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Finally, Barry Bonds is gone

Embattled baseball player Barry Bonds announced via his Web site last week that he would not be returning to his team of the last 15 years, the San Francisco Giants, as a result of a team decision, thereby ending his career with a team he was hoping to be a part of when he retired at the end of next year.

I had the opportunity to see Bonds play at Pac-Bell Park in San Francisco, some three months before he tied and then broke Hank Aaron’s all-time career home run record this past August. Bonds walked to left field, while his teammates in center and right fields ran out to their respective positions. This lack of hustle perhaps showcased Bonds’ age, who is now 43 years old, but more importantly showed his disdain for having to still field in order to be in the starting lineup.

Bonds should be appreciative that any team would even want him on its roster. After all, his $15 million plus salary is quite high for a disgruntled ballplayer who is often stand-offish with the media, and often decides to take himself out of the lineup should he not feel like playing on a particular day.

Furthermore, USA Today reports that Bonds has refused to pose for a team photo on the basis that he does not like some of the people with whom he works.

Couple all this with uncertainties as to whether Bonds has ever used steroids, and one can understand why Bonds has almost no lucrative endorsement deals. Though with the over $165 million made over the course of his career, Bonds might not care that his less than stellar reputation is what keeps him from earning extra cash from the likes of Wheaties or other sports-related sponsor. (Think basketball legend Michael Jordan and his profitable deal with Nike, which netted His Airness some $80 million a year while he was playing in the NBA).

The talk on ESPN is that Bonds very well may play next year, though it would most likely be for an American League team as a designated hitter. (In the AL, the DH only hits in the pitcher’s place on the line-up and doesn’t take the field as a position player). While this may work well for Bonds – who gets a hit 28 out of every 100 times at bat – no team may want him. No team has publicly stated welcoming the opportunity of having Bonds play as part of its ball club.

Whatever the case, Bonds is neither a team player nor does he act like one. He should take his home run record and go silently into the history books. The harm he has done to his own reputation is in place and there is nothing, not even admitting he used steroids and begging forgiveness for trying to pull the wool over the public’s eyes, that he can do to reverse his tarnished reputation.

The sooner Bonds steps away from baseball, the better off the sport will be. The indifferent tolerance shown by Bonds, from both the fans who cheered his record-breaking achievement to the team that kept Bonds on the roster just so he could do so, has reached its terminus. Bonds has nothing left to prove as a ballplayer, save being part of a team that has won a World Series Championship. He only has allegations and innuendos to disprove, which he can do away from the playing field, in retirement.

Lopez, an English senior, can be reached via [email protected]

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