Barry Bonds vs. History

I just caught some of the Giants-Dodgers game, just now. The Giants were batting in the Top of the 8th, there were two outs, and a runner on third. The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead.

Then, he stepped into the box.

Barry Bonds. The name by itself can stand alone. Bonds came into the game to a chorus of boos from the L.A. fans, but there were a good amount of San Fransico fans on their feet to support him. A few signs were shown in the crowd, but the one that stood out to me most was one that said something like, "Every historic event needs a villain," with the first part in Dodger blue and the 'villain' part in orange. It was kind of cool to see, especially since I couldn't see the fan holding it, so I wasn't even sure if it was a Dodgers fan or not.

ESPN kept cutting to Bonds' young daughter. She looked so excited to see her father there.

The pitcher fell behind 2-0, and without even thinking about it, he intentionally walked Bonds with the last two pitches. It was during this that something funny happened...

Everyone started booing.

It was incredible. For people who "don't want to see him break the record," they sure could have fooled me. The whole moment was pretty powerful.

Like how he got there? Don't like how he got there? Cheater? Legit? Fair, or not? It just didn't matter. Barry Bonds is/was one homer away from tying the all-time home run mark. The majority of Dodger Stadium -- fans who probably hate Bonds more than most -- wanted to see him do it. Everyone there wanted to be part of history.

What really got me was when they showed Bonds' daughter happily booing the intentional walk, like just about everyone else.

News & Notes: 5/30/07, Kobe, Hockey, Bonds

Bah! First, in the most overhyped storyline of the day, Kobe Bryant is apparently asking for a trade from the L.A. Lakers.

This site lists the Bulls as the 3/1 favorites to land him. But the question is, do the Bulls want him?

Well, I'm not the Bulls, but I am me, so let's rephrase that question to "As a Bulls fan, do I want him?"

Short answer, yes. Long answer, if Luol Deng isn't traded for him, then a big time yes. The rumors floating around include players like Deng, Ben Gordon, and Ben Wallace. But like all things sports, we'll just have to wait and see. I remain excited and optimistic. If we get him, that'd be stellar, but if not, oh well.

It's win-win.

Next item: Hockey.

I've been disinterested with the NHL since probably the late 90s. I never really followed hockey on a regular basis, but that could be because the Chicago Blackhawks have been absolutely terrible. I loved the Colorado Avalanche and Patrick Roy for a while, but it was more of a bandwagon thing. And all I really did was watch a few highlights on SportsCenter and a playoff game here and there.

But last night, things changed -- uh, maybe.

I was watching Comcast SportsNet last night, and they did a piece which talked about Jonathan Toews, a guy the Hawks drafted third in 2006. Toews could potentially be a stud. He has a Canadian Gold medal at the World Championships under his belt, he took his North Dakota team to the Frozen Four, and oh, he's 19. Yeah, two years younger than me.

Toews, combined with whoever the Blackhawks select with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, immediately makes the team interesting again. Will they be contenders right away? Probably not. But it's getting me to care again, and that's something I haven't done for a while.

So, my 2007-08 policy is going to work like this: I'll aggressively follow the team for the first month of the season, and if they are still in contention at the end of that month, I'll continue to follow them until they fall out of the playoff race.

It could be interesting. Right? ... Maybe?

We'll see.

And lastly for today, bodacious Barry Bonds.

Not a lot to say, other than a quick comment on his amazing quote yesterday. This was his response when asked if he'd donate his home run memorabilia to the Hall of Fame:

"I'm not worried about the Hall," the San Francisco slugger said during a recent homer drought.

"I take care of me."

"Doesn't everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?" he said last week.

He's the best.

Predictably, everyone in the media is freaking out about it, but if that quote makes you mad, it's probably just because Bonds said it. Think about it, why should Barry Bonds have any obligation to donate his personal items to a Hall of Fame that may not admit him as a player? It makes no sense.

Is it really that selfish? Not if you ask me.

Either way, Bonds gets to keep his gear while the haters keep grinding their teeth.

Can't get too mad about that.