Barry Bonds knows a thing or two about being hated. Despite the fact that he owns the all-time record for most home runs hit in an MLB career, Bonds has still encountered his fair share of hate over the years because of his close connections with steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. So if anyone knows what Alex Rodriguez is going through right now, it's Bonds.
Last year, A-Rod served a season-long suspension because of his ties to a clinic called Biogenesis that was reportedly providing him and other professional and amateur athletes with PEDs. But he's back this year and, as of right now, he's just five home runs shy of passing Bonds' godfather Willie Mays on the all-time home run list. When he does, he'll move to No. 4 on the list, behind only Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth. And he's catching a lot of hate from MLB fans for it. It's a hate that Bonds doesn't understand.
"Why the hate?" Bonds asked during a USA Today Sports interview over the weekend. "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."
Bonds—who worked with A-Rod during this past offseason—also said that he wishes the Yankees would celebrate the accomplishment, instead of trying to ignore it like they're doing now. And he said that he doesn't think A-Rod has to prove anything to anyone.
"What part of 600 home runs don't people understand?" he asked. "You don't need to understand that. Just look at the numbers. I told Alex, you don't need to prove anything to anybody. What do you need to prove? That you can hit another home run? That you can play baseball? Why the hell does anyone need to ask him that? He already proved it. The proof is over."
Bonds obviously has a really unique perspective on the A-Rod situation, so it's worth reading his entire take. You can check it out here.
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[via USA Today]
