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

Bonds is Counting on Enablers Like Jay Jaffe

But the biggest problem with Jay’s view point is that he does not understand the nature of an abuser. When Bonds decided to use chemicals to artificially inflate his numbers, he abused the trust of the fans and mocked the memory of those who played before him; he substituted illegal enhancements for the strength of character.

Of course, he would like to simply go away for a while until our anger cools. Then, unrepentant, he can go to Cooperstown to disingenuously take credit for accomplishments unearned by pain and sweat and sacrifice.

I am sure he wants to now take his place amongst men who found something deep inside of themselves, men who marshaled those forces to do great deeds, when every inch of them yelled, please, just stop.

What then? Do we reward our abuser? We stand and applaud, saying thank you for cheating so long ago? Does Barry Bonds now deserve the unlimited love and acceptance of the baseball world? Does he deserve the chance to lie again, and be rewarded for it? That’s exactly what abusers count on.

And that seems to be the vision for Jay Jaffe, one I hope I never have to see.

Like a Setting Sun

I’ve seen the needle and the damage done to baseball, and I know that some of you don’t understand my argument. That’s fair, as opinions like Mr. Jaffe’s make little sense to me. I’m a sucker for a great cultural reference, so I appreciate the title of his article, but not the content.

So perhaps I can use another igualmente long lost cultural reference to make my final counter-argument.

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This game is not about numbers; only sabermetricians make that mistake. It’s about work and talent and finishing a double header at three in the morning. Baseball has always been about the daily grind and the willpower to be great after six months of beating the hell out of your body.

The greatness of deeds and numbers were usually the by-product of those qualities. But Bonds and others including Yankees circumvented the process, better than anyone before or since. You’re right, Mr. Jaffe, that he was not the first to even try to cheat.

But have no trepidation. Yankees fans haven’t forgotten that anymore than they have forgotten Bonds is the worst offender, as much as Jay Jaffe would like them to. They even remember their moms saying, two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s still better advice than Mr. Jaffe’s.

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Instead, I encourage him, and all New York Yankees fans, to remember the other great players whose numbers are not as gaudy. To judge them not by their marks in the record books, but by the marks they left on the game. And the marks the game left on them.

That standard makes Bonds, and his numbers, look small by comparison.

Because of those players, Yankees or not, achieved their greatness and glory the old fashioned way: They earned it. That’s something I encourage Mr. Jaffe to remember.