To Cheer or Not to Cheer, That is the Question

I realize there are only about five people that actually pay any attention to this blog, and three of them are related to me. Still, I feel bad that it has been so long since my last post. I guess you could say I have been on summer vacation. Well, I'm back... and just in time for a new home run king.

I remember exactly where I was when Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris' single-season homerun record, and I remember exactly what the blast looked like. It happened to be on the same night that Gordon B. Hinckley was going to be interview on the Larry King show, so I was at a neighbor's house because we didn't have cable. Luckily, they had picture in picture, so we didn't miss anything. Larry King went to commercial, so we switched the screens to bring the Cardinals game to the forefront. Then, right on cue, Big Mac hit a screaming line drive that just kept on going, right over the left field fence.

I also remember all of the excitement generated by the record chase that year. It was a three-man race until about half-way through the season. McGwire, Sosa, and Junior. I liked Junior, but he just wasn't the big bopper that the other two were. So, we he bowed out, I switched camps and started rooting for Slammin' Sammy. That was a season I will always remember.

But, to be completely honest, I had no idea that Barry Bonds had tied Hank Aaron's career homerun record over the weekend.

Now, I still don't have cable TV, so I don't watch as much Sports Center as I would like to, and I'm sure this latest milestone homerun was well covered by the world-wide leader in sports. But, on the other hand, I do have this really cool thing called the "inter-web," which magically transports scores and highlights to my iMac. So had I wanted to track Bond's progress, I easily could have done so. But I didn't really care. I still don't. Just like I didn't care when he broke McGwire's single-season homerun record.

I really used to like Barry Bonds. I was upset when he went to the giants and changed his number from 24 to 25. Of course, I also used to like Jose Canseco, but I've already made that confession, and we've moved on. The Pirates were my team there for a while, back in the days of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Andy Van Slyke (or was it Dick Van Dyke... I always get those two names confused. By the way -- Eddie Murray and Eddie Murphy, one worked in Baltimore and the other in Beverly Hills, but I can't keep them straight either). Doug Drabek was their stud pitcher. But, anyway, those days are gone. Though I can't explain it now, I really did like Barry Bonds at one time.

So, why not rejoice in this milestone? It's not like there was some misconception that Big Mac and Slammin' Sammy were actually doing what they did on God-given talent and ability alone, right? There was plenty of speculation back then too. But I was still into it. Heck, I'm even a not-so-proud-anymore owner of a #21 Sosa Cubs jersey.

Maybe it's because of Bond's attitude that I don't seem to care about this feat. Maybe it's because of alleged use of illegal substances that I'm so apathetic to the "Barry Watch." I understand that he is a great player, but there's still something about him that I can't like.

Luckily, we shouldn't have to wait too long for Barry's name to fall back to number two on the all-time homerun list. Alex Rodriguez, or A-Rod, if you prefer (by the way, does Barry Bonds have a nick-name?), has just become the youngest player ever to reach 500 career homeruns. He definitely has a chance to take his place as the homerun king.

At any rate, Barry Bonds will most-likely hold that title by the end of the week. Of course, there's always a chance that he could get injured, or worse, fail a drug test. If you have any ideas for a nick-name for Barry, include them in a comment. How about Barry BALCO?