I’m back with a vengeance this week baby. A week of watching baseball at work while also getting stuff accomplished has my batteries re-charged and I’m ready to offer some insights into what’s gone on with America’s past-time during the first month. First and most pressing question on my mind, and most other baseball fans is, does anyone even care if Barry Bonds breaks Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s home runs record?

To find out more, read on after the jump.

Why We Should Care

1. Historic Impact. We are watching something unfold that is truly historic in all of sports, as one of baseball’s most recognized icons breaks a truly honored record. Barry Bonds, love him, hate him, loathe him, admire him, has been a freak unlike any other while smashing records and fastballs over the years, garnering 7 MVP awards. Over age 40 and still having cat-like reflexes the man is a physical marvel unlike any other before him, and perhaps unlike any other after him. He should be appreciated now, because if we don’t relish this moment in baseball history, we might not get that chance again in our lifetimes.

2. Baseball Needs It. Baseball needs something good to happen for it. BALCO, steroids, congress, the lock-outs, dwindling attendance, the drawn-out and laughable tug-of-war between Congress and MLB over broadcasting rights and Bud Selig are all reasons people hate or have been turned off to baseball. Barry Bonds approaching this milestone and breaking it will draw people in. They will watch to see him fail, they will watch to see him succeed, they will watch because he is an African-American man breaking one of the most cherished memories in all of sports. No one who has ever seen the footage of the two white males jumping the stands to congratulate Hank Aaron on his 715th home run trot ever forgets it. Nor will anyone ever forget 756. You will remember where you were when you saw it, just like when Gonzo broke the Yankees hearts and destroyed their mistake off of Mariano Rivera in 2001. While Bonds was embroiled in Balco and the steroids scandals, he can galvanize a fan base with one titanic swing of his bat.

3. The Baseball Lineage. Baseball blood flows through Bonds’ veins, from his godfather Willie Mays to his real-life father, Bobby Bonds. You can’t deny the influence these two have had on his career, and this moment is as much about celebrating them as it is him. Bonds, Mays and Aaron paved the way for their children to play this game, the same as Jackie Robinson before them. Baseball needs someone for young African-American ballplayers to look up to. I’m not saying he is the best role model, but he is someone they can hope to imitate in terms of his on-field accomplishments, and bring more diversity to America’s game.

Why We Don’t Care

1. Because it’s Barry Bonds. He might be the most universally loathed this athlete outside of Terrell Owens, simply because he believes he is entitled to every comfort imaginable for playing a game. He might be the greatest to ever swing a bat, but he certainly is not the most likable. Poetic justice would be him breaking the record, getting to the World Series, losing in another Game 7 and retiring without a ring. That is the stance a lot of baseball fans take, right or wrong, and it is the aura he prides himself on loving, because after 7 MVP’s, numerous records and bloated contracts, he still believes he’s an underdog in life.

2. BALCO and Steroids. America loves heroes, but they don’t like them to be tarnished. Personally, that’s what makes them so appealing. We love Spider-Man because Peter Parker is torn between two worlds. We loved Aragorn because he was the reluctant king. We loved Han Solo because he was the anti-hero. You get the point. When it’s fantasy, we cherish the flaws our characters have. When it’s real life, we crucify them. Darren McCarty is scorned in Detroit because of his alcohol and gambling problems, even though he scored a Cup-clinching goal. A-Rod is quite possibly the most gifted baseball player in the past five generations, but he admits he goes to therapy and now he’s an outcast. Barry Bonds makes no apologies, admits no wrong-doing and he is universally scorned for it. Jason Giambi doesn’t admit to admitting to using steroids and he’s almost exiled to the minors. Barry Bonds is a flawed man, and people hate him for it.

3. It’s Bad Publicity. If you’ve noticed any of Bud Selig’s comments over the last year, he’s dodged every question about this potential controversy, simply because he is hoping by not saying anything, the rest of the world will make the decision for him on whether or not to celebrate Bonds breaking the all-time home run record. Funny how the man can take a stand on not allowing the all-time hits leader into the hall of fame, yet can’t make up his own mind on what to do with someone who is a known purchaser of HGH and other illegal substances. Granted, the Pete Rose angle is a whole other article in itself, but Bud Selig has almost single-handedly ruined baseball, and even this clown knows he can’t screw this up. If he gets the feeling that Bonds will be accepted and applauded for breaking the record by the media and the fans, he will gladly throw a post-record celebration in his honor. If not, he’ll merely acknowledge it was an accomplishment during another “wonderful season”. Selig won’t risk more bad publicity with the damage he’s already done the sport.

My Opinion: Now I know this is what you all really want to know, but you gotta save the best for last right? Honestly, Barry Bonds should be recognized and honored for breaking Hank Aaron’s records. He didn’t do anything during the juiced ball era that everyone else wasn’t doing. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are being unfairly labeled as the scapegoats, as is Bonds, for a problem Donald Fehr and Bud Selig could have and SHOULD have addressed in 1994. Because they were allowed to play within the rules, even if it was using supplements or steroids, they should still be recognized for their accomplishments. Granted, Bonds is one of my least favorite athletes, but he does deserve credit for what he has accomplished in traditional pitcher’s parks throughout his career. Steroids don’t help bat speed, they help power. The man would have still won 7 MVP’s without the ‘roids, he just might not have hit 73 home runs in a single year. He deserves to be recognized for what he has accomplished, not the flaws made to overshadow the man. If that was the case, there would be no real heroes for us anyways.

Observations
This is where I will make my monthly observations on what has gone on in the Majors during the previous days, weeks or month between my postings, enjoy!

1. Peter Gammons Is Brilliant. If there is a better writer, not sports-writer, but writer; alive, I do not know of him or her. ESPN sorely missed him during his battle with a brain aneurysm, and having him back is a welcome breath for any fan.

2. The Yankees Will Rebound. Don’t let the early April sludgefest mislead you, the Yanks will rebound and will win the AL East again, as they are not traditionally a strong early season team (think the Oakland A’s of the last 7 years). I’m betting by May 24th, Roger Clemens has signed on the dotted line with the Yanks, and Red Sox Nation will start their usual moaning and groaning about how it’s unfair. Brian Cashman will make it through the end of the season, and Joe Torre will retire at the end of the year if he’s not fired before then.

3. Josh Hamilton Deserves This. For a young man who had everything at age 18, lost everything, humbled himself and worked his way back into where we all thought he would be 8 years ago, the young Cincinnati Reds outfielder deserves the NL Rookie of the Month Award and much more. There haven’t been too many players I find myself cheering for, but I hope this kid has a long and successful career, for admitting he had a problem, getting help, being open and honest about it, and helping others be more educated about how to recognize the signs and help those with problems. I hope it doesn’t end for him.

Royals Record and Watch: 10-19, with a two game winning streak. Improved their April record (which wasn’t hard given the previous two seasons as 8-18 was an improvement). Alex Gordon is doing what I thought he would, struggling badly with plate discipline at the major league level. Every season he’s moved up it’s taken him a month to two months to adjust to the talent level, then he explodes. If Buddy Bell and Dayton Moore are patient with him and let him work through this, I’ll project .275, with 8 homers and 30+ RBI after the All-Star break, which would be a fine finish for a rookie year.

That’s all I’ve got, this Autobot is rolling out.