Many Questions Surround Barry Bonds This Season

As we enter the 2006 baseball season there’s one story that going to pick up steam as the summer progresses. Barry Bonds enters the season at 708 home runs. He’s 47 shy of Hank Aaron’s all time record. Bonds is also turning 42 this season and has said this will be he last year, with or without the record. Whether we believe him or not is another story. So many questions surround Bonds that he will no doubt be on the front page for every home run he hits this season. 

Bonds’ health and age seem to be his biggest obstacle. Knee injuries limited him to fourteen games last season. At 42 years old it’s questionable of whether or not he can hold on for one more season. He clearly doesn’t want to go for the record by struggling through two injury-plagued years. His declarations of retirement may just be in anticipation of that possibility. His reputation is already low because of the steroid implications and the last thing Bonds wants to do is limp over the finish line by playing hurt or moving to the American League to play DH. If Bonds can stay healthy the whole year, 47 home runs is not an unreachable goal. Before last year’s injuries Bonds had hit at least 45 in the previous five seasons. So this season will be a game of ifs. If Bonds can stay healthy and if his age hasn’t hindered him too much there should be some excitement building in August and September. 

There’s still a question of whether or not people will want Bonds to reach Hank Aaron. The steroid scandal is still fresh in people’s minds and although Bonds never tested positive under Major League Baseball’s policy he has been implicated about taking certain performance enhancers. Will people regard Bonds’ accomplishment as tainting the record? It’s difficult to say whether or not people will be rooting for or against him. Most people seem to like seeing historical moments so they may be willing to ignore who’s getting the record and just appreciate that they’re seeing something that may not happen again.