Eighty-six Bondsmania; Focus on 14

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

Today in The Kansas City Star, columnist Joe Posnanski compiled a list of things he’s been doing since the Barry Bonds “watch party” began. The list is pretty comical actually, entertaining too, the last of which is “See Barry Bonds even come close to hitting a homerun.” In essence, he’s been biding his time, waiting patiently.


The Bonds saga is fascinating to say the least. Are his numbers legitimate because of steroids allegations? Should there be an asterisk by his name in the record books? Will the commissioner of baseball be in attendance when Bonds ties Hank Aaron’s record? When he breaks it? These questions and many more swarm anything and everything Barry Bonds-related. Folks are tired of the charade; they’re eager to move on, cover something else.


I wonder if the Pete Rose dilemma draws any parallels in your mind. His numbers are legitimate. Should there be an asterisk by his name in the record books that exist? Can it be proved that Rose ever threw (intentionally lost) games? Do you have a different opinion than your two predecessors? These questions are much more interesting than those associated with the Giants slugger. It’s peculiar that the organization has (one may assume) seen to it that Bonds breaks it at home, as well as giving him rest in the form of days off.


Bonds will, barring disaster, break the record. Maybe he gets up into the 770s before he hangs ‘em up. Maybe he comes back for yet one more year to pad his stats. I don’t know. Eventually, though, we must move on in baseball. Bonds will someday grace Cooperstown’s halls. A figure of this much speculation will be in, yet Rose, a competitor of such immeasurable influence, remains out. Once Bondsmania has ended, let’s end the ban on Rose.