Thanks To Hank Aaron, I Voted For Barry Bonds

OK, I finally did it.

After I held my breath several days ago before I counted to 10, I maneuvered my right hand over my Baseball Hall of Fame ballot as a voter for more than 30 years, and then I checked the box next to Barry Bonds.

I can’t believe I said that.

I can’t believe I did that, especially since I never thought about doing such a thing during the other nine times Bonds and his performance-enhancing drugs reputation appeared on the ballot.

You can blame my graciousness toward Bonds facing his 10th and final attempt to reach Cooperstown through voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Hank Aaron, the eternally benevolent soul for 86 years on earth and baseball’s greatest player ever.

Aaron died exactly a year ago this past Saturday, and I knew Hank well. In fact, courtesy of our nearly 40 years worth of conversations about everything, I knew Hank better than any journalist in history. It’s all reflected in my upcoming book that is set for publication on May 17 called “The Real Hank Aaron: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of the Home Run King.”

Aaron had a bunch of issues with Bonds, owner of a record 762 lifetime home runs to surpass Aaron’s previous mark of 755, but baseball’s legitimate all-time slugger still thought Bonds deserved a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

You know, for the most part.

So . . . I voted for Barry Lamar Bonds.

That’s for you, Henry Louis Aaron.

Not only that, but with the owners and the players bickering during a Major League Baseball lockout over how to split revenues in a sport that made a record $10.7 billion in 2019 prior to the pandemic, I’m recalling the words of Rodney King during the spring of 1992. That’s when Bonds was skinnier and “755” was untouchable forever, and King said, “Can we all get along?”

Can we all give Bonds somewhat of a break since he keeps saying he didn’t know there were steroids in the cream he used to rub over his body?

I understand if you said no.

Been there. Done that.

Still, let’s move to my other picks, and they have flaws over their own. Even though we’re allowed as Baseball Hall of Fame voters to make up to 10 choices every year on our ballot, I checked only four of the other 29 boxes this time around.

Helton was an all-everything first baseman for the Colorado Rockies, with three Gold Gloves to complement 369 homers and a .316 lifetime batting average. He also won a batting title, and he had four Silver Slugger awards.

But here’s the but with Helton: He did all of that in the friendly thin air of Coors Field, where pitchers go to die. But here’s the but to that but: Helton hit a respectable .287 on the road throughout his career, and he finished with nearly as many hits away from Denver (1,125) as he did within its city limits (1,394).

I’m not a fan of designated hitters. Even so, wow. This goes beyond Ortiz’s overwhelming resume that features 541 homers, a .286 career batting average, 10 trips to the All-Star Game and seven Silver Slugger Awards. He was the epitome of clutch, which is why he owns three World Series rings, and he provided moments for the ages along the way to each of them.

But here’s the but with Ortiz: He allegedly tested positive in 2003 for steroids. But here’s the but to that but: Somebody named Rob Manfred said it was unfair for people to tarnish Ortiz’s career since Manfred said Ortiz could have been one of the 10 false positives back then.

Who’s Manfred?

The Baseball commissioner.

Rolen won eight Gold Gloves as a third baseman, and he was a seven-time All-Star after he grabbed National League Rookie of the Year honors. He also helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2006 world championship.

But here’s the but with Rolen: He managed just 316 homers, and his career batting average was .281, not exactly the stuff of Willie Mays.

But here’s the but to that but: Mays was an outfielder. Third basemen barely reach Cooperstown, and one of the ones who did was Ron Santo, the Chicago Cubs legend, with slightly more homers (342) than Rolen, but with three fewer Gold Gloves, four lower points on his lifetime batting average and zero World Series rings.

Have you seen Sheffield’s numbers? They have Cooperstown written all over them, and you can start with this: He finished eight of his 22 Major League seasons with 30 or more homers and 100 or more RBIs. He ripped 509 homers with a .292 career batting average, and he was a batting champion and a world champion.

But here’s the but with Sheffield: Once, when he worked out with Bonds during an offseason, he used some of Bonds’ cream filled with steroids. But here’s the but to that but: Sheffield quickly confessed. Then he quickly said he hadn’t a clue about the steroid thing, and then he quickly ended his relationship with Bonds over the whole controversy.

I know what you’re saying: I’ll give you Sheffield, but, um. Since you voted for Bonds, among the best hitters ever, why didn’t you vote for Roger Clemens, among the best pitchers ever?

I also know Bonds and Clemens were considered a package deal when it came to voting (or not voting) for so-called steroid guys.

Hank and I never discussed Clemens.