Bonds makes history with 756th home run

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_sp_ba_ga_su/bbn_bonds756

Bonds makes history with 756th home run
By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer
8-8-7

For one spectacular moment, Barry Bonds and everybody cheering him could forget about the controversy surrounding his chase and appreciate the phenomenal feat: 756.

Nobody in the majors — not Hank Aaron, not Babe Ruth — has ever hit more home runs than the San Francisco star.

On Tuesday night, in his home ballpark, it didn't matter how many of them might have been fueled by steroids or performance-enhancers. Bonds has the title of home run king all to himself, ending Aaron's 33-year reign.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.

And more than 43,000 adoring Giants fans, including his godfather, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, surely agreed.

Bonds raised both arms over his head like a prize fighter in victory, fists clenched — and then he took off. It was over at long last.

Bonds did it with a shot to the deepest part of the ballpark with one out in the fifth inning against Washington's Mike Bacsik.

Bonds sent the 84-mph fastball arcing high into the night, 435 feet into the right-center field seats. And then, the celebration began in force — fireworks, streamers, banners commemorating the accomplishment, and even a party in McCovey Cove.

Conspicuous by their absence were the commissioner and Hammerin' Hank himself.

Though he was on hand for the tying homer three days ago, deciding to put baseball history ahead of the suspicions plaguing the Giants slugger, Bud Selig wasn't there for the record-breaker.

Instead, he sent two emissaries, Major League Baseball executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. Selig also issued a statement.

"While the issues which have swirled around this record will continue to work themselves toward resolution, today is a day for congratulations on a truly remarkable achievement," Selig said.

Bonds also heard personally from the commissioner with congratulations.

"I was very happy about that," Bonds said.

As for Aaron, he said all along he had no interest in being there whenever and wherever his record was broken. He was true to his word, but he did offer a taped message of congratulations that played on the stadium's video board during a 10-minute, in-game tribute.

"It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination," he said.

"Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.

"My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."

A woman who answered the phone at Aaron's home in Georgia shortly after Bonds' homer said that Aaron was asleep.

"When I saw Hank Aaron that made everything," Bonds said. "We've always loved him. He's always the home run king."

With a long, satisfied stare, Bonds watched as the ball sailed over the fence and disappeared into the scrum in the first few rows. Then he raised both arms over his head like a victorious prize fighter, fists clenched, and took off.

"I knew I hit it," Bonds said. "I knew I got it. I was like, phew, finally."

His 17-year-old batboy son, Nikolai, was already bouncing on home plate as Dad rounded third and ran the final 90 feet to make it official. After a long embrace, the rest of the family joined in — his mother, two daughters and wife. And then there was Mays, who removed his cap and congratulated his godson.

Bonds saved his most poignant words for last, addressing his late father, Bobby.

"My dad," he said, looking to the sky and choking back tears. "Thank you."

Bonds had wanted to break the record at home, where he would be assured of a friendly crowd. They were all right, unlike in San Diego where some fans held up signs with asterisks.

Bonds has always denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

After doubling and singling his first two times up, Bonds hit a solo home run. Bacsik put his left hand to the back of his head as soon as Bonds connected.

"I dreamed about it as a kid, but when I dreamed about it, I was the one hitting the home run and not giving it up," Bacsik said.

"I didn't really want to be part of history as a bad part, but I am," he said. "I'm OK with it."

Bacsik later spoke with Bonds and got an autographed a bat from the Giants star.

Bonds took his position in left field to start the sixth, then was replaced and drew another standing ovation. The Nationals won the game, 8-6.

A fan wearing a Mets jersey wound up with the historic ball. Matt Murphy of New York emerged from the stands with the souvenir and a bloodied face, and was whisked to a secure room.

Even with Bonds at the top of the chart, fans will surely keep debating which slugger they consider the true home run champion. Some will continue to cling to Aaron while other, older rooters will always say it's Babe Ruth.

"It's all about history. Pretty soon, someone will come along and pass him," Mays said before the game.

Aaron held the top spot for 12,173 days after connecting for No. 715 to pass the Babe on April 8, 1974.

"This is the greatest record in all of sports," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We are all fortunate to witness it. It's awesome. This road to history has been a lot of fun."

Bonds homered exactly three years after Greg Maddux earned his 300th victory at the same ballpark. It's been quite a week of baseball milestones — over the weekend, Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run and Tom Glavine won No. 300.

A seven-time NL MVP, the 43-year-old Bonds hit his 22nd home run of the year. Bonds broke Mark McGwire's single-season record by hitting 73 in 2001 and while he's no longer such a force, opposing pitchers remain wary.

Bonds and Giants management bickered in the offseason over contract issues. This big night was the main reason owner Peter Magowan brought back the star left fielder for a 15th season in San Francisco, signing him to a $15.8 million, one-year contract.

Bonds' once-rapid quest for the record had slowed in recent years as his age and balky knees diminished his pace. He hit 258 home runs from 2000-04, but has only 53 since then.

