Breaking Records and Being a Man

I remember my swimming days. I don't know how to say this any more clearly, but I was a dominant force in the Dolphin Swim League from ages 5-13. Breaststroke was my specialty and I rarely lost a race. Only to a kid who was a year older than me from Butterfield CC. He'd beat everyone by at least a half a lap. He was on steroids. I only had to race him every other year though. Kind of like interleague play. Or facing Roger Clemens.

With my dominance came records. My favorite was my 7-8 Boys 100M Individual Medley record: 2:11.34. Let's face it, the only reason I had it was because I was the only boy of that age in Edgewood Valley CC history to do it...it was previously listed as "NO RECORD." I also held every breaststroke record for my age group as I continued to progress in age.

Today, none of those records still exist. It seems that EVCC has out of no where become a dominant for in the Dolphin Swim League - Aurora CC was pretty tough to beat. When my first records fell, obviously I was a little upset, knowing that the legacy of me dominance would no longer be documented on the famous record board at EVCC but only in the area behind the bar at my parent's house where all of my trophies are. We won't even get into my diving capabilities. The 7-8 IM record too has since fell. Tear.

In my later years with appreciation for sports...it's great to hold a record. You own it. But I started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be Ryne Sandberg. I wanted to be the best second baseman ever for the Chicago Cubs. Though Sandberg was my hero, I still wanted to be the greatest. This is why we have heroes...people to look up to, be inspired by, people to respect.

I don't think anyone ever woke up one morning and said, "Mom, I want to tie the all time home run record." I am sure many of us have woken up and said, "Mom, I want to break the all time home run record." Barry Bonds has a goal and that is to surpass Hank Aaron. He is going to do it.

What bothers me is that Hank Aaron refuses to acknowledge the situation. He refuses to be there at the presence of the record being broken that he has held since April 8, 1974. He refuses to specifically state why.

One can infer that he is unhappy with the speculation surrounding Bonds and the BALCO incident. Should this be the case, I believe that Hank needs to come out and say it. He needs to stop beating around the bush and get it over with. Maybe coming from Hank, this is something that we all need to hear.

The Maris family was present for the McGwire 62 and he was supportive of their family. McGwire appreciated the record he was breaking and they to appreciated the fact that some day, 61 would fall. How have they been dealing with the McGwire steroid deal? They dealt with it. The fact of the matter is that even if Aaron's record wasn't broken in the next few weeks by Bonds, it's only got a few more years...say ten to be safe before A-Rod breaks it.

So for all of you Bonds haters out there, Bonds will be the shortest lived home run king since the 1920's. We have talked a lot about fazes in baseball. Players are getting bigger, stronger, faster with technology and education. How long was this really going to last? Hank Aaron had one of the greatest careers in baseball history. The other question I pose to you is...if you had to put an all time team together, would Aaron be in your outfield? Would Bonds? Think about it. I don't think either would be in mine...Bonds maybe as a DH...but I'd have Ted Williams, Willie Mays and the Babe left to right.

A great point was made this morning that I can't take credit for. Mike Golic said that the breaking of the record is just as much of a celebration of Aaron as it is for Bonds. I agree. Regardless of who hits 756, the celebration is the record. Past, present and future. I would like to see all of the great home run hitters still with us there to celebrate...McGwire, Mays, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, whoever. It's a special time not only for the guys directly involved, but also for the fans who not only are seeing history take place, but for those who remember when Aaron broke the record. The moment, like the Mays moment on Tuesday, and the Sosa McGwire moment is what people will remember. Cal Ripken taking the victory lap. Ricky Henderson holding the base in the air. The two guys running the bases with Aaron.

What I'm getting at is this. Aaron's pride isn't more important than baseball. Aaron's opinion isn't more important than baseball. His legacy will not be tarnished by Bonds. Do we think of Babe Ruth as a B Teamer? To me, I think Babe Ruth when I think of the definition of a home run hitter. Aaron needs to accept the fact his record was going to fall and celebrate his career. Just like I said earlier, we all have heroes growing up, dreams and ambitions. We also have rivals too. I got a hit off of every pitcher I faced in our conference in high school from freshman-senior year accept one: Dan Rodriguez. The kid owned me, he was in my head, and he had the sickest sinker I've ever seen. Senior year I was hitting .500 going into a double header against LT where he started the first game. For the two games I was 0-8 with 5 K's. I drank beers and took shots of tequila with D-Rod a month ago. Bury the Hatchet? Check.

In time, maybe Aaron will learn to deal with his adversary. Maybe he won't. Maybe he should get over all the animosity and show up to celebrate the record. It's not about having respect for Bonds, it's about having respect for the game of baseball. One would think that a guy who played for 23 years would have some, wouldn't you?

I guess we'll never know.