Let's Talk about Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron...

Yes, I believe that Barry Bonds cheated.

Yes, I believe that Barry Bonds continues to cheat.

Yes, I think it's unfair that Barry Bonds will become the all time home run king.

He'll be taking the title away from a man that may have had it harder than Jackie Robinson in baseball. A man who went out and played everyday in Southern states that were incredibly racist. Played minor league ball in Georgia and Alabama and other states where black men and women were being scared, intimidated, and murdered on a daily basis. But he went in front of all of them and played baseball. Then he showed up everyday and played in front of crowds that were just starting to feel good about integration in baseball.

And Hank Aaron played.

He played everyday, every year, and always produced the same way. Hank never hit 50 homers in a season. Hank never cracked 73 under dubious circumstances. Hank just showed up every day and quietly did what he was being paid to do. And he did it very well.

After hearing everything I've heard about the man Aaron was and is, its very hard to imagine mentioning him and Barry Bonds in the same sentence. Certainly not outside of baseball. Aaron was generous with his time and cared for the communities he lived in. Aaron didn't ask to be a civil rights leader, but when it was thrust upon him he didn't shy away.

Hank Aaron is man of integrity and grace on the field and off.

Listen to Dusty Baker talk about Hank Aaron sometime. Dusty played with Hank for some time. Knew him as probably the greatest all around player ever. Knew him as a man with a wife and children.

Dusty Baker also knows Barry Bonds.

Barry Bonds is a petulent child who claims that he hasn't done anything wrong. He's short with the media. He's short with his critics. He's an arrogant piece of trash that feels like he deserves everything he's gotten because of who he is and what he can do.

But Barry Bonds deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

I mean that honestly. Barry Bonds deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Mostly because of what he did BEFORE he started taking performance enhancers. He still would have been the only player ever with 500 homers and 500 steals. He still would have been one of the 10 best of his generation. And for that he deserves to be recognized. We can't take away any of Barry's numbers, because we don't know what he would have done in those same situations WITHOUT steroids or HGH. Maybe he would have still hit 73 home runs. Maybe he still would have gotten to 755 and beyond. We don't know, so we can't presume to wipe him from the record books.

But what we can do is make sure that no baseball fan ever forgets what Barry - and so many others - did. For the longest time, I believed in Mark McQwire's innocence. Why? Because I grew up watching the guy. He was my cousin's favorite player when he first came up. He was a great ballplayer and I idolized him. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Then he refused to speak out in front of Congress and I knew. I knew he did it and it disappointed me. We're willing to believe the worst out of Barry without the benefit of doubt because he's been a jackass throughout his career.

Our game is reeling in the wake of steroids. What we need in the game now more than ever is Hank Aaron. Someone who embodies everything we love in baseball and someone with a strong enough character to stand up to the challenge and the scrutiny and come out on the other side unscathed.

Baseball needs a new Hank Aaron.