A lot of people don't like Barry Bonds. After all, we only know the competitor
who should not be expected to be the best human being when entwined in the struggle of competition. The best of the best are almost always arrogant, self-absorbed and exude a willpower and confidence foreign to the so-called good guys who we like but don't remember in those best ever debates.
Let's get one thing straight. Barry Bonds, while every bit his equal as a slugger, will always be half the player Babe Ruth was. To match up with the Bambino he would have to turn into Dwight Gooden in the last remaining years of his career. Thus comparisons are a moot point.
However, Barry never hit a dead ball. And Ruth never faced specialty pitchers or closers. The Sultan Of Swat had beer and hot dogs to fuel his physique. The Bonker Of Blast has had KFC and Creatin. They are prisoners of their eras because game evolution waits for no one. But Barry deserves equal respect that Babe got. And he's earning it big time in this Fall Classic.
Only the truest fans of baseball are able to switch support in October. For me to loose interest because the Bosox are abscent would be not in the best interests of my love of the game. And so by process of elimination the Angels are my team this year. But if they are to win it all, it will be because of heart and destiny. Because the Giants as a team possess more talent. In short, WS 2002 is Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed.
The leader of the SF creed showed in game two why he is indeed our modern Babe Ruth whom we should cherish despite media image and wish, hope, and pray to God he could play for our home club. For instance, if Barry Bonds played in a place like Boston, he would be appreciated, loved and embraced like the king of baseball that he really is.
For me he became THE MAN in the 9th inning of game two. This was no mere at bat. It was an episode straight out of the movie "The Natural". Even as Tim Salmon's 2 run clout was about to win the game for Anaheim, he was mesmerized
by the superhuman power of Bonds. It was almost as if all of a sudden this one homer overshadowed the win. Just like Fisk's game 6 jack in the '75 series highlights where all you saw was him waiving it fair and then the footnote that Cincy won.
Ever since I was young enough to walk, I've seen homers on the boob tube and in person hit with grace and humility by lesser men under more unlikely circumstances. But never, repeat, never have I seen a ball hit with such dramatic style and Herculean majesty. I never saw Babe Ruth play. But seeing Bonds hit that ball, now I don't have to.
Distance-wise, it went 485 feet. With his best swing, Mike Piazza could match that in a heartbeat. But to think that Barry did this 73 times last year mostly off fastballs from shellshocked pitchers who wouldn't pitch to him otherwise, is still impressive despite the post '94 changes in equipment.
And look at who it was hit against. Percival may well be one of the top 5 closers of all time when he's finished.
Every pitch he throws in the clutch is a fireball that belittles most mortals. Yet Barry took his best pitch for a ride downtown into the night mist like an ET moonshot out of an alien storybook.
I never saw a ball hit so good that I didn't see it land. As far as I'm concerned, that ball will never land. No matter who wins it all, it will be all I remember about this series. If it gets any better than this and the Giants don't win, then Barry will have to leave them and grace our favorite teams with a farewell tour around the majors...until he does win.
I don't care if he plays into his 50s. Barry has now done what the great Ted Williams never did. Deliver in October. If this 2002 series doesn't go down in history as one of the greatest, then Barry will have at least finally earned his respect. Thanks to Mike Scioscia.
» Hank Festa is a freelance writer who lives in Los Angeles.
Also by Hank Festa
» This Fall Classic Will Be Won For Donnie Or Darryl
» The Joys Of PC Baseball: The Video Game Strike Solution
» Buddy's Been Had: Baseball's "Citizen Gain" Must Go
» Layman's Fan Copy: Verbal Steroids For The Sports Media
» A Statistical Proposal For the Best-Ever Debate : Runs & Bases Per Hit Average
» The Straw Who Stirred Drinks: Mr. October's Legacy
» For Ted...: 1918-2002
» Strike Talk: It's Still A Players' Game ... But Not For Long
» MLB Pride: Waxing Poetic
» June Swoon: When Human Loss Makes MLB A Kid's Game Again
» Cramer's DiMaggio Hatchet Job: A Bio Worth Burning
» Looking for Growth ... In All The Right Places
» Get Your Red Sox Here: Weep All About It!
» The Strike Zone Or Your Life: The Bean Ball Debate Exposed
» Seasons In The Sun : Baseball In The 70s
» A Closet GM's Philosophy Of Winning: Stats & Role vs. Heart & Soul
» Gibby's '88 Series Limp Shot: Baseball's Last "Earned Home Run"
» Flamethrower's Epiphany: Confessions Of A Live Arm
» In The Event Of A Strike...: The Time Off Must Be Used to Fix the Game
» More submissions
Copyright © 2002 by Hank Festa. Posted October 25, 2002.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
