Yankees must never forget Barry Bonds, the needle, and the damage done

The Yankees, and the rest of the baseball universe were recently offered words of wisdom by Sports Illustrated’s Jay Jaffe. His advice? Relax and learn to love your abuser.

Yankees fans have long memories. They remember Babe Ruth, who hit three home runs in two different world series games. He played way back in the 1920’s.

And they remember Joe DiMaggio kicking dirt after he hit a ball in anger, a hit he hoped would wound his opponent, that came to rest in a harmless leather grave. Joe D wore the pinstripes way back in the 30’s and 40’s.

They remember Willy Mays making a catch and throw that only he could make; Teddy Ballgame hitting a home run in his last ever at-bat; and, legless Kirk Gibson doing something no one could believe seeing.

Yankees fans remember Barry Bonds, as well; he once stood in the bright light of baseball stardom. They watched him become an almost certain Hall of Famer while playing in Pittsburgh. Bonds was fast, had a great OBP, and a high baseball IQ; everyone could see that.

Yankees fans even dreamed he might one day wear the pinstripes.

The problem for Barry was, he also seems to have had a massive inferiority complex; being a famous millionaire athlete recognized as one of the best in your field just isn’t enough for some guys. So he took his talents to San Francisco, where he learned to live in the shadows.

But the truth will out. In 2006, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams shined a flashlight into that world, a light bright enough to be seen by Yankees fans. They described what they saw, and they weren’t vague.