Dan Shanoff of the Daily Quickie asks an interesting question. While I don’t agree with his response, I’ll let you all read before I drop in my own thoughts at the end…
The new story line of Barry Bonds playing in 2007 as a DH in the AL took an interesting turn yesterday.
“I don’t have another year on my contract. If I don’t get one and I get one somewhere else, that’s where I’ll play.” He added, “Oh, yes,” when asked if he could sustain himself for 155 games as a DH. Giants owner Peter Magowan responded: “I’ve always been open to the possibility of him being in another uniform.”
I can take my Bonds theory of “you hate him, but you love to watch” to an entirely new level.
SportsNation’s current poll results show that two-thirds of fans wouldn’t want Bonds to sign with their team as a DH. But that doesn’t say anything about how they would feel if he did sign with them.
I’m willing to bet whichever team he ends up with, that team’s fans would do a complete 180 on any Bonds-bashing from this season and embrace him in precisely the same way they do in San Francisco.
It works the other way, too: If Bonds left town, I suspect Giants fans would turn on Bonds so fast that he wouldn’t know what happened. And they’d get some much-needed psychological relief in doing so.
So, what if Barry Bonds becomes a free agent and seeks out a DH role on an American League club next year? Will A’s or Angels fans embrace him? Will Mighty, Gutsy and Laz embrace him if he becomes a member of the Tribe (of the Cleveland Indians variety, that is)?
I think Shanoff’s wrong on this one (big shocker there). I think Bonds has generated enough ill will around the game that most people won’t embrace him in any new city he chooses to play for. Of course, this is tempered by the fact that most Midwestern cities don’t boo their own players very often. Instead, I posit that if Bonds ends up in an AL Central city, he’ll simply get the polite clap but will never fully earn the love of his new hometown fans.
While I can’t speak for the rest of the AL East, I suspect that Yankee fans will not warm to Barry Bonds at all and will not hesitate for one second to boo him. I know I certainly won’t hesitate to boo him all the way back to California. For not only would Bonds represent an unnecessary piece to the Yankees roster, he would also be the player who cheated past our favorite icon, Babe Ruth, and that would be the ultimate treason to all die-hard Yankees fans.
In the end, I have a hard time seeing Bonds leaving the San Francisco area or the West Coast in general. I think the Angels and A’s represent the most likely destinations for him, provided that he does not demand an outrageous salary.
The new story line of Barry Bonds playing in 2007 as a DH in the AL took an interesting turn yesterday.
“I don’t have another year on my contract. If I don’t get one and I get one somewhere else, that’s where I’ll play.” He added, “Oh, yes,” when asked if he could sustain himself for 155 games as a DH. Giants owner Peter Magowan responded: “I’ve always been open to the possibility of him being in another uniform.”
I can take my Bonds theory of “you hate him, but you love to watch” to an entirely new level.
SportsNation’s current poll results show that two-thirds of fans wouldn’t want Bonds to sign with their team as a DH. But that doesn’t say anything about how they would feel if he did sign with them.
I’m willing to bet whichever team he ends up with, that team’s fans would do a complete 180 on any Bonds-bashing from this season and embrace him in precisely the same way they do in San Francisco.
It works the other way, too: If Bonds left town, I suspect Giants fans would turn on Bonds so fast that he wouldn’t know what happened. And they’d get some much-needed psychological relief in doing so.
So, what if Barry Bonds becomes a free agent and seeks out a DH role on an American League club next year? Will A’s or Angels fans embrace him? Will Mighty, Gutsy and Laz embrace him if he becomes a member of the Tribe (of the Cleveland Indians variety, that is)?
I think Shanoff’s wrong on this one (big shocker there). I think Bonds has generated enough ill will around the game that most people won’t embrace him in any new city he chooses to play for. Of course, this is tempered by the fact that most Midwestern cities don’t boo their own players very often. Instead, I posit that if Bonds ends up in an AL Central city, he’ll simply get the polite clap but will never fully earn the love of his new hometown fans.
While I can’t speak for the rest of the AL East, I suspect that Yankee fans will not warm to Barry Bonds at all and will not hesitate for one second to boo him. I know I certainly won’t hesitate to boo him all the way back to California. For not only would Bonds represent an unnecessary piece to the Yankees roster, he would also be the player who cheated past our favorite icon, Babe Ruth, and that would be the ultimate treason to all die-hard Yankees fans.
In the end, I have a hard time seeing Bonds leaving the San Francisco area or the West Coast in general. I think the Angels and A’s represent the most likely destinations for him, provided that he does not demand an outrageous salary.
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