Let me make this clear: I don't like Barry Bonds. I believe he cheating the game of baseball and is poised to break Hank Aaron's record only because he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
Making matters even worse, he doesn't speak to the media frequently, and is a jerk to people on and off the field.
But if the guy supposedly got voted into the All-Star game by the fans, and if he's about to break the record without us being able to do anything about it, then the least he can do is put on a show for the fans at his home park.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Barry Bonds owes it to the fans and to baseball to participate in the Home Run Derby at AT&T Park. He has no excuse not to.
His team is terrible, and definitely out of the race. He's also at 751 meaning he's close enough to the record where even if he goes in a Bobby Abreu post-derby slump, he can still break the all-time record. He has admitted to taking flaxseed oil -- and based on Game of Shadows, he took performance-enhancers for himself -- to get better and compete with inferior players who had usurped his play on the field. It was not to make money or to entertain fans, it was to be better than everyone else.
So for once, Barry, I implore you, do what's right. Participate in the Home Run Derby. Your performance-enhancing substance displays of power on the field have no place in games that matter. In an exhibition designed solely for purposes of pure fan entertainment, they're perfect. We know you're going to break the record.
The least you can do is go out with a bang, slugging in the derby in your home park. If you don't do it, you'll be proving once again to everyone out there that you're a jerk. You have no reason not to participate, so do what's right, and give the fans a thrill. It's the least you can do.
3BAAS gives a big nod to larrybrownsports.com