Barry Bonds Doesn't Understand Why People Hate A-Rod, But Did We Honestly Expect Him To?

CBS Sports- “My godfather means the world to me,” Bonds told USA TODAY Sports. “I love him to a T. But when Alex hits No. 660, I’ll be happy for him. Willie will be happy for him. Everybody should be happy for him. Any time anybody in the game does something that’s a great accomplishment, the game of baseball should celebrate that."

“Why the hate?” Bonds told USA TODAY Sports. “Why hate on something you’re paying to see? I don’t understand it. He’s entertaining us. I wish life wasn’t like that.”

“This guy is not running for president of the United States,” Bonds told the newspaper. “He’s not running for commissioner. We’re not running for political office. We’re just ballplayers. We’re not God. We’re imperfect people. We’re human beings.”

If there is one thing you can respect about Barry Bonds, other than his all out assault on the record books, it's his ability to be impervious to public perception. Of course Barry Bonds doesn't understand why people hate A-Rod, he's still trying to figure out why people hate him. The least sympathetic person in baseball history is someone that thinks of himself as someone deserving of sympathy. You have to appreciate that level of disconnection. The funny thing is that Barry Bonds still doesn't think he did anything wrong. Why would he think A-Rod did anything wrong? You could sit down and give Barry Bonds a lie detector test and ask him "what's most responsible for your ascension into superstardom?". He would probably look dead in your eyes and say his talent or his training regimen. You think that ticker would move? That line would be flatter than my 6th grade girlfriend. No matter how crazy someone's views are they will always be able to find someone to agree with them. How do you think the 'Trenchcoat Mafia' was formed? Hell, how do you think organized religion was formed?

I actually agree with Barry Bonds in the sense that they are just as much entertainers as athletes. I actually have no problem with steroid use. Then again, I'm not much a baseball purist. Shit, I am barely a baseball fan, so anything that can make the game more exciting is fine by me. However, here's the flaw in Barry's logic. Steroids, by league rule, are illegal. Doesn't matter if Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez agree with the premise, it's not changing anytime soon. Know what happens when you get caught breaking league rules? You get suspended. By definition, suspended players aren't very entertaining ball players. If A-Rod starts hitting moonshots again he will, at the very least, gain the adoration of Yankee's fans. Until then, he's just the bat that was sitting home last year as his team struggled and missed the playoffs. He's just the guy that has recently collected a lot while accomplishing little. They may not be Presidents, or Commissioners, or political figures, but when they aren't playing baseball for a reason other than injury they aren't exactly productive ball players either.