Golden! I'm so excited that I can't make one coherent thought--but here are a few on tonight's historical 765!!It feels good to be a part of sports history and watch Aaron's 755 fall to my man Barry Bonds. As soon as the bat cracked, he knew, and we knew, it was G-O-N-E! And it was deep--435 feet! It was a beauty to watch and I'm glad Dr. J had the game on while we were talking so I could flip over each time Bonds went to bat. We all knew it was coming soon--and what a wonderful moment for Barry and his family and his fans.
No one has dealt with more persecution, more media bashing, more "guilty without being proven guilty" thrashings. I mean my goodness--how many times does a man have to test negative??? And one simple fact can't be stated enough--no one has been able to consistently hit home runs like Barry while being WALKED more than anyone else. His opportunities to even get good pitches are so limited, making this feat even more amazing.
I am proud of this brother for doing what he loves--playing baseball. He could have given up a million times--he could have shrunk back into the shadows. But he held his head high and kept going--regardless of the critics. His longevity is unparalleled. At 43, he is still the most feared player at bat (as his walks this season alone reaffirms). Imagine at 43, being able to play a professional sport better than people half your age. Amazing.
And let me add this on an extremely personal note--in an age where Black homegrown players are being phased out for more affordable international imports (not just in baseball, but also in basketball), it feels good to see the record go to Bonds. I hope this will continue to inspire young Black boys to pick up a baseball and learn the game. Baseball has so much more long term potential than football, which a lot of Black men migrate towards (especially here in the South) and it would be lovely to see a resurgence of Black baseball players. [Dr. J has really got me thinking about the way the NFL loves to run Black bodies through the ringer for next to nothing when compared to other professional sports and the toll that the sport plays on their bodies without any sort of reasonable health plan. I digress.] I hope that despite the overly negative commentary on Bonds there will be some new faces in baseball soon.
[Dr. J keeps promising to start a blog to talk about these issues--I hope he will soon because he is right on when it comes to analyzing issues of race, class, and gender in sports.]
Also, I was hoping that Aaron would not buy into this media hype (because that's all this "we hate Barry" stuff is) and support Bonds. It was good to see his recorded message tonight passing the torch to Bonds--good move Aaron. But tonight is Barry's night.
Congratulations Barry Bonds--man--you did it!!
You are now the authentic record holder.
And I for one am very very proud of you!!
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