Will history be Maid?, By: Christopher Dabe
05/15/2006, The Enterprise
HOUSTON - Barry Bonds swung, dropped his bat, smiled and raised his arms. He began a trot around the bases.
The crowd stood and cheered. Flashbulbs blinked.
Greeted at home plate by teammates, Bonds went to the dugout and stepped back on the field to acknowledge the ovation.
That was the scene in Houston nearly five years ago, when Bonds tied Mark McGwire's single-season home run record. How much of that scene is repeated tonight at Minute Maid Park will be known if Bonds hits a home run to pull even with Babe Ruth for second on the career list at 714.
Of all the milestone home runs hit by Bonds in recent years, the shot that pulled him even with McGwire at 70 was the only one that didn't have a chance to splash in the San Francisco Bay. The ball landed instead in the right field upper deck in Houston.
"There was a lot of excitement around it," said Astros radio broadcaster Milo Hamilton about that record-tying home run, hit Oct. 4, 2001. "There was excitement because there wasn't enough known to put a damper on it."
Now under a cloud of suspicion for steroid use and a reported grand jury investigation for perjury, Bonds is inching his way up the career home run ladder.
Nos. 500, 600 and 700 were hit in the Giants' home park. Nos. 660 and 661 moved him ahead of Willie Mays for third place and splashed into water beyond the right-field wall. And Nos. 71, 72 and 73 during the record-setting year were at home in a season-ending series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hank Aaron holds the all-time record of 755. He surpassed Ruth's mark of 714 on April 8, 1974. Hamilton announced that game, and it's not lost on him that he could make two 715th career home run calls.
"I've had a chance to be around many great ballplayers," said Hamilton, who has called Astros games since 1985 and been a baseball announcer for more than 50 years. "I got to know Ted Williams very well. Eddie Mathews, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Hank Aaron, of course. All those people, and I don't think it's fair for someone to be under this black cloud and be able to go after this record."
Bonds, a 41-year-old in his 21st major league season, hit No. 713 eight days ago in Philadelphia. It was a shot that glanced off the front of the third deck at Citizens Bank Park, an estimated 450 feet from home plate. He has since struggled at the plate, going one for 19 with eight walks.
Serving up an historic home run is something no pitcher wants on his resume. Wilfredo Rodriguez gave up No. 70 to Bonds five years ago and has not pitched in a major league game again.
Taylor Buchholz is tonight's starting pitcher for Houston.
"It will definitely be an exciting time," said Buchholz, a 24-year-old rookie who faced Bonds twice in San Francisco earlier this season and got him to fly out both times. "I'm looking forward to being out there and facing him. The first time I did it, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I'll be ready for it."
Wandy Rodriguez and rookie Fernando Nieve are the scheduled starters Tuesday and Wednesday. Neither has faced Bonds.
Each will take their turns trying to avoid falling in the same category as Jack Billingham and Al Downing, who gave up No. 714 and 715 to Aaron.
Aaron received racially-charged hate mail that included death threats before he passed Ruth. Aaron feared for his life when two fans ran to him during his trot around the bases after hitting the record-setting home run. The fans reached Aaron between second and third bases, gave a congratulatory pat on his back and ran toward left field.
An object similar to a syringe was tossed by a fan in Bonds' direction on Opening Day in San Diego. Being hit in the head by a foul ball during batting practice put him on his back during a recent trip to Milwaukee. And he was greeted with a sign that spanned the length of left field and read, "Ruth did it with hot dogs and beer; Aaron did it with class; How did you do it?" in Philadelphia.
Clearly, the season has been an odd one for Bonds, who is batting .217 with five home runs while playing with knee and elbow injuries this season.
Stress that comes with chasing a record under intense media and public scrutiny can be draining, saidDale G. Pease, a Houston-based certified sports psychology consultant.
"When an athlete moves up the ladder of success, the mental game becomes more important," said Pease, a professor at the University of Houston. "Stress can be a tremendous performance factor. Some people handle it better and cope with it better, whether it comes from the media, or parents of age-group specific athletes or coaches."
Bonds has reportedly also received hate mail, some racially-charged and some in regards to his suspected steroid usage.
"I'm sure it's got to be very difficult for him," said Craig Biggio, in his 19th season with the Astros. "It's hard enough to play here, and with the major distractions he's got going on, it's been crazy. But if anybody can handle it, it's him."
Biggio was at second base the night Bonds hit his 70th home run in 2001.
"It wasn't a cheapie," Biggio said. "It was a flat-out bomb."
Testimony to a grand jury investigating a steroid-distribution ring and other evidence documented in the book "Game of Shadows," released in March by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, branded Bonds a steroid user. The accusations tarnished for many the validity of Bonds' accomplishments.
"There are thousands of players who played before him who you can possibly look at," Astros outfielder Preston Wilson said. "It's one of those situations where a lot of things don't look good, but you can't really condemn him because nobody knows."
The presence of Bonds should do little to bother the Astros.
"We're going to approach it like we always do," Houston manager Phil Garner said. "We want to win the game."
Any home run by Bonds this week in Houston will add to a list of notable blasts hit in the city.
Mickey Mantle gave the Astrodome its first home run in an exhibition with the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa hit the last of his 66 home runs during his duel with McGwire in 1998 at the dome. In recent seasons, Jeff Kent and Chris Burke provided special post-season memories at the team's newer park with game-ending homers.
Another historic blast for Bonds will come sooner or later, and Houston might once again serve as its launching pad.
"If it happens here, it will be interesting," Hamilton said. "I think there will be a lot of booing. The fans don't want a record to go up on the board and be wondering if it will hold up over time.
"With Aaron, there was never anything that tainted his records. The only thing he admitted to using was chewing gum. Bonds hasn't admitted a thing."
