by Brad Gerber

Created on: April 27, 2009

Should Barry Bonds make the Baseball Hall of Fame? This is the question to be answered. Is my opinion the final word? Of course not. Is my opinion valid? Without a doubt. Should his consideration be tied to the cases of Pete Rose or Shoeless Joe Jackson? I would have to say no to that one as well. Barry Bonds will be the measuring stick used to gauge the Hall of Fame entry of players like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro. They all fall under the cloud of steroids but Bonds is the poster boy...with apologies to Jose Canseco. The biggest difference between Bonds and the other players mentioned has nothing to do with his performance on the field. Bonds was always a surly individual, never a great interview, and never considered a great teammate. All of these factors are usually considered by the writers that vote for entry into the hallowed Halls of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. If you are willing to go by lifetime stats and awards alone, there is no question that he is one of the greatest players in baseball history. A .298 lifetime batting average with 762 HR's, 1996 RBI's, 514 SB's, 14 All Star appearances, and 7 NL MVP awards puts Mr. Bonds at the head of the class. But the shadow of steroids still hangs over him like a dark storm cloud that seems always ready to burst open and drench the field. Bonds has never been convicted of any crime, did not carry his unpleasant attitude to the limits of Ty Cobb (a first ballot Hall of Famer), and he, of course, has still not officially retired from the game. It is so hard to debate the virtues of a mans statistics with his actual virtues and to decide where his place in history should be. That will be a job for the Baseball Writers when the five years passes after Barry Bonds announces his retirement from professional baseball. There are many players that had sterling careers, were great teammates, won World Series and individual awards, and are still not in the Hall of Fame. Players like Roger Maris, Gil Hodges, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Lee Smith, Andre Dawson, Vada Pinson, Bert Blyleven, and Tommy John have not received the votes required. Do these players belong in the Hall of Fame? I guess they may as the Hall of Fame is not what it used to be. It now seems to have become the "Hall of the Very Good". But that topic is for another day. Should Barry Bonds be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? That is the question to be answered. This writer, fan, and lover of the game would have to say NO!

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