Bonds shatters the Giants' focus as well as home run records
By Jenna Hudson
It's that time of year again. Baseball's back â€" hot dogs, garlic fries and all. And this year, as luck may have it, Barry's back. That's right, it seems like ever since players reported to their spring training camps, one player has been in virtually every baseball headline from the cover of Sports Illustrated to the San Francisco Chronicle: Giants outfielder Barry Bonds.
If it isn't steroids, it's home runs. If not that, something else. Truly, it seems as if the entire nation has become obsessed.
Sure, I was as excited as the next person when he smashed No. 660 into Willie McCovey Cove, but I breathed a sigh of relief as well. I hoped that when Willie Mays passed on the diamond-encrusted torch and the last articles had been written, it would be done.
Think again. I turned on Fox Sports Net Friday night, ready to see Jason Schmidt's first night back on the mound, and there it was again â€" yet another ceremony honoring 660. Willie was there, Barry was there. There were trophies, speeches, camera flashes and 20 minutes of added hoopla.
And as nice a gesture as the ceremony was, all I could think was, "isn't this a bit much?"
Speaking not only as a Giants fan, but as a baseball fan, I have to say enough is enough. The successes of one player have completely overshadowed the rest of the game. Yes, home runs and records are exciting, but the ultimate goal should not be 660 or 714 or 755, for that matter. The goal is winning the pennant, and winning games to get there. Plain and simple.
No home run record is nearly as exciting for a fan as watching their team win the pennant. A record chase is a transient thing. A World Series lasts forever.
My concern is that if so much focus is being put on one player, it takes the focus away from the team itself. And baseball is the quintessential team sport. No one player can single-handedly win games. It's the effort of all nine men, and a player called up from the minor leagues for a game can have just as much of an impact as the Barry Bondses of the game.Ã
This past weekend, the Giants were swept at home by their rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. And despite Barry Bonds' incredible weekend-performance, increasing his home run count to what stands at 667, the Giants looked like a pathetic, disorganized team. Throughout the batting order, players hit into double plays, several of which at times when a fly ball would have brought in the tying run.
The ultimate irony of all three games is the fact that the Giants were left helpless at the end of the games on Saturday and Sunday with Bonds in the on-deck circle. The team has lost focus and identity. And this was a team that won 100 games with virtually the same lineup last year.
Barry Bonds is currently responsible for approximately one third of the Giants' RBI. And no one seems to be concerned. As long as Barry's hitting home runs, the fans don't care how the rest of the team does. Right?
I beg to differ. Someone jokingly asked me today if the Giants would even finish the year above .500. And this seems to be becoming a problem. Barry's success has eclipsed an underachieving baseball team. And I can't help but wonder if that is part of the problem. The rest of the team, especially the younger players struggling to come into their own, are being looked over. Problems are forgotten, at least temporarily, every time Barry smashes a home run.
I'd like to forget about steroid scandals and home run records. Instead, go back to focusing on pitching, generating runs, solid defense and winning games. And I'm sure fans of other teams would be happy to stop being bombarded with images of a single player as well.
So my request is this: Can we get over Barry and get back to baseball?
û Contact Jenna Hudson at (408) 554-4852 or jhudson@scu.edu.