Barry Bonds Hits #756, But What Does The Future Hold?

The journey began with Craig McMurtry of the Atlanta Braves and ended with Mike Bacsik of the Washington Nationals. I wasn't totally interested in this game, of course. I flipped between the game and playing Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube. But on Bonds's third at-bat of the day, on a full count, he launched one into the seats and everyone knew it immediately, even me.

I raised my arms with Barry and screamed "He did it! He did it! He did it!", and I watched as Barry rounded the bases with appreciation of history swelling within me. Although, as a Braves fan, it was bittersweet, since the record of Hank Aaron's was eclipsed. It's unlikely that a Brave will ever have that significant a record again.

The first things that went through my mind was how different Bonds's reaction and Hank's reaction were. Bonds stood at the plate for several seconds and just raised his arms in the air. Sure, he knew he got it, but what if he hadn't? That would have been very embarrassing.

The ending was a bit jarring too. Bonds's son Nikolai came out to hug him, and it seemed like Bonds held his pointing skyward poise a bit too long before he hugged his son. I bet that's just a caught-up-in-the-moment thing, though.

I appreciated Hank Aaron's congratulatory message. With all the controversy surronding Bonds, Hank's message seemed sarcastic when he said it takes "determination, skill, and longevity" to hit that many home runs. But being sarcastic isn't Hank's style. I'm sure he truly meant it.

I also felt good for his family, and I felt good for Willie Mays. I even wished that Bobby Bonds could have seen it.

But then, as expected, all the controversy entered my thoughts and began to stew around. What would happen if more was revealed about Bonds' alledged PED use besides the leaked grand-jury testimony? What if something actually comes out of the Mitchell investigation? What if baseball decided to penalize him with an asterisk? What if Bonds is indicted for perjury? But all those things are other chapters in the tale of Barry Bonds, and they will be written quite soon for history to judge.

Congratuations, Barry Bonds on breaking the most-hallowed record in baseball history and I hope you're ready for a warm and fuzzy welcome when the Giants come to Atlanta.

Braves win in final Spring Tune-up (re-posted because it was accidently deleted)

Braves Win In Final Spring Tune-Up

Ryan Langerhans drove in three runs, including two with a home run, as the Braves won their final spring game before going up to Philadelphia, beating the White Sox 4-2.

W - Mark Redman (1-1)
L - Javier Vazquez (0-4)
S - Bob Wickman (1)
HR - Ryan Langerhans (2)

Three Stars
LF Ryan Langerhans - 1-2, HR, R, 3 RBI
2B Kelly Johnson - 1-2, RBI, BB, SB
RF Jermaine Dye - 2-2, RBI

Final Spring Stats

Now we wait for the Braves to start in Philadelphia!! :D