On the flip side.

While I feel a certain amount of regret over the path Dwight Gooden’s life has taken him, I feel nothing but contempt for Barry Bonds.

On the West Coast, Barry Bonds was astounded and aggrieved by the outpouring of hero worship for McGwire, a hitter whom he regarded as obviously inferior to himself. Bonds was 34 years old, had played in the big leagues for 12 years and was known for an unusual combination of speed and power. Before the 1993 season he had signed what was then the richest contract in the game: $43.75 million for six years, and he knew he was on his way to the Hall of Fame. For as long as he had played baseball, Bonds had regarded himself as better than every other player he encountered, and almost always he was right.

The link is to the excerpted portion of Game of Shadows which Sports Illustrated ran a few weeks back. At the time I had started writing an entry only to have the computer crash on me. Hardly forgotten as the season progresses, you can be sure this story will move ever more into the spotlight. Especially as Bonds closes in on the records established by both Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Bonds has been know throughout his career as something of a ‘me’ player. While possessing incredible talents, he has been antagonistic towards both the media and fans throughout his long career making him a hard guy to root for. He is actually the only person who could make someone side with another egotist in Jeff Kent (hard to believe).

It’s worth taking a moment out to read the excerpted portions of the book as it does give a fuller picture into the story and the person Bonds is. Funnier still after witnessing his ‘poor me’ crying scene on the premier episode of his reality show on ESPN.

If he was smart he would’ve saved everyone the trouble and just retired at the start of the season.