Witness to (yawn) History

Last night, I stayed up late to watch Barry Bonds break one of the biggest records in all of sports, that of all-time home runs. Since the game was in San Francisco, his big moment didn't come until 11:30 p.m. or so. It wasn't all that exciting. They love Barry in the bay area, which is good for him, because he certainly isn't loved anywhere else.

Almost 10 years ago, I remember watching Mark McGwire break the single-season home run record set by Roger Maris. That was really exciting to watch, as was that whole season as he and Sammy Sosa battled it out (although it's been tainted now with the revelations that both of them likely were steroid users). But on that night, when the Cardinals were home against the Cubs, it was truly a moment to remember when he smacked #62.

As for Bonds, it seems so obvious that he has used steroids. If you look at pictures of him from the late 90's and then now, he is so bulked up he almost looks like Hanz and Franz from Saturday Night Live. Plus, he's basically been a total jerk all his life, which media and players alike have atested to. So now that he breaks one of the biggest records in all of sports, it was impossible to get excited for him. Bob Costas commented on the "Today" show that if this were a criminal case, the circumstantial evidence would be so overwhelming that he would easily be convicted.

Bonds will likely retire after this year. The debate over his record will go on, but maybe it'll be short lived. This past weekend, Alex Rodriguez hit number 500. If he keeps up the pace (and he's only 32), he could approach Bonds in 7 - 8 years. If that happens, everyone will get very excited about it, because A-Rod is very well liked and has not had any inkling of scandal around him.

There is still something to get excited about in baseball this year. The Cubs are making a run again, and I have the perfectly scripted moment. The Cubs get to the World Series, and throwing out the first pitch in Chicago is none other than Steve Bartman, the fan who is blamed for their playoff loss in 2003. That would be really cool to watch.