Barry Bonds, who set the record for most home-runs in MLB history while using steroids, doesn’t begrudge the chemically-enhanced Alex Rodriguez for soon surpassing his godfather Willie Mays on the all-time homers list.
“I can’t wait until he hits 660,” Bonds told the paper.
“My godfather means the world to me,’ Bonds told USA Today, “I love him to a T, but when Alex hits No. 660, I’ll be happy for him. Willie will be happy for him. Everybody should be happy for him. Any time anybody in the game does something that’s a great accomplishment, the game of baseball should celebrate that. No matter what. Baseball is benefiting from that person’s hard work, so baseball should at least celebrate.”
The interview made it difficult to glean when Bonds spoke of Rodriguez and when Bonds spoke of Bonds.
The Yankees have already informed Rodriquez that they won’t pay the $6 million bonus for tying Mays, a provision of his 2007 contract, because of his year-long 2014 suspension. In the team’s notes of imminent milestones, Rodriguez passing Mays goes unmentioned, although they do note that he can tie Bert Daniels for 16th place on the Yankees’ all-time list with one more stolen base and can pass Derek Jeter for ninth place if he scores four more runs.
A-Rod, who boasts just one home run this young season, needs six to surpass Mays. He would need several more solid seasons, something he might not have left at 39, to trump Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds.
Bonds, who used to say to reporters in Pittsburgh when he played for the Pirates, ”I thrive off you guys because I love to make you come back to my locker begging,” concluded of the Rodriguez snub, “Why the hate? Why hate on something you’re paying to see? I don’t understand it. He’s entertaining us. I wish life wasn’t like that.”