No Respect

Did you hear that? It sounded like a pin drop. No, wait, it wasn't a pin drop, it was the media coverage of Barry Bonds hitting his 500th career homerun. The man is only one of seventeen men to reach the 500 homer mark, and yet on the same day he accomplishes this momentous feat sportscasts spend just as much time showing Saint Louis Cardinal outfielder Bobby Bonilla pitching in a blow-out game against Arizona.

It is no secret that most media-types outside of San Francisco don't like Barry Bonds (well, okay, the ones in San Fran don't care for him either). Bonds can be moody, standoffish, and downright arrogant when he wants to be. Q: Bonds is rarely accessible to the media, so why should the media be quick to praise him? A: Because it's their job.

Like it or not, professional athletes are paid to perform on the field of play. They are not paid to stay after work to sit down for an interview that might be written in such a way as to twist the athlete's words to create some controversy. The media, on the other hand, are paid to report the facts; they're paid to present the public with newsworthy material. Here's a newsflash: 500 HOMERUNS IS NEWSWORTHY. Front page newsworthy, in fact.

When Mark McGwire hit his 500th career homerun two seasons ago you couldn't turn on a t.v. without seeing his homerun over and over and over again. McGwire is a media darling. Bonds is not. By limiting coverage on Bonds for personal reasons, the media is being moody, standoffish, and downright arrogant. It doesn't matter if Bonds skipped out on an interview with you. It doesn't even matter if he claims that your mother is surprisingly flexible. His incredible accomplishments between the white lines matter. He is only one of seventeen men to hit 500 homeruns. He is THE ONLY PLAYER EVER to hit 500+ homeruns and steal 400+ bases. He won three consecutive National League M.V.P. awards. He has won 8 Gold Glove Awards. Bonds is a future Hall of Famer who gets utility infielder quality media coverage.

No, Bonds hasn't won a World Series--and he likely won't--and yes, the word "choke" has been used to describe his past playoff performances, but he will still go down as one of the best baseball players of all-time. Media-types, if you want to stick it to Barry Bonds (the person), don't vote for him as Humanitarian of the Year. If you want to be honest and professional, give Barry Bonds (the player) his due. 500+ homeruns and 400+ stolen bases merit more attention than Bobby Bonilla pitching in a blow-out game, for the love of God, and for the love of the game.

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