Barry Bonds, Adrian Beltré, Scott Rolen, and Albert Pujols all deserve this hardware, but Bonds supersedes their efforts by a long shot into McCovey Cove. Bonds leads the N.L. in batting average, hitting .368, is 5th in RBIs with 88 and 10th in home runs with 38. His on-base percentage of .607 most likely stems from 4-0 count he has to sit through every other time he steps up to the plate, but his average with runners in scoring position doesn’t lie-- .393 with men on.
Bonds not only puts up incredible numbers, he does it without any help. He has 20 more home runs and 18 more RBIs than any other Giant. Short of Jason Schmidt, Bonds has no help on his pitching staff. Bonds put that team on his back and led the Giants to within 1½ games of the lead in the N.L. Wild Card.
On paper, Beltré looks like a good choice. He leads the major leagues in home runs with 42; he’s third in batting average, and fourth in RBIs. His Dodgers are sitting happily atop the N.L. West. However, unlike Bonds, Beltré isn’t exactly doing it alone. Beltré has the assistance of Steve Finley, Milton Bradley, Shawn Green and Hee Sop Choi, not to mention a scary-looking Canadian with glasses called Eric Gagne.
Pujols and Rolen would be considered had they been on separate teams. Instead, they suffer the same fate Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee suffered in the 2002 Heisman Trophy race. Because Pujols and Rolen are on the same team, they will split the vote. Although both are having career years, so is the rest of the Cardinals lineup. Jim Edmonds, Edgar Renteria, and Larry Walker are all contributing to the gigantic cushion the Cards holds atop the N.L. Central.
Bonds is absolutely ridiculous. For a 40-year-old to go out and do what he does every day, not to mention his defensive play in left field, boggles the mind. At the rate he’s going, he’ll have 756 in May 2006, and he’ll still be going strong. I would love for him to go into the Hall of Fame, the record books and the rest of his life without steroid allegations following him, but I don’t think that will be possible. I don’t believe Bonds does steroids. Yes, he’s grown over his career. All athletes do. Yes, he’s not a big fan of the media. Can you blame him? All the media talks about is whether or not he’s on steroids. Yes, he hits a lot of home runs. Give the man some credit: he’s good.
The last time he failed to reach 30 home runs in a season was 1991. If he’d been taking steroids since then, his body would have disintegrated from underneath him. His knees would have fallen apart and he’d be a DH for Anaheim right now. Bonds has the incredible ability to pick up a pitch much quicker than anyone else in the game, allowing him to decide early on whether the pitch deserves a whack or whether to lay off. It is this God-given talent that makes him such an incredible hitter. THG doesn’t increase your decision-making skills or give you 20/15 vision. Since we-fans, the media, grand juries-can’t see or experience this for ourselves, we automatically assume he’s up to no good. It’s human nature to fear what we don’t understand. It shouldn’t be that simple to condemn someone because of it.
If everything falls into place as it should, Barry Bonds will hoist the MVP trophy this fall. Some people disagree-that’s not fair, he’s won it the last three years, blah blah blah. Well guess what, sports fans: he’s been this good the last three years too, and he deserves every award he’s received. Beltré, Pujols and Rolen will all have their chances-I hear they give out another one after the last game of the season.
8/31/04 (photo courtesy of google.com)
Unbelievable. Jaw-dropping. Thought-provoking. And yet, exactly what many people expected.
When the nation heard that the charges had been dropped in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, I can imagine it triggered many of the same reactions in everyone's minds. Oh my God! They dropped the charges! This is huge! Pick up the phone. Did you hear they dropped the charges against Kobe? Go a little deeper into the conversation, however, and you'll find that beyond the initial shock value, this event elicits phrases like these: It's about time! I'm not surprised. Didn't I tell you?
When this case first became public, many were convinced of Bryant's guilt based mainly on two things: A) his closeted personality and public distaste for Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal and B) the all-too-common stereotype of athletes. You know the one-'they're so used to getting what they want, they think they're entitled to it, caught up in fame and money', and what have you. As event after event unfolded, it became more and more evident that he was innocent.
First, his press conference. In front of hundreds of reporters, millions of people and his wife, he admitted to committing adultery. Bryant looked exactly like someone who had committed adultery should look-angry at themselves, wishing they could go back in time, resigned to accepting the public's opinion of them. At the same time, however, Bryant defiantly stated his innocence. He never wavered from his stance for a minute, confidently stating his posistion, producing the aura of a man who knew he'd done wrong but wasn't about to let more trouble be dumped on his back.
I'll admit that I was positive Kobe was guilty. He's a mean-spirited guy, too concerned with himself to worry about other people, too rich and famous to accept the consequences of his actions. My thought process took a hit, however, at one particular juncture in the trial process. The defense was allowed to use the alleged victim's sexual history in court. Shortly after that, the prosecution filed a civil suit. Something there didn't add up; it smelled a little too much like O.J. for me. Why file a civil suit if the defendant is going to jail for 20 years? Unless they had reason to believe the defendant wasn't going to jail. Aha, I said, they don't think he'll be convicted. If the prosecution doesn't believe the defendant will be convicted, he can't possibly be guilty.
And finally, what’s the deal on the alleged victim bailing a week before the trial? It’s possible she was telling the truth, but knew her case didn’t stand a chance against Bryant’s legal team, despite the District Attorney’s rigorous declarations to the contrary. If so, God help the U.S. legal system. It seems, however, that she was bluffing with a pair this entire time, and when it seemed Bryant would come up with a straight, she folded.
Something else troubled me during this trial. I was sure that Bryant was guilty, sure he would be going to jail for a long time, sure justice would be served. But there came a point when I not only thought he would be convicted, I wanted him to be convicted. I'll be honest-as a person and player, I don't like Kobe Bryant. He's not a team player, he disrespects his coach, he closes everyone out of his private life, and I’m a Knicks fan. But are those reasons to send someone to jail? It occurred to me that my view of Kobe Bryant before this incident was clouding my view of this case, and I believe that’s what happened with the American public. Kobe’s public image to everyone but Lakers fans doesn’t shout role model. That, combined with the false view of athletes as considering themselves untouchable and entitled, condemned Kobe quicker than any jury ever would.
Now, I’m happy Bryant doesn’t have to face the charges. I’m convinced of his innocence, and he should finish his career with most people feeling the same way. I feel sympathy for the girl. This was a terrible ordeal for her to go through. However, it was her decision to drop the charges, so I’m thinking she won’t be too traumatized. Bryant now has more problems to deal with, first and foremost the fact that he cheated on his wife. And by the way, he’s the man expected to lead the new, revamped Lakers to the NBA Finals. But no worries; he’s done that before.
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at thesportspage@mail.com and I'll post the answers on the site.
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