Not All History Is Happy

The body language tells you everything you really need to know about the man. Uncoiling, angry, barely leaving the batters box, a body language built of age and fatigue and arrogance and effort spent by the thimble. If the ball had stayed in, there was no chance of him getting a double out of it; it wasn't so deep that it was an absolute no doubt shot. Bob Gibson would have murdered him for it.

Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run tonight, having gotten the FTT Bump that he so clearly needed. (See last week's post telling the Celtics fans that they had no shot at Garnett for a similar boost.) It happened on a Saturday night, far from prime time on the East Coast, on a night that few people are watching television. ESPN put it on the 2. Idiot commissioner Bud Selig reacted like he had no idea what to do. It all felt small, more or less meaningless, and fitting.

Since Bonds has played nine straight games (a feat that is nearly as "herculean" as Bud Selig following him around for a week and a half), he won't deign to play tomorrow. This sad little circus will move north, where a host of anonymous Washington Nationals pitchers awaits their chance to be the answer to a trivia question... that won't be asked very often.

In the post-game press conference, the media got (Mostly) Good Barry, the one that seems fairly human. As it went on, he seemed to lose patience for the experience, and became terse with his answers, and his giant head seemed to pulse, with visible blood marks over both eyebrows, as it he was about to sprout horns -- which he later explained as "rashes on my head." He also claimed that he will be there for Alex Rodriguez. That'll be special.

Clay Hensley, the pitcher that gave it up... has a positive steroid test in his past. A brave journo asked Bonds for his reaction to that, which he ducked with an air of been there, done that. The next question, I'm sure by complete coincidence, showed his kids on the podium with him. (Ed Note: Hensley was sent to AAA on Sunday. Also fitting.)

Oh, and by the way -- for the second straight night, the Padres won in extra innings, long after Bonds was gone. The loss drops the Giants to 13 back in their division. No one will remember that, because sports is no longer about teams, it's about individuals. Deeply flawed individuals.