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March 13, 2006
Barry Bonds’ Cheating Reputation
PHOTO: Barry Bonds' Lying Ways
“Doctors ought to quit worrying about what ballplayers are taking. What players take doesn't matter. It's nobody else's business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer. It takes more than muscles to hit homers. If all those guys were using stuff, how come they're not all hitting homers?”
Comments from Barry Bonds in 2002 regarding his alleged use of steroids.
According to USA Today’s Jon Saraceno, Hank Aaron doesn't want to talk about it, at least not for public consumption. Neither does Frank Robinson, another Hall of Famer whose opinion matters.
"Not going there," Robby told us the other day.
Baseball fans, however, aren't nearly as reluctant to discuss how they feel about Barry Bonds' assault on the record books, given the latest allegations that he was a pill-gulping, syringe-sticking, steroidal cream-smearing doper who was jealous of the accolades given in 1998 after Mark McGwire smashed 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa 66.
Spring training normally is filled with fans talking about the new second baseman or whether the bullpen will hold up. This is not a normal spring for baseball, nor was it last year after Jose Canseco's book. A whiff of something else remains in the air — the scent of scandal. It is the lingering issue of what steroids has done to the game's cherished record book and what baseball intends to do about Bonds and his pending historical achievements, if anything.
"It absolutely makes me angry. In my heart of hearts, I feel Barry cheated," said Jeff Smith, a Braves fan from St. Cloud, Fla., who grew up in Atlanta watching Aaron use those incredible wrists to drill line-drive home runs. "I'm not anti-Barry Bonds — I'm pro-Hank Aaron. It must be a tough thing for someone who is as soft-spoken as Hank. He learned to hit baseballs by hitting bottle caps with broomsticks. He never was given anything. He worked for every ounce of that record.
"I sure don't want to see it broken. It's a major taint on the game."
Fans, like team owners, genuinely might not care if players ingest anything and everything — booze, uppers, downers, "juice" — but they do care about statistics. His late-career power surge has left Bonds pounding on the door of baseball immortality as he chases Aaron's career record of 755 home runs. Third all-time, Bonds' 708 total puts him seven behind Babe Ruth and 48 shy of shattering Aaron's standard.
"It cheapens the whole thing," said Jerry Hubbell of Crystal River, Fla. "It means records are no longer going to be worth anything. They are useless."
PHOTO: Steroids and Baseball's Reputation
"There should be an asterisk if his name is in the record books," said Mark Kolb of Port Orange, Fla. "He definitely had an advantage, I guess you could say, with chemical engineering that Hank didn't have."
The fans' consternation is understandable. Still, Bonds has his defenders (including Stanley Burrell, aka MC Hammer. He advised the player on his website that he is too legit to quit because of critics. "Don't let the bloodhounds shake you," Hammer said.)
Bonds has his apologists, but I couldn't find any during a Braves exhibition game.
Unscientific as my "polling" was, everyone I spoke with is disgusted with what he or she thinks is a charade. Not only by Bonds, but by the commissioner's office. They want Bud Selig to do something about the long shadow cast upon the integrity of statistics that serve as the game's lifeblood.
"I don't know what the MLB can do, but I know what I would do," said J.R. Kelly of Panama City, Fla. "First, you investigate. If (proven) he used steroids, I'd strip him (of any records). I don't think they should have a record under false pretenses. Babe Ruth didn't use steroids. ... Beer, maybe, but not steroids."
If Bonds is guilty of undermining the spirit of the game, would a simple mea culpa have sufficed? James White of Atlanta believes so.
"You can only pull the wool over the eyes of the American public so often," he said. "A guy like (Jason) Giambi got up and said, 'I did it' (before a grand jury). Now they're cheering him. It was a wake-up call. I can accept a guy who says, 'I tried something; I was wrong.' If Barry is a man of his word, he's going to have to step up to the plate one day" and admit if he used steroids.
Whether you believe what you read or your own eyes when looking at Bonds' physique, one thing cannot be debated: his numbers.
PHOTO: Barry Bonds' Cheating Reputation
Since he was 35, Bonds has whacked nearly 300 home runs, an unprecedented total. When he was 31, he hit 33 in 506 at-bats. When he was 39, he connected for 45 round-trippers in 390 at-bats.
Freak season? Or steroid-freak season? Best player ever ... or unrepentant cheater?
"He's a pansy," said Phil Stimmel, 12, a Little Leaguer from Orlando. "He's just showing off because he wants more money and fame. I like to watch what players can really do — not what drugs can do for them."
Bright kid, that Phil.
A few reputation management tips from the Reputation Doctor regarding Barry Bonds:
• To lie this long, you must convince yourself your truth is the truth.
I believe Barry Bonds made a pact with the devil. I believe he convinced himself that his truth (or lie) is the truth. When he decided to take steroids, he convinced himself that he would never tell the truth to anyone, not even himself. His greatest fear has been getting caught and Barry is now caught in his on web of lies.
• Bonds can still do the right thing, but it will take real courage to do so.
To tell the truth after lying this long takes real courage. It takes a real man. It also takes faith in something greater than himself. Does Barry have it in him to do the right thing? If he really loves his family, he will.
• Barry can turn a huge negative into a positive by leaning on the truth for the first time in a long time.
Making such a decision is not head work, but heart work. Barry Bonds has a heart of stone that needs to be softened. He has convinced himself he is invincible. He is not. He is at a huge fork in the road. I truly believe to change his behavior he must lean on God to get his life back on track. Faith in God is one of the greatest tools in building a reputation. After all, who do you think created truth, honesty, accountability, transparency and excellent reputations in the first place? I talk to my clients often about their faith because faith soften hearts and faith should come first is all of our lives. Once hearts are softened, behaviors can change and changing behavior is what reputation management is all about.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
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