Baseball's Best, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays

The 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was a star-studded affair. The game's best players descended upon San Francisco's AT&T Park for the midsummer night classic between the American League and the National League. For the last ten years or so, the American League has owned the National League and this year's game was no different as Ichiro Suzuki hit an inside the park homerun to lead the American League to a 5-4 victory. But this year's All-Star Game was about more than the game's best players coming together. It was about celebrating one of the game's most loved players; while at the same time watching one of its most hated look like one of its best.

For twenty-four years, the Say-Hey Kid, Willie Mays manned centerfield for the San Francisco Giants as an All-Star baseball player. From his famous over the shoulder catch to his sweet baseball swing and gentle spirit, Willie Mays has long been mentioned as one of the game's best players. During the pregame, Major League Baseball took time out to honor Mays with a heartfelt tribute that included Willie Mays throwing out the first pitch and then sliding into a pink Cadillac and throwing baseballs into the stands. If there is anything that baseball does better than any other major league sport it is honoring its past.

When Willie Mays entered the major leagues, the game was four years removed from Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier for the Brooklyn Dodgers. At the time that Jackie Robinson entered the league he was already midway through the prime of his game so baseball was not able to experience the longevity and best that Jackie Robinson had to give. With Mays, baseball received an eighteen year old phenom who would transform the game retooling it as the preeminent baseball player. With great defense and a powerful offensive game, Willie Mays became the prototype for what a baseball player could be. When he retired, he left the game as one of its leaders in several statistical categories.

While Mays was becoming one of baseball's best players a friendship emerged between he and Bobby Bonds. So real was the friendship that when Bobby had his first son, he asked Willie Mays to be his son's godfather. That son is Barry Bonds.

Barry Bonds is arguably the most gifted baseball player of this generation. Sometime in July he will become the game's all-time homerun leader, passing Hank Aaron's record of 755 homeruns. When he does so, the cloud that surrounds Barry Bonds will hamper any celebration that should be had. Over the last ten years, suspicions of steroid abuse have surrounded Barry Bonds. His ties to trainers and doctors at BALCO have not helped matters. It has been alleged that Barry lied under oath and is facing a perjury investigation in the BALCO case as to whether he ever took performance enhancing drugs.

Barry Bonds has never tested positive for any steroids. In fact, the drugs that he is alleged to have taken were not on the banned drug list during the time he supposedly took them. Yet, Barry Bonds has become the poster child for steroid abuse in the modern era, above other notable players like Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. And the reason behind that has little to do with hitting a baseball. Barry Bonds' worst trait is his relationship with the media. Seen as antagonistic and unpleasant, Barry has eschewed building a good relationship with the media, favoring to keep himself isolated from them for reasons only Barry knows.

But at the All-Star Game, fans got to see a side of Barry Bonds they do not normally experience. Besides his mammoth homeruns in McCovey Cove, Barry Bonds loves his godfather, Willie Mays. And that was no more evident than during the pregame ceremonies. As Willie began his stroll from the centerfield wall to where he would throw the opening pitch, beside him, clapping, was Barry Bonds. As All-Star baseball players surrounded Willie Mays and asked for his autograph, there was Barry Bonds holding Willie Mays' hand, ensuring he never fell during his stroll. As Willie Mays got into the backseat of that pink Cadillac, there again was Barry, making sure that Willie Mays was as comfortable as he could be.

After Barry Bonds lost his dad in 2003, Willie Mays became more than just a godfather to Barry. He became his best friend and surrogate father. As the game celebrated one of its legends, along for the ride was its best. Irregardless of how you feel about Barry and whether he took steroids or not, you had to smile as you saw him with Willie Mays.

Now that the All-Star Game is over and Major League Baseball returns to its regular season, the world will begin the Barry Bonds watch. When and where will history be made as Barry Bonds passes Hammerin' Hank Aaron to become baseball's all-time leading homerun hitter. And people will have their opinions about BALCO and performance-enhancing drugs and human growth hormones but one thing will be undeniable, along Barry's side when he breaks the record will be the Say Hey Kid himself, Willie Mays.

And if Barry is good enough for Willie, shouldn't he be good enough for us?