While steroids have tinged Bonds' pursuit, it was race that was the predominant issue when Aaron broke Ruth's mark in 1974. Aaron dealt with hate mail and death threats from racist fans who thought a black man was not worthy of breaking the record set by a white hero, the beloved Babe.

Bonds was destined for stardom at an early age. The son of All-Star outfielder Bobby Bonds and the godson of one of the game's greatest players, Bonds spent his childhood years roaming the clubhouse at Candlestick Park, getting tips from Mays and other Giants.

"I visualized him playing sports at a high level. He was 5 when he was in my locker all the time," Mays said.

In a matter of years, Bonds went from a wiry leadoff hitter with Pittsburgh in 1986 to a bulked-up slugger. That transformation is at the heart of his many doubters, who believe Bonds cheated to accomplish his feats and should not be considered the record-holder.

There are plenty of fans already hoping for the day that Bonds' total — whatever it ends up — is topped. Rodriguez may have the best chance, with his 500 home runs at age 32 far ahead of Bonds' pace.

Bonds said he hadn't yet thought beyond 756. He plans to play in 2008.

"I'll tell you one thing: I'm going to hit a lot better from now on," he said after a champagne celebration in the clubhouse.

756*!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/08/ED26RERN71.DTL&hw=zirin&sn=001&sc=1000

756*!
Dave Zirin
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Barry Bonds should be basking in the moment. The San Francisco Giants outfielder has just passed Hank Aaron to become the all-time home-run king of Major League Baseball. With 756 home runs, seven most-valuable-player awards and eight gold gloves, he should be trotting into the twilight of his career in a hail of hosannas as the finest ballplayer of his generation. But expect no laurels, parades or calls from President Bush.

Like the gentleman in the White House, Bonds will leave baseball a polarized place with popularity charitably described as microscopic. Games away from the friendly confines of San Francisco have become celebrations of vitriol with fans screaming at pitchers to "throw at his head" and "end his career." Death threats against his family and person have become commonplace. Sportswriters such as Jeff Pearlman for ESPN write articles with leads such as, "Barry Bonds is an evil man. A truly evil man."

He has been turned into Barry bin Laden: The easy symbol for - altogether now - "everything that is wrong with sports."

The question worth asking is why? Why is a pro athlete being treated as if he has committed crimes against humanity? The first answer given forth by even the casual sports fan is that "he is a cheater," in their eyes, an obvious habitual user of steroids. Sports Illustrated, after selecting an all-time all-star team determined by "a panel of experts" excluded him from the squad because his statistics "are not to be believed." (Their concern for the statistical integrity of Bonds career didn't stop them from including players from before 1947 when the sport denied participation from anyone with dark skin.)

The problem with the argument that his numbers "are not to be believed" is that the man has never failed a drug test. Many players who have failed tests don't garner anything close to the public flogging that Bonds endures.

But whether or not Bonds ever put anything anabolic in his body, there is something particularly disingenuous about putting an entire statistically dubious era on the shoulders of one man.

The "juicing of the game" is not a question of players with syringes in men's room stalls, but an entire industry from owners, to trainers, to fans, to reporters, all turning a blind eye, if not aiding and abetting a process that saw baseball players begin to resemble pro wrestlers.

When New York Yankee Jason Giambi attempted to draw attention to this last month, saying, "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said, 'We made a mistake.' " The response from Major League Baseball was to announce that Giambi was going to be investigated. As one player said to me, "It's crazy that punishment is an individual issue, but distribution has always been a team issue." They want to keep this a discussion about it being "an individual issue" and no player attracts more individual attention than Barry Bonds.

But steroids alone are not the reason Bonds carries this weight. He has throughout his 23-year career committed the ultimate sin in the eyes of the media, namely he isn't friendly to the media. Bonds' complete lack of interest in filling their notebooks, has made him their foil long before there were any questions about steroids.

There is no question Bonds isn't the most cuddly of players, but once again he is hardly alone in this. When actors are less than press friendly - think Sean Penn - they are branded eccentric artists. But in athletics, if you don't define yourself, you become defined. Barry Bonds has been defined as the enemy, with little regard to who the man is behind the definition.

All of this has created an open-season atmosphere at the ballpark. Seeing the nightly sports highlights of majority white fans letting it all hang out against the most prominent African-American athlete in the sport, has led many to draw their own conclusions about the source of the anti-Bonds rage. According to an ESPN/ABC News poll released in May, African-American fans are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to want Bonds to break Aaron's record of 755 homers (74 percent versus 28 percent) and nearly twice as likely to think that the slugger has been treated unfairly (46 percent versus 25 percent). Baseball, the national pastime, potentially a source for unity, has instead through Bonds, become yet another staging ground for the divisions that crisscross the land.

The shame of it all is that the sports world is so busy demonizing Bonds, it is missing out on a piece of sports history. In many ways we all are. There is an expression, "Trust the art not the artist." Barry Bonds is an artist with a bat in his hand. But it's hard to concentrate on the art, with a gathering din in the background.

Dave Zirin is the author of the book, "Welcome to the Terrordome" (Haymarket).

This article appeared on page B - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle