Around MLB: Bonds to face the court of public opinion
When the time came for Barry Bonds to make baseball history Tuesday night, Hank Aaron was sound asleep.
"Heck, I'm not going to sit up and watch a baseball game," Aaron told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's just like I wasn't going to be able to travel all over the world to watch. It wasn't being (disrespectful) or anything. It's just a matter of, 'Hey, the body needed to go to sleep.'"
The 73-year-old Aaron was gracious enough to tape a video tribute to be played after Bonds' record-setting 756th home run, a gesture Bonds said he genuinely appreciated.
Most of those who followed the chase can, like Aaron, finally get some sleep. But where does Bonds go from here?
To court, of course - the court of public opinion.
Bonds, remember, is not on trial for having used steroids or any other performance-enhancing substance. He is being investigated for possible perjury during 2003 testimony to the BALCO grand jury.
Because of this, and because baseball had no steroids testing policy when Bonds allegedly began using the substances in 1998, some are willing to give him a free pass. I actually overheard a big-league player - a pitcher even - say this week, "This is America. He's innocent until proven guilty."
Yes, this is America. And, in a court of law, he is innocent until proven guilty. But when attempting to formulate an opinion on the worthiness of any athletic accomplishment, there is no requirement to be convinced beyond all reasonable doubt. A preponderance of the evidence will do.
Bonds' use of steroids was described in great detail in the book "Game of Shadows." The facts in that book have yet to be successfully challenged.
If Bonds used steroids, in the opinion of many fans, he cheated. In the opinion of many Hall of Fame voters, he cheated. How one views situational ethics certainly will affect one's view of Bonds. Some in baseball say, "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying" and actually believe it. In the context of their world view, Bonds was just doing everything he could to win.
Bonds' name won't appear on a Hall of Fame ballot until five years after he retires. Perhaps by then, more information on how he achieved such a feat will be available. Perhaps forming an opinion on the worthiness of his accomplishments will be easier, and those opinions will become more valid.
Perhaps we'll have a better idea of whether staying up late Tuesday night was worth it, or, like Aaron, we all should have just gone to bed.
Is A-Rod Next?
Alex Rodriguez is the active player most likely to end up chasing Bonds' record. Braves third baseman Chipper Jones told the Journal-Constitution that Rodriguez probably will end up facing the same steroids-centered scrutiny as Bonds.
"I think it will follow him," Jones said. "If I had to pose a guess on A-Rod, I would say no. But I don't know. He's going to have to answer the questions. And that goes for everybody that approaches the number."
Jones said Rodriguez is likely to endure more scrutiny because Jose Canseco said last month he has "other stuff" on Rodriguez in an upcoming book. Canseco also called Rodriguez a "hypocrite."
Jones' comments, while sensible enough on the surface, made headlines on the back page of at least two New York newspapers. When he saw that, Jones declined to talk to New York reporters before the first game of the Braves' series against the Mets this week.
Murphy Doesn't Hold Back
Former Braves star Dale Murphy didn't hold back when asked about Bonds on Salt Lake City radio station AM-1280.
"Barry's a great player, there's no question about it, but he put an asterisk by his name on his own," Murphy said Monday.
"He's deserved all the negative publicity that he's getting. I mean, people are calling up and complaining, I've heard the last few weeks, that that he's being treated unfairly. You know, life just usually isn't like that. You don't usually get treated unfairly. You usually get what you deserve. This is what Barry deserves. He's a hard guy to like. He's a hard teammate to have and, you know, he's set a terrible example for our kids."
Like Father, Like Son
Washington's Mike Bacsik, and his dad of the same name, are one of three father-son combinations to have pitched to both Aaron and Bonds. The others are Clyde and Jaret Wright and Pedro Borbon Sr. and Jr.
The younger Bacsik gave up Bonds' record-breaking homer.
Moose Track
The Red Sox weren't real happy over the Mariner Moose nearly running over Boston center fielder Coco Crisp with an ATV last Sunday.
Crisp was leaving the dugout to take the field for the bottom of the fifth inning when the Moose rumbled by. The cart clipped him on the knee as it passed.
Crisp played along a bit, pretending that he was going to throw his glove at the Moose before taking his position.
"I'm not an angry person," Crisp told the Seattle Times. "I'm not going to run over and go clothesline the guy. It was an accident."
Crisp had two doubles and made a diving catch during a 9-2 Boston win.
"But I believe avoiding the Moose was the most athletic thing I did all day," Crisp said.
The Mariners issued a formal apology to Crisp and the Red Sox a day later.
Who's On First?
Richie Sexson and Ben Broussard are now platooning at first base for the Mariners. Sexson was 2-for-25 on Seattle's most recent homestand and is batting .200 with 54 RBIs this season.
Seattle fans have been all over Sexson but cheered him in his last home game - for fouling a pitch off.
Frequent Flier
Broussard might have set a big-league record for jet lag this week.
The Mariners flew from Seattle to Baltimore on Sunday night, arriving early Monday morning. Soon after the team checked in at its hotel, Broussard received word that his wife, Brenda, had gone into labor with the couple's second child. He returned to the Baltimore airport and caught the first flight back to Seattle.
Broussard made it just in time to attend the birth of daughter Laynie Brooke, then grabbed another flight and returned to Baltimore in time for Wednesday's game.
The Innovator
Tony LaRussa's decision to try having Cardinals pitchers bat eighth is not without precedent. In fact, LaRussa did the same thing in 1998.
Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that when LaRussa tried out his new strategy in the second half of that season, run production improved marginally (4.94 runs per game to 5.00). Hummel also pointed, however, out that the pitchers batted .106 and the No. 9 hitters .217, and that the team's improvement (40-46 to 43-33) could be more readily attributed to better pitching than LaRussa's innovation.
STICKING AROUND
White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle sat down with General Manager Ken Williams for a long talk before signing his $56-million contract extension. Buehrle told the Chicago Sun-Times that Williams said the ChiSox intend to reload, not rebuild.
"It was a positive sign," Buehrle said. "It showed me that they're not trying to rebuild or get rid of all these veteran guys and take their chances playing young. Now we'll see what happens."
The White Sox may bid farewell to veterans Jose Contreras, Juan Uribe and Scott Podsednik but are likely to bid high for one of the four potential free-agent center fielders - Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Mike Cameron and Aaron Rowand. Cameron and Rowand both are former White Sox.
Jared Fogle 1, Pronk 0
Cleveland slugger Travis Hafner was talking about his home run Monday night that banged off the facing of the Metrodome's upper deck when he recalled a 2003 homer at Minnesota that sailed through the middle of a "Hit it here and win $10,000" sign above the retractable seats in right field.
Any player who did so would receive a cash prize ... or, at least, that's what Hafner believed.
"I found out it's only if a Twins guy hits it, and then the money goes to a fan," Hafner said. "The least they could have done was given me a free six-inch sub or something."
Reach Canton Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail andy.call@cantonrep.com