Home Run Derby

So – we have news about the Case against Barry Bonds.  And this will be the end of Barry Bonds.

Apparently, the Feds will be subpoenaing former ballplayer Bobby Estalella to testify against Bonds in early March.  And he’s gonna spill. 

Now seriously … does Bobby Estalella look like a man who would know anything about performance enhancing drugs?

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Facebook.  Everybody’s doing it. 

Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends, reconnect with old ones you forgot about, constantly update people about the excruciating minutiae in your life, and avoid doing any work.

But it would appear that Facebook doesn’t love everyone.  Namely, one Allan H. Selig.  Also known as Bud Selig, the current commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Take a look …

Hilarious. 

Yes, I know that Facebook page almost assuredly doesn’t actually belong to Bud Selig.  Or this one.  Or this one (which lists former NBA commissioner David Stern as Bud’s only friend.  More likely, they’re all fake Facebook pages under the name ”Bud Selig.”

But there are a bunch of Facebook Groups who don’t like Bud Selig … and here’s some of them.  But be warned … some of them have some NSFW names.

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Jersey of the Week Time!!

Recently, we’ve had a lot of JotW’s that don’t have any fabric … the Brewers Chest Hair Guy, the Bodypainted Female Phillies Fan (NSFW) , and last time – the Blue Jays Streaker who covered up his privates with a Foam Finger.

We’ll continue that trend with this guy, who always wears a Barry Bonds Jersey … because it’s tattooed on his back.

Where’s the Bacne?

Honestly, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.

And this guy’s made a video explaining it. Plus he shows off his autograph collection of Apollo 13 stars and Professional Poker Stars.

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Add the US Government to the list of people who think that Barry Bonds has lied about his involvement in steroids. 

What took them so long?

Okay, they’ve probably thought that for some time … but now they’re saying they think they can prove it. 

Here’s a piece from the five count indictment from The Smoking Gun.  I highlighted the part which formally accuses the defendant of what almost all of us have alleged for some time now – that Barry Bonds used steroids …

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David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks and I are engaging in a well intentioned, respectful debate on Barry Bonds, Home Run ball #756 (and its asterisk) and a call to boycott the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

David got the ball rolling with his call for the boycott, which led to my post saying we should boycott Barry Bonds.   After David read my post, he authored another post clarifying his position, stating the real issue here is about injustice.

Well, I thought I could address David’s writing with a simple comment attached to his post, but alas, I have more to say.  

Here is the comment I posted earlier today at Bugs and Cranks …

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First and foremost, Home Run Derby thinks Bugs & Cranks is one outstanding blog, written by excellent writers and passionate fans. 

So it is with the utmost respect that I say I must summarily disagree with their call to boycott the Baseball Hall of Fame and anything related to Marc Ecko (the fashion mogul who bought Barry Bonds’ record 756th Home Run ball that he will brand with an asterisk and send to the Hall of Fame).  

David Chalk begins the uprising with a call to boycott the Hall of Fame.  I am not sure I really understand this one.  The Hall of Fame isn’t complicit in the branding of the ball.  They are merely the recipient of a piece of history - baseball history.  And like it or not, the controversy over Bonds and his steroid use (please note the word “alleged” is purposely missing) is a part – no make that a huge part - of the history of the game, this era, and the career Home Run record that Bonds holds (please note that I am not one of the Bonds haters that refuses to acknowledge his record). 

The Hall of Fame, or more appropriately called the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, is in the business of recording the history of the game of Baseball.  Not just the statistics – but the history.  Barry Bonds will forever be known as the man who broke baseball’s most hallowed record with the help of steroids.  That is his history.

And here is the part that of David’s case that I really disagree with:

“This is The United States Of America.  Baseball is the National Pastime of The United States Of America.  If a man declares his innocence, he is considered innocent until he is proven guilty.  We cannot give that precious right away because someone paid money at an auction, or because other people voted on the Internet.”

People in this country have to stop associating the right of presumed innocence afforded to our citizens in a court of law with the nonexistent “right” that extends to arena of public opinion.  Just because Barry Bonds professes his innocence and he has not been convicted of anything doesn’t mean that I have to suspend common sense and buy into his legitimacy. 

The circumstantial evidence is pretty damning. 

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On Monday, The Cincinnati Reds announced Dusty Baker as their manager for the 2008 season and beyond.  During his introductory press conference,  Baker had the following to say …

“I can attract players to come here” 

“… a number of players … called me about coming to Cincinnati.”

Okay, I’ll bite … WHO?  

Who called Dusty between the leak of his hiring on Sunday and the press conerence on Monday afternoon?  Who might have Johnnie B Baker’s digits programmed into the old cell phone? 

Who could make a big impact on the Reds?  We were about to scroll down the list of potential free agents and trade candidates … but one name jumped out at us before we even did any research … BARRY BONDS

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This week, I’ve been watching the Giants a lot. 

One of the things I noticed was that the San Francisco Giants usually trot out a very -  uh - mature lineup.  The Giants start a lineup which typically averages 36 years of age.

In the Giants regular starting lineup, there’s not a single player under the age of 32.  Five of them are aged 35 or older.  And their utility infielder (Aurilia) is 35 as well.  

Their position players have nearly 100 years of MLB experience under their collective belts almost every time they take the field. 

Sometimes, there’s something to be said for experience … when you’re winning. 

Both the Yankees and Tigers field older starting lineups and they’re both competitive in their respective Divisions and the American League.   The Giants, on the other hand, are a percentage point away from having the worst record in the National League. 

Why?

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Joe Morgan loves Barry Bonds.

He makes this abundantly clear every time he announces a Giants game. He always has a new interview for that special time before the game when he “catches up” with Barry (it seems more like stalking to me).

Now, there is nothing wrong with this on the surface. It’s fine that Joe has a standing play date every time he’s in San Francisco and that Barry has found a member of the media he doesn’t wish would die a fiery death.

Barry might want to think about this, though, because Joe has gotten quite close to another prominent baseball figure in the past, and that player went on to get banned from baseball. I’m talking, of course, about Joe’s graceful aftershave conversation with Pete Rose in this classic 1979 Aqua Velva commercial.

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