So it’s done, finally.  Barry Bond is the home run king.  And while I have thought the quest had grown to be an anti climax, a macabre chase for history while the team languished, with reporters all over a sullen club house after yet another loss (like last night), it is over and I am left in awe as well as appreciative of the opportunity to have seen Barry Lamar Bonds play this great game of baseball.

And it was a great moment.  Bonds clearly had regained his stroke, through hard work and determination, went 3 for 3, including a double that one hopped the wall in “triples alley” at ATT Park.  “Triples alley” becomes doubles alley for 42 year old sluggers and Bonds eased into second base, satisfied.  His next at bat, he stroked a hard line drive single to center field.  It might have been caught if any other hitter had been at the plate, but the Nationals centerfielder was playing deep, and it fell in. 

But clearly Bonds had done something to his stroke during batting practice and appeared determined to make history.  Pitcher Mike Bacsik was challenging Bonds, not pitching around him as many do, and will continue to do.  Give Bacsik credit, another son of a major league player (his father was a pitcher too, and played against Aaron), for standing tall and playing the game like it was meant to be played.  He gave it his  best shot three times to retire Bonds, and failed, all three times.

The celebration after the historic shot was memorable, highlighted with a video appearance by Hank Aaron, congratulating Bonds on his historic achievement, the result of “hard work, longevity and determination”, attributes with which Aaron is very familiar.  He offered to “move over” for the new

home run king and expressed his satisfaction with having held this record for 33 years, two  years longer than the great Babe Ruth held the same mark.  The final words of his message were poignant, hoping that such an achievement would serve as an inspiration for others to pursue their dreams. 

How much better could it have been?  Not much, as this is what baseball is all about. 

It is about a batter, standing 60’6” away from the pitcher on a small hill, waving a wooden bat as he awaits the ball, a small white sphere with 108 red stitches hurtling towards a 17” wide piece of rubber embedded into the ground at the feet of that batter.  It is about the pitcher, winding up and throwing this ball, to the best of his ability, towards the plate,  attempting to control its movement and speed to upset the timing of the batter at the plate. 

It is about the “determination” to do what the great Ted Williams declared to be the single most difficult feat in all of sports, to hit that baseball and merely hope that it falls in safely.  It is about getting on base, scoring runs and ultimately helping the team to win games, and hopefully a championship

It is not about witch hunts, it is not about 20 million dollar contracts or salary arbitration, it is not about work stoppages or union negotiations.  It is not about steroids, grand juries or the Mitchell investigation.  It is not about scorned girl friends or other personal travails. 

As Bonds said in his post game interview, he is not done playing yet and still awaits that championship ring.  If he is to do that in a Giants uniform, he will have to “play ball” with ownership and accede a large part of his salary so the team can surround him with an appropriate cast of players, younger more energetic players than those who play alongside him now. 

Is Bonds the greatest slugger of them all?  Is he the best baseball player ever?  Maybe or maybe not, it is not important.  But he is, by far, the best player of our era, and for one night, he looked and played the part, displaying an incredibly quick bat along with throwing the bat head at the ball, and the powerful hip thrust as he launched three balls into the night air of San Francisco, one of which left the playing field and into history.