[Vision2020] Barry Bonds is No Hero (Bob Schieffer)

[Tom Hansen]

>From Bob Schieffer's closing commentary on today's (July 22, 2007) "Face the
Nation"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barry Bonds is No Hero
By Bob Schieffer

Americans love our sports, and we love our sports stars. And we love to keep
score: who got the most hits; who ran the fastest mile; who ate the most hot
dogs, for that matter. 

Yet, when Barry Bonds breaks the most famous record of all in the next week
or so - Hank Aaron's home run record that has stood for more than three
decades - many Americans won't cheer at all. They'll wish he hadn't been the
one who did it. 

Bonds is booed every place he plays except his home park in San Francisco.
First because he is widely believed to be a cheat who used illegal drugs to
increase his strength. Second because he is a self-centered, all-around jerk
who sees no responsibility to the fans who pay his enormous salary. 

It's too bad, really. We want our heroes to be good guys, but maybe we need
jerks like Bonds from time to time to remind us what real heroes are - and
they are not just people who have mastered a difficult physical feat. 

For sure, hitting home runs is hard to do. But, so is standing on your thumb
which hardly qualifies thumb standers to be heroes. 

We admired Hank Aaron for hitting the home runs, but what made him an
inspiration to others was the way he overcame adversity in order to set that
record. The homers were just part of his greatness. 

Real heroes are not just athletes. In fact, most of them are not: the
firemen who gave their lives to save the innocent on 9/11; the soldiers who
go into the streets of Baghdad day after day; parents who adopt handicapped
children. 

Heroes are those who set the examples we teach our kids to follow. 

Barry Bonds is no hero. He is just a guy who hits home runs. Who would want
a kid to be like him?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

My suggestion:  Once Barry Bonds hits home run #754 (one shy of tying Hank
Aaron's record), have every pitcher intentionally walk Barry Bonds every
time he steps up to the plate until her retires.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)