You know my feelings on Barry Bonds. (Here, for instance.)
To sum up: He cheated; it certainly helped him in all regards. He would be nowhere near this record without the steroids. I think that fact is indisputable.
So my feelings on the new Home Run King? Eh. I guess that’s apathy, right? I’m a little disappointed that what should be a HUGE historic occassion got ruined for me (whether by Bonds’s own cheating, the relentless and unending media attention or Bud Selig’s pretty crappy reactions and complicitness in this whole mess) and that I should be enjoying this more than I am.
Anyway, the video below may just be the hilite of this whole thing for me. Ladies and Gentlemen, Hank Aaron is classy:
(Hattip: Awful Announcing)
The Noy G Show 
Hank Aaron should have kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t classy, it was spineless. And his message could not have been more inappropriate.
Russo was great today. He hammered Hank. (Nice phrase, no?) And Adam from Great Neck called in at around 2:25pm or so.
The sad thing is since Bonds took steroids, we’ll never get to see how good he would have been without any artifical “assistance.” Bonds was a great player and would have probably finished in the top 20 players all time. Of course if you believe Bonds was completely clean, he’s one of the top 3 with Ruth and Williams. So ironically, his amazing surge this decade will end up keeping him out of the Hall.
Hank Aaron should have kept his mouth shut
I do not think that was option, honestly. He had to recognize it. And his words were humble and deferential.
What was inappropriate about his message? Only he knows what it feels like to chase and get the record, a link he has now only with Bonds. I’m sure it was a huge honor that he is somewhat saddened to lose. I’m sure the moment was bittersweet to him. I don’t think he said anything wrong.
I didn’t hear Russo getting on Aaron, but more often then not, Russo’s rants are so badly argued, that I’m almost certain he was way off base.
He was probably nit-picking on one word or phrase, and just ranting and screaming on and on about that one phrase. Eh. The message as a whole was a positive reflection on Hank, Barry and the moment.
Didn’t bother me. I am sure that Aaron feared looking like a sore loser if he had not participated at all. I liked that he talked generally (about the achievement generally and that it shoud inspire people to chase their dreams etc.) and said little about Bonds himself. He was in a hard place. Had he done/said nothing he would have looked foolish too. I think in doing that one minute presentation he rode the fence and played it safe – not necessarily a bad choice.
Noam – Nope.