Now we have proof.
Given their druthers, an overwhelming number of baseball fans believe the game is doing just fine without its biggest superstar. No sense rushing back, Barry Bonds. Make sure those knees are strong and infection-free.
Baseball fans are in no hurry to watch Bonds resume his home run chase of Babe Ruth’s 714 and Hank Aaron’s 755.
Did you see the opening all-star vote totals last week? The most significant revelation was that Bonds only ranked 13th among National League outfielders, with fewer than 139,000 votes. The greatest slugger of our generation, an all-around hitter up there with the Babe and Ted Williams for the best of all time, and yet Bonds can’t outpoll Al Sharpton. Thirteenth. Milton Bradley and Cliff Floyd are among those who have lost more chads than Bonds in the early balloting.
As for Bonds’ defenders – a group that is apparently shrinking to a cult – don’t even start. Blaming the voting snub on the knee injury that has prevented the San Francisco Giants’ slugger from playing this season is hardly a foolproof alibi. Nomar Garciaparra has played in just 14 games this year, and was hitting just .157 at that. By season’s end, Garciaparra likely will play fewer games than Bonds, yet the Cubs’ shortstop had drawn nearly 100,000 more votes.
Scott Rolen has missed nearly half of the St. Louis Cardinals’ season, yet he leads all NL third basemen with more than 400,000 votes.
There is a long history of baseball fans demonstrating forgiveness toward their favorite players for getting hurt. NL first baseman Mark McGwire and AL third baseman Cal Ripken were elected starters in 2000 even though each played fewer than 75 games at their respective positions that year. In 1978, injured but fan-elected catcher Johnny Bench remarked, “Two years after I’m dead, I’ll still be getting all-star votes.”
Not so with Bonds, who is alive if not quite well. For the most part, people can’t wait to forget him. It’s not just because of his alleged steroid use, either. The Yankees’ Jason Giambi admitted, and detailed, his steroid use during his BALCO grand jury testimony and hasn’t been worth a penny, much less his $120 million contract, since, yet he has received nearly 60,000 more votes than Bonds.
Clint Barmes has more all-star votes than Bonds. So do Mark Bellhorn and Yadier Molina. In fact, the theme to this year’s all-star balloting seems to be, “Vote for anybody but Bonds.”
What Bonds may not understand is his occasional abrasive and rude behavior has little to do with his poor showing at the polls. The recent revelation that Bonds once refused to autograph a jersey for ex-slugger Ron Kittle and a children’s cancer benefit because “I don’t sign for white people,” was profoundly sad and troubling. But this disturbing glimpse into Bonds’ soul probably won’t further damage his position in subsequent voting results.
Remember, Bonds wasn’t exactly Mr. Sunshine last year, yet he led all NL players with 2.95 million all-star votes.
This year, people seem overly eager to accommodate Bonds’ desire to rehabilitate out of sight by putting him out of mind. The reason fans have increasingly become offended by, instead of voting for, Bonds is twofold: One is the overwhelming anecdotal evidence he used steroids, and two, his advanced- age charge on the game’s hallowed home run records. If Bonds had 503 homers seven weeks before his 41st birthday instead of 703, he would be less vilified.
Because of the suspicion he cheated, more and more people hope he doesn’t break Hammerin’ Hank’s record.
And if you’re rooting against a guy, how can you vote for him?
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
