Rob's World

The thoughts of Robert Donahoo, former Las Vegas-Eldorado High School star of the 1980s, who is now based in Los Angeles, California.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Chasing 755...with an asterik

As some of you probably know, Steroid Bonds is one home run away from catching Henry Aaron's all-time career home run mark at 755.

And to be quite honest with you, I find it sad, and disgraceful.

There is NOTHING that makes me believe that Bonds deservingly reaches this milestone; and it makes other guys like Michael Jack Schmitt, Tony Gwynn, Tom Herr, Steve Finley, Ricky Henderson and others less important these days; and if you go back farther, you can add others like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, Ken Griffey Sr. and Dave Conception.

Pete Arbogast said it best in his blog a while back that he will not cheer if Bonds ties or beats Aaron's mark. To me, I would like to ask the person who catches Bonds' record-breaking home run to please throw that baseball back out onto the field; because when all is said and done, that ball will be less value than the one that Aaron hit, or the one that Roger Maris hit, or even the one that Kirk Gibson hit when he hobbled to the plate one day and with one hand, hit a two-run walk-off home run; producing two of the most famous home run calls in baseball history: one from Vin Scully and the other from Jack Buck.

Now Ken Griffey Jr is probably next in line. If Junior can keep it going for a few more years, he would have a legitimate shot to pass Ruth and Aaron, and maybe Bonds once he decides to hang it up for good.

It's really a shame. Henry Aaron deservedly reached his milestone. Barry Bonds, in my opinion has not. And you people in San Francisco can cheer for him as much as you want. I would rather be at the Hall of Fame to see Anthony Keith Gwynn be formally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame than anything else.