Barry Bonds Gets Knee-Capped By The Media

Some reporters might have a thimble's worth of sympathy for Barry Bonds. But the media's out of thimbles.
The inmate running his own asylum told us yesterday his rehab from knee surgery might keep him out for the whole season, or maybe it might force him to retire.
"You wanted me to jump off the bridge; I finally have jumped. You wanted to bring me down; you've finally brought me and my family down."
At last, the conspiracy's been revealed. The media was behind Bonds' slow recovery from surgery, the likelihood he used, unknowingly or not, steroids, and they goaded Bonds' ex-mistress into claiming Bonds used steroids and gave her cash -- that may have been unreported to the IRS -- from autographing balls.
You think reporters and columnists are enjoying the latest episodes of As Barry Turns? Well, yes. San Jose Mercury News columist Mark Purdy envisioned taking a trip through Bonds' head and came away empty.
"Even after all these years of exploring Mr. Bonds' brain, we still find it impossible to figure out the hell is happening in there."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/baseball/mlb/oakland_athletics/11203921.htm Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says he didn't RSVP to Bonds' pity party. Instead, he hopes Bonds is going, going, gone for good.
"Well, it's fair to say the exasperation Bonds displayed Tuesday, caused as much by the continued revelations about his lack of character as concern about the right knee on which he has had surgery twice since Jan. 31, rang out more loudly than most of his 703 home runs."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0503230268mar23,1,1608206.story?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed
In the past, Bonds has said he'd be content to not pass Hank Aaron and be number two on the home run list because Aaron was a black role model he admired. Or maybe, as the Bergen Record's Adrian Wojnarowski suggests, Bonds simply isn't up to the task of being a standard bearer.
"Finally, he's figured out that he probably isn't spiting baseball by chasing the final 52 home runs toward Aaron, but spiting himself."
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMDYmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY2Njk3MDMmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2
In the end, notes Newsday's Jon Heyman, one winner out of all this might be Mark McGwire, who Bonds could wind up making lood good by comparison.
"One thing about Bonds is that he not only thinks he's a better baseball player than everyone else, he also thinks he's smarter than everyone else. He thinks everyone's swallowing his every word. He thinks we're all dummies."
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-sphey234187553mar23,0,256421.column?coll=ny-sports-headlines
One thing the baseball media may forget is if Bonds goes into rehab exile, there will be one less thing to carp about. They might actually have to cover, gasp, a real game.