yes I am and have been for since Bush the 1^st a proud, but impartial Bonds fan. Sans Hines Ward (who happens to be my favorite NFL'er) crying like a bitch at the apparent thought of Jerome Bettis possibly retiring, I've probably never witnessed a sadder moment than Bonds pathetically stating "You've broke me is this what u want?" while parading is son around like a Nino Brown shield against media assassins. Joining the ranks of famous cross dressers while undergoing a Paula Abdul transformation during spring training was definitely also a regressive step exercise. Those are just trivial person opinions, the billion dollar question (millennium inflation) is which side one falls on the Bonds did or did not take steroids debate. That's a simple one. Yes Barry Bonds used Steroids. I'd gladly risk a chance at a sexual rendezvous with Amerie, or my chance to be smarter than a fifth grader on such an assumption. My assumed guilt doesn't come attached with complicit disdain nor apologetic prose, just plain rational thought. In the interest of word conservation I make just make a few points designating why I've always felt that the "Bonds Steroid" issue was bullshit.

The NFL, by far Americas most popular league was the best steroid junkie haven, next to professional wresting and eastern block women's Olympic locker rooms for countless years and nobody gave a fuck about it. How else do you know who Lyle Alzado is?

Major league baseball from owners down to club house trainers voluntarily looked away or where silently complicit with the injecting of horse hormones in the ass. Hey Chicks Dig the long ball, and America loved the idea of a Irishmen and Dominican becoming brothers in chemically enhanced arms, in another example of profit over principle. How can a institution be saddened and embarrassed by a action it endorsed?

Bonds during his alleged steroid use was playing during what is near unanimously agreed upon to be the "Steroid Era" i.e. he was cheating, while everyone else was cheating, which by my logic would level the equation out.

Now I bring this up due to a news event. Espn recently conducted a poll which states:

"Blacks are nearly twice as likely to think Bonds has been treated unfairly (46 percent to 25 percent). Why? The survey found that 41 percent of black fans think this is due to the steroids issue, 25 percent think it's because of his race, and 21 percent blame Bonds' personality.

"For whites who think Bonds has been treated unfairly, 66 percent blame steroids. Virtually none blame race".

I feel for the surprised.

During the omni present barrage of against bonds, federal perjury charges, spousal abuse allegations continuous public slander, I've steadfastly held on to the belief that only a fool would deny that race had nothing to do with how Bonds has been treated in the media and viewed by the general public. Conversely only idiots would subscribe the theory that race is the sole motivating factor dictating Bonds treatment. Although the vast stupidly of Americans is paraded before my eyes on a daily basis, it still amazes how in a admittedly racist land, race is never a element nor factor which influences decisions made by the self analyzing white mind. Oh the pleasures of denial. Look, native region, height, career, physical appearance, and a host of other factors daily influence our daily conceptions, and emotional response towards people. Somehow though what is often the most readily apparent feature of a person is regulated to the corridor of non influence. Rather its based in self imposed delusion, or plain avoidance of self incrimination, the poll results and present reality is just sad. Yes Bonds is an asshole, and I fully believe millions of people despise him solely upon them grounds, but am I supposed to believe in thousands of eyes he's not a "Black Asshole"? Of course millions despise him based upon his soling the sanctity of the game, but how many Yankees fans who hate Bonds cheer ferociously for Jason "I can't admit what I did but I did it" Giambi. Just because something is the dominant factor, doesn't mean it's the only factor.

I myself personally subscribe to Bonds being a steroid user with a personality that rubs people the wrong way like a cheating wife's husband, but I refuse to let that action and trait overrule sane thought. What I do admit to is letting race influence my defense, not judgment, but defense of Bonds, if not solely due to, no matter how hard it is to fathom 15 million dollar salary earning athlete as being persecuted, Bonds is being persecuted, and I happen to be a avid underdog supporter.

Double standards are funny things. One sad aspect of them is that they usually remain invisible to the conscious amongst those not affected by, or receiving preferential treatment from them. In the days of "athletes" being booked for dui and marijuana possession in a all media out lets cameras invited event which eventually manifest itself in to "today's" athlete being "out of control", drunk ass hell 1.57 BA.C Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock who also had a little Jamaica along for his last ride ride, death is viewed as a terrible tragedy. In the era of the over paid spoiled and selfish athlete, admitted age defying marvel Roger Clemens, endures nearly no condemnation for a contract that will pay him about 1 million per game pitched, and gives him permission to abandon his team at will.

I'm definitely going to be rooting for Bonds to break Babe "the drunken racist that John Goodman almost made me like" Ruth's homerun record this summer, and hope to whatever power that is in control of things that it doesn't occur in Boston, all the while knowing that Josh Gibson conceivably was better then both. I'm convinced that a polarized heated debate about the soon to occur historic event will show If the truth shall set you free, we all are still trapped by dishonesty.

But what do I know, Katrina had nothing to do with race either…..