Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Rule 714: ESPN

Major league baseball is making a mistake. Not celebrating 714 does more hurt to the game, than help. No one is asking MLB to be judge and jury. If you don't celebrate the second greatest achievement in baseball history, then number 3 (Babe Ruth) becomes a fading memory. Who cares about number 3?

The swing is the thing! Barry's beautiful swing combined with his laser eyes and hand speed are extraordinary. There are stronger players in the game, but they lack the skills of Barry. We are not celebrating are supporting the use of drugs. On the contrary, I am celebrating that swing, his skills and knowledge of the game.

Rule 714 ( don't celebrate are scapegoat) is going to bite baseball in the butt! Already the legend of the Babe is taking a beating. Now your (MLB) blatant attempt to protect the legend of a hitter who wasn't even the best in his time (Negro Leagues, Blacks were excluded from playing) is being called to the carpet by many. I like The Babe. I love and hate the Yankees. Love the tradition, hate when they beat my A's and love and respect George.

Set aside judgment, and celebrate the greatest feat in sports in the last 50 years.
Imagine if baseball had decided to support Barry Bonds.
The game would have won new fans and would be the hot topic of today, in a positive light. We can always debate performance enhancing drugs and who did or didn't take them and what affect it had on the numbers and the game. We then came decide the penalty and how to uniformly apply it.

However, what we are witnessing is once in a lifetime. Lets enjoy this magnificent achievement and allow the world to celebrate with us. Abandon Rule 714. Lift up the game! It's not too late. Go to the mound and make a change.

I tip my hat to ESPN. They are walking the tight rope with the best of them.
MLB should take notes. While it's clear they don't support Barry, they are
acknowledging and celebrating the moment in a way that only ESPN could do.
Masterful to say the least.

The Bonds on Bonds is fair and balanced. I couldn't believe that some analyst didn't want Barry to have a platform to offer another perspective of whom he is. That is typical of agenda driven journalism that will soon be replaced by community driven journalism that will offer the voice of the people, not these one sided attacks to create perception, that offer no counter perspective.

The executives at ESPN held to their guns and deserve accolades for their courage.
I applaud them and ESPN. Rule 714 has no place in sports reporting.

Now let me add a little more ice around these two bottles (714 and 715 respectively) that I will soon pop.

8 comments:

marcdark said...

Where's your respect for Aaron... why celebrate 2nd place. ESPN is all hype, hype of someone who probably move into 2nd place not 1st. Would the media have celebrated your single going to #2. No. It has to be #1..

And the sad part is Barry will probably be in jail next year and won't have a shot at Aaron's record.

So long live the Hammer! Hammerin Hank Aaron!

MC Hammer said...

One milestone at a time! First we deal with The Babe and then we shift gears for Barry and Hank The Hammer!

Andy said...

I would love to celebrate Barry Bonds pursuit of the Babe if I truly believed that Bonds hadn't used steroids to enhance his own strength and athletic power.
I agree that steroids can't help a person's eye and hand coordination or knowledge of the game or make a person hit better or run faster...but it does give quick strength...months of working out put into a drug. Bonds took the quick route to getting the strength and endurance he needed to continue to play.
He admitted to using the flax or cream from Mexico although he said he didn't know it was steroids. Whether he knew it or not is irrevelant in one sense because he still used steroids.
I also think he may have used other types too because no one bulks up that quickly as he did.

I don't think this is an issue of race although it upsets me that people are sending Bonds letters criticizing him for his race or saying that his actions are typical of black people. That is racist and completely uncalled for.

Being black or white has no bearing on whether one takes steroids or not.

So why is Bonds targeted? Well, he's a big star in pursuit of a home run records in the midst of a grave drug epidemic in baseball and sports.

I think baseball and Selig especially waited too long to tackle this issue and have been extremely soft on the dangers of steroids and those who used them.

I think Mark McGwire got away scott free and that's not right. But alas that's a moot point because he's retired and although he lied before congress, there's nothing anyone can do.

When it comes down to it, I could care less whether or not he breaks Babe's record.
I'm more concerned about him breaking Hank's.
Bonds is nothing compared to Hank Aaron. Hank endured a lot more hate and crap for no reason, for being a class act, a good guy and a talented player. He was never suspected of cheating. He was too good for that.

I'd hate to see someone with a foul attitude like Bonds (and he had it even before the steroids scandal) who is surrounded by controversy and really a mediocre all-around player (unlike Hank) beat the all-time home run record.

I know that's a heavy judgment but that's how I feel. Do I think Bonds is scum of the earth. No? But I do think he needs to be held accountable and that as Christians we must demand that public figures, role models, be accountable for their actions.

Forgiveness, certainly but let's not slap him on the wrist or pat him on the butt with a simple "hey, it's ok" and then bask in an achievement he didn't earn on his own merits.

The Stories You Cannot Tell said...

I still can't believe how badly you are on Beriod Bonds' jock.

Would you be on his tip so hard if he wasn't black?


Stop celebrating a cheater. You are making yourself more of a mockery than you already have, by trumpeting his name.


His numbers are fraudulent. I'm glad MLB isn't celebrating his beating Babe's record.

Since when do we celebrate second best?


Beroid Bonds is a fraud. Plain and simple.

Anonymous said...

$%^& 1.5 hours till turkey time cliff

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