Just last Saturday was the Expos Fest gathering. The gratin was there, including the great Felipe Alou.
If Alou is best known for his time with the Montreal Expos, we must not forget that he then found himself with the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. It was then that he was able to lead Barry Bonds.
And according to the former Montreal manager, Bonds deserves his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite the doping charges looming.
Yes, I believe it should be there. Before the doping charges, Bonds was already, younger, perhaps the best player in all of major league baseball. He was the best at running bases, not the best base stealer, but the smartest at running. He still stole over 500 bases. He earned eight Golden Gloves.
It is true that his 762 career long balls do not completely define the player that was Barry Bonds. The outfielder had one of the best batting eyes in baseball history and was smarter than anyone, both defensively and in other aspects of the game.
However, the stumbling block still remains the doping scandal. But according to Alou, this should not be part of the equation.
The charges came with his home runs, but I have to say that even though he hadn’t hit a home run, not a single one, he’s still the smartest runner in the sport, the best left fielder, the best hitter and the more selective at bat. That’s why I believe he should be in the Hall of Fame.
Having already passed his ten years of eligibility to enter Coopoerstown, Bonds will now have to turn to the independent committee if he wants to see his name immortalized forever.
