Bonds Apathy

I'm not sure what to think of Barry Bonds' chase of Hank Aaron's home run record (755). Not too long from now, he'll pass Babe Ruth's 714 (if he hits another two home runs this year, which is up for debate). I thought I would be more interested, but I'm not. The historical significance hasn't moved me, and neither has my love for baseball.

Bonds himself has a lot to do with it. It seems abundantly clear that he has taken performance-enhancing drugs (including steroids) for a number of years. This taints his achievements and records. In short, he cheated. It doesn't matter to me that "baseball" as an institution didn't crack down on them, it's still wrong. We wouldn't receognize a one hundred meter dash world record by someone who put a jetpack on their back - it's an unfair advantage. Bonds and others had an unfair advantage. His name will obviously go in the record books, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

A sign at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia expresses my thoughts well (I wish I would have thought of it) - "Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer. Henry Aaron did it with class. How do you do it?"