755*

Barry finally hit it. The all-time home run record is one of the most important records in all of sports. As a fan, I felt that I had to witness that piece of history being made, and to tell the truth, I smiled when I saw the ball go out of the park. But when I think back on it, I wasn't happy that Barry was breaking the record; I was happy that I was watching the record being broken. It's true that without steroids Barry would never have been able to do what he's done, but it's also true that without steroids he still would have been a lock for the Hall of Fame. The very fact that we have to wonder and question if his pursuit was fair tarnishes the glory of the moment. Yes, I was happy as I watched Bonds round the bases, but all I could think was how I wished he had done it like Hank had. I liken the ceremony to what's said about the loser in a Presidential race. The comment is often made that if the losing candidate had carried himself the way he did in his concession speech, he would have won the race by a landslide. If Barry Bonds had let us into his life, had showed he was a real, emotional person like he did after breaking the record, I think people would have gotten behind him. Even with the allegations of steroids if Barry Bonds had been a guy you could root for, a bit more of the glory would be restored to his achievement.

Not only has Bonds tarnished one of the greatest records of all time, but he's tarnished the pursuit of it. Alex Rodriguez has the best shot of any player to break whatever record Bonds sets, and now he's going to have to answer the same questions that Bonds is being asked. Jose Canseco has already hinted at allegations he may throw at A-Rod that perhaps he isn't as natural as we all seem. Whether this is just a ploy to make more money or not will remain to be seen, but it is sad for baseball that it's greatest players will have this monkey on their backs for the foreseeable future. I think a lot of things about A-Rod and many of them aren't nice, but you can't deny he's one of the best in the game and no matter what anyone says, I have a real hard time believing that he's a juicer. So questions aside, I hope in 10 years or so I'm watching this record breaking achievement one more time.

Now onto the regular stuff...

I've come to the conclusion that no matter how good or how bad the season begins, I'm always going to be worried by August. I'm still confidant that we're going to win the division, but I'm still worried. The Yankees are now only six games back, thanks to a brilliant comeback last night, and this time of year the Yankees always scare me. They really might find a way into the playoffs this year, and once you're in October you might as well forget the regular season even happened, because it's literally a whole new ballgame.

But just for a second let's talk about that comeback. I kind of see the Angels series as a spiderweb that you walk into in the woods. It sticks you and holds you down for a while, and even though you get out of it, it took a hard fight and you feel tired and disgusted afterwards. We blew so many chances to make a statement against the team that we're going to end up facing in October. Last night when I went to bed, the Angels had just gone up 6-5 and they still had two men on with only 1 out. I was disgusted. I hate going to bed with that feeling, but I couldn't bare to stay awake, lose more sleep, and only perpetuate that horrible feeling in my belly. When I woke up and checked the score, I really had a hard time believing it for a second. We really had some tremendous plays from the usual cast: Petey, Youk, and Lowell. We really should start calling Pedroia "Little Papi" with how clutch some of his play has been this season. That tie-breaking solo shot was HUGE! But then again, so was the fact that Garrett Anderson was playing left. With Vlady getting the night to rest his legs at DH, Reggie Willits was put into right. That kid is a gamer and I'm sure he would have found a way to get two inches higher and rob Petey of that home run. Anyway, I think last night was the perfect example of how good the trade for Frenchy really was. Having him at the back end of the pen allowed Okie to come in and hold down the fort. There were seven important outs we had to get before even getting to Pap, and I don't know if we could have done it without Gagne. Now if we can get Manny and Papi to start hitting with the rest of the team? Say hello to the World Series.













*Without steroids