Barry Bonds: Loved and Hated

I feel sorry for Barry Bonds.

That's my conclusion after reading Jeff Pearlman's book "Love Me, Hate Me...Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero."  I purposely wanted to read this book while Barry gives chase to Hank Aaron's home run record. Pearlman, a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated, interviewed many former teammates and coaches of Bonds. The author noted that 26 Arizona State Sun Devils, 58 Pittsburgh Pirates and 98 San Francisco Giants broke baseball's unofficial code of silence to speak about Barry Bonds.

My pity for Bonds stems from the fact that this incredibly, talented athlete carries a lonely soul. Some of it is his own fault. Some the result of seeds planted early in Barry's life. He was told by his father, outfielder Bobby Bonds and his godfather, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, that you don't let anybody get close to you...not your teammates, not your coaches and definitely not the media.

According to the book, there are many moods of Barry Bonds. At times he can draw you in with his charming personality and megawatt smile. He'll give of his time and money to charities without anyone knowing. At other times, he's as surly as they come. Cursing those who dare invade his space...teammates, coaches, even kids.

In 1998, while Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were mashing homers at a record pace, Bonds became jealous of their feats and incensed at the possibility that Sosa and McGwire were reaching new heights with the aid of chemicals....performance enhancing drugs.

On page 198 of "Love Me, Hate Me", Jeff Pearlman tells the story of Bonds having dinner with Ken Griffey, Jr after the 1998 season. The two baseball stars, a representative from an athletic apparel company and two other associates talked about the upcoming season. The issue of steroid use by McGwire and Jose Canseco came up and Bonds said he's tired of fighting it.

"I've got three or four good seasons left and I wanna get paid. I'm just gonna start using some hard-core stuff and hopefully it won't hurt my body. Then I'll get out of the game and be done with it." That's a pretty stout statement to be put in quotations. Two years later Barry Bonds had the record to himself hitting 73 homers but the feat wasn't celebrated like McGwire and Sosa.

Barry Bonds will soon be the all-time home run king wearing a crown of fool's gold. There's no doubting his massive talents but he is NOT one of the more respected players in the game. Terrific talent. Terrible teammate.

On the 4th page of the book, "Love Me, Hate Me", three quotes sum up Barry Bonds:

"The Barry I know is a quiet, caring, giving individual."  -Eric Davis, former Giants outfielder

"Personally, I hope Barry dies." -Pete Diana, former Pittsburgh Pirates team photographer

"Love me, hate me--I don't give a @#&!." -Barry Bonds

God-given talent, fame and money haven't been able to provide Barry Bonds with complete happiness or total admiration from his peers. That's sad.