Don’t believe the retirement talk one bit
One of baseball’s greatest players Barry Bonds has said that he plans to retire at the end of the 06 season with or without the all time homerun record. Well after one day that report surfaced, he has changed his tone a bit saying ” If I can play (in 2007), I’m going to play; if I can’t I won’t,” Bonds told the web site. “. . . I go back and forth. Back and forth every day.” After three knee surgeries in the past year, many say that he is done and is making excuses left and right because he knows it to. Don’t believe that one bit. After missing five months of the 05 season Barry comes out and hits 5 homeruns in a 5 game span. That was truly remarkable to see. Most importantly when he came back the Giants, they got back to their winning ways after being in last place most of the year. Heading into the final stretch of the season the Giants were only 4 games out of first place with a three game series looming with division leader San Diego Padres. That’s the thing about Bonds. He makes his team better. I’ve never seen a athlete except for Jordan and Lemieux that elevates the play of his team and teammates. If his knee holds up, which I believe it will Barry will be the same player we have seen for the past decade.
Regardless of what people say, Barry wants that homerun record more than anything and he will obtain it. No matter what everyone believes whether he was a cheater or not they will not be able to take the homerun record away from him when or if he passes Hank Aarons 755 homerun mark. That will be Barry’s motivation to stick around for more than just this season. If he obtains the homerun record it will be a slap in the face to the commissioner Bud Selig who dreams at night that Barry would once and for all just retire instead of passing up one of the classiest individuals in Hank Aaron. Bonds has dominated the game of baseball more than any athlete in our lifetime and instead of the national media bashing his every move, calling for his retirement, let’s once and for all savior the moment of watching the greatest player to ever play the game chase history, and most importantly let him be and enjoy the experience of watching a player of his caliber because I surely do when the Giants visit PNC Park every summer.
