Molitor turns away Bonds, By: Mike McFeely
February 06, 2007
Paul Molitor, a member of baseball’s royal Hall of Fame family, sounds a lot like Joe Six-Pack, average member of baseball’s fan club, when the topic turns to Barry Bonds.
“I don’t plan to pay much attention myself,” Molitor said Monday.
He was referring to Bonds’ upcoming chase of Henry Aaron’s career home run record, which will begin when the season gets underway in April. Henry’s mark stands at 755. Bonds is 21 homers short at 734.
Barring the sudden sprouting of a conscience by Bonds, a quick end to baseball’s investigation into Bonds’ alleged steroid use or the puffed-up slugger’s head exploding because of all the flaxseed oil he’s used over the years – hey, we can hope – Aaron’s mark will fall sometime this summer.
“It’s going to be a sad day for baseball,” Molitor said.
The former Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins player was in town to be the keynote speaker at the Fargo American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame banquet. While speaking with the media, he fielded one question about the Twins before talk turned to the juice.
This is February. Can you imagine what the chatter is going to be like in, say, June?
Molitor said there’s an easy way for Bonds to handle the mess he’s created.
“When you screw up – and I’ve screwed up plenty – the best thing you can do is admit it,” Molitor said. “People will respond to that.”
Perhaps. But it’s a safe bet that dairy cows will take over NASA and establish a colony on Mars before Bonds admits to anything. It’s clear he wants the record.
It’s just as clear baseball and commissioner Bud Selig would prefer that Bonds move to Donnybrook, N.D., and quietly live out the rest of his days as the No. 2 home run hitter in history.
Again, not going to happen. So what’s Selig, Molitor’s one-time owner in Milwaukee, to do?
“I think he’s trying to walk that fine line. It’s difficult because the investigation is ongoing,” Molitor said. “I guess if nothing concrete has happened, then he’s going to have to find a way to acknowledge (Bonds) in somewhat of a positive way. It’s going to be challenging for Bud, one of the biggest challenges he’s faced.”
I’ve written several times that the biggest loser of the steroid era is Fargo’s Roger Maris. The three players who passed Maris on the single-season homer list are strongly suspected juicers. Roger’s gotten the shaft and there is little baseball can do for his record or his family.
But if Bonds passes Aaron, Hammerin’ Hank will move to No. 1 on the steroid injustice list. Aaron owns the most-coveted and important record in sports. The virulent racism and institutional disrespect he overcame to break Babe Ruth’s record make him a genuine American hero.
Molitor has been impressed with how Aaron has handled Bonds’ fraudulent assault on his record.
“I do think the way he’s handled this whole chapter of controversy surrounding performance-enhancing drugs has been on the high road,” Molitor said. “I’m sure sometimes it’s tough for him because he knows what he had to do to get there. He’s saying the right things and trying to do the best he can and waiting for the evidence to come in before he makes any accusations.”
That makes Aaron a better and stronger person than most of us. Maybe even a fellow Hall of Famer like Paul Molitor.
