Why do people dislike Barry Bonds? A Rick Reilly/Jeff Kent conspiracy!

Where were those "people" when many of the purported nice guys showed their character flaws after their careers were over? 

 

I thought people disliked Barry Bonds because he's black.

 

OK, I give up. Bonds is just misunderstood.

 

Determining who are the good and bad guys isn't an exact science in the real world. But many journalists would like their readers to believe that they have it down pat.

 

They're all over the place. What's the public perception of, say, Steve Garvey these days? Kirby Puckett? Sammy Sosa?

When word gets out, perceptions shifts. It's just a matter of when word gets out. Garvey, Puckett and Sosa were great guys until people found out they weren't.

The ones that piss me off are the ones we find out are bad guys, but somehow become heroes again because they can play (Kobe Bryant).

 

I remember this ESPN the Magazine cover from 2001. Asked the question whether America was ready to love Bonds.



Can't find it online, but I remember the article being pretty glowing.

 

You're 100% right. But I believe many journalist would rather stay on the going opinion of the moment depending on the traction that's being spun at that given time.

 

At some point, a lot of fans stop caring about who's a good guy and a bad guy, and care a little more about who can entertain them the most.

Whether that's a bad thing or a good thing is not a black-and-white issue. It's quite possible that your entertainers should be ultimately judged on how they entertain. Are we really that much happier since we've made their personal foibles a matter for public judgment?

 

Did you read Bayless's comments? I hope somebody told him to wipe his chin after he was done talking about Bonds. It certainly sounded like devotion to me.

cranberry said Bayless nailed it. He has also been a Bonds apologist on many other threads. It's not a smokescreen. It is my opinion. You are welcome to yours.

 

That is a good point. Ultimately, what the entertainer does on the field or the stage is what matters. I never thought much of Bonds as a human being, but I was always a fan of his as a player. He was a wonderful player with a tremendous drive. That was fun to watch.

 

I've never covered Bonds, but I did cover Kent on the beat. I generally tried to avoid him. He'd eventually talk to you, but you had to put up with him looking you up and down questioning why you wanted to ask that question. That being said, when he got going he was a great quote.
A few Kent stories:
-- Doing an interview after a game, he simply walked away from me in the middle of the second question. He didn't say anything, just walked off in the middle of the question and left the clubhouse to go home.
-- I was in the clubhouse on a Sunday morning (no other media was in there). One other player was in there at his locker watching the big TV in the clubhouse (this player was very respected veteran). Kent walks in and turns off the TV and turns on a CD and cranks it up very loudly. As he gets to his locker, the music stops. Silence. Kent stops in his tracks. The veteran player tells him the music will cut off if he plays it too loud, and Kent says this while walking back to the CD player "I thought it was one of you media mother fuckers and I was going to kick your ass." Remember, I was the only media guy in there, and he never even looked at me the whole time. Me and the veteran player made eye contact and smiled.
That being said, I think it was all a put on. He was terrific with fans and would sometimes show a softer side.

 

Yet this is the guy that Bayless describes as a "media superstar," with writers gathering around his locker every night for his witty, insightful comments. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kent was a moody prick who could be decent enough if you caught him on the right day, but more often than not was a pain in the ass. Bayless has a right to his opinion, but he bases it on so many inaccuracies that it's hard to take that opinion seriously.