If I see Barry Bonds' name in headlines again my head is going to explode. Come to think of it, I'm surprised his head hasn't exploded yet considering how big it's gotten over the years; and I'm not talking figuratively.
Don't take my word for it. Steve Hoskins, Bonds' childhood friend and former business partner, testified in the Bonds trial on Thursday and said the evidence of drug use is evident just by looking at the fraudulent home run king.
"His shoe size just got bigger," Hoskins said according to a news story by ESPN. "His glove size changed...His body weight changed. He got heavier and bigger."
Listen, I don't think any truth-bearing person would attempt to convince others that Bonds didn't take steroids. I mean, the guy admitted that he took them and even though he continues to act like he didn't know what they were, I'm not buying it.
The proof is in the pudding, that's what they say right? Take a look at the guy's headshot in his rookie season and then again after his final season. The change is so dramatic that there is no way he could not notice. If I see hair in the drain after I take a shower, at 28 years old, I'm going to check for bald spots.
Bonds saw not only the increase in his muscles and body structure, but also his ability to hit a baseball out of a stadium. I know that professional athletes aren't always the sharpest tools in the shed, but come on Barry, 1 + 1 = 2.
What makes me sick about Bonds is the fact that he is a dirty liar. You have been exposed my man, yet you continue to go on with the charade and pollute sports headlines everywhere. I didn't really care for you when you played because you seemed like a huge jerk, and now I despise you even more.
It's a shame because there are few people on this earth that appreciate great athletes like I do. I will let a lot of things slide, but when you continue to absolutely disregard the fans as brainless simpleton's I tend to lose respect for you.
The worst part of this whole ordeal is that no matter how I felt about Bonds personally, I always valued what he was able to do on the baseball field. Even before he started shooting baseballs into McCovey Cove at AT&T Park like he was armed with a gun, he was one of the most well-rounded players in the game.
He was the prototypical five-tool baseball player and would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer, if not for this whole scandal.
At this point, I'm ready for Bonds to just go away. I don't want to read about his lies anymore, and I'm sick of seeing his face. It also bothers me that he is laughing at everyone behind the scenes because he is a mega-millionaire and he was able to cheat the system.
What he doesn't know is that it was all for naught because those records will never be evaluated as if they were real. His records will be debunked as time passes and, eventually, they will bring shame not only to him but to his family as well.
I hope it was all worth it, Barry, and you can sleep at night. I wait patiently for the day that I can visit ESPN.com without seeing your name or a picture of your gigantic dome. After all, just going away is the least you can do after all this nonsense.
Email: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
