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3/09/2006

ON BONDS: SAVE THE RACE CARD

We are starting to hear it. A bit louder and a bit more frequent. Barry Bonds is a victim of racism. It's the weakest possible deflection, injurious to those who truly suffer from racism. When something is watered down, it loses its bite and its power. We are seeing that here. It's one more step into the morass of denial, one more opportunity to come clean that was missed. This time it's from the mouth of Willie McCovey. And I find it odd.

I was surprised that someone who played the game and actually lived through racism as a player would claim that Bonds' situation is wrapped in racism.

Willie McCovey: "When everybody is accusing him and saying that this is a validation that he did something, I mean, he has never tested positive. We're supposed to live in a world where you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and he hasn't been proven guilty of anything." McCovey, who hit 521 home runs, said that as a black man, Bonds was subject to more scrutiny. "I don't think it would be this big a deal if [Mark] McGwire was still playing and was in the same shoes chasing that record," he said.

Willie's statement is easily deconstructed. Bonds never tested positive because he used designer steroids that were undetectable. This has been well-documented. To choose to ignore the pile of evidence that keeps growing like Bonds hat size is just foolish.

It's hard to believe that a man that was a contemporary of Hank Aaron would use the word racism so loosely. I'll agree with McCovey that McGwire would not be the subject of as much scrutiny. Not because he is white. But because he was a fan favorite. Bonds is a well known grump, to put it kindly, and has been accused of making racist statements on more than one occasion. Bonds never cared for the fans. It was reciprocated. The color of his skin had nothing to do with it. It was more the color of his heart.

McGwire is no longer playing and was indeed torched for his wussdom in front of congress. If he was gearing up for another season at spring training right now he would be getting bombarded with questions all the same. And Tony La Russa would be making Louisville Slugger's stock soar he'd be busting so many fungo bats.

Save cries of racism for those who truly need it. There is no oppression of Bonds because of race. It's because he is a cheater who has yet to face the truth and own up to it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nicely written. You took the words right out of my mouth. Bonds plays the victim constantly. He is one of the most immature and selfish players to ever play the game.

Anonymous said...

Bonds is stinking up baseball - period. No matter what record he breaks, there will always be a big asterisk in front of his name in my book. He should retire now and keep a low profile. Maybe focus on a TV show like "Dancing with the stars"
Earl in Alaska

Anonymous said...

Why are whites SO quick to discredit OBVIOUS racism!!! How can you negate the statement of Willie McCovey so easily?? NEWSFLASH.. RACISM DOES EXIST IN AMERICA, just look at the hate mail with the hate mail that BONDS IS RECEIVING!!! Oh YEAH AARON recieved the same type of hate mail...so what has changed??? Remember what the GREAT Bill Cosby said that BLACKS CAN"T PLAY THE RACE CARD BECAUSE WHITES OWN THE ENTIRE DECK!!!! GO Barry demolish RUTH's mark! You now see what Mr. AARON had to go through!!! How hard would it be to put a an ASTERIK by RUTH's record because he didn't play against Black and hispanic players.(Because of this country racial overtures)I love it when racism is obviously displayed like it is in Bond's case... it makes it easier to explain to all of the black youth!!

Anonymous said...

I don't like Pete Rose cuz I think he's an asshole..I DO think he surpassed Ty Cobb cuz he fairly earned every base hit he got...That's not the case with Barry Bond's or Mark Mcguire...Bond's izza poster boy fer steroids, not because he's surpassing Ruth, but because he passed McCovey, Robinson, Jackson and the greatest all-round baseball player I ever saw, His own Godfather, Willie Mays by cheatin'...I could be proven wrong but, I seriously think anybody who plays the "race card" in this debacle, is in fact, racist themselves...To take somthing az simple az "cheatin'" and turn it into a "black-white" issue izza stretch that defies any thinkin' man's mentality...It's absurd and, frankly, I get pissed at myself fer even responding to such ignorant bullshit......

Anonymous said...

One more thing before I get the ever present asshole that sez, "Areya sayin' that racism doesn't exist in baseball?"....Fuck yeah it duz!...And az long az ya keep this kinda bullshit floatin' around it ain't goin' nowhere...What izzit' 'bout the word "Cheating" that you dumbshits have a problem with?...Fuck Mcguire, Bond's, Sosa, Palmeiro, Caminiti, Canseco and all the bastard's that make-up a pretty good melting-pot of a rainbow coalition that simply fuckin' "cheated"..Fuck yer racism bullshit...

Anonymous said...

Let us not forget this...

They institute harsher penalties and testing for the 2005 season, and all of a sudden Bonds has to sit out the whole year due to what was called surgical complications.

If you don't think he was sitting out most of the year to clean out and avoid testing, then I have a bridge to sell you.