If anyone was going to have a funny, contrarian take on the Barry Bonds scandal, it was going to be Jerry Stahl. Jerry’s an amazing writer who’s written everything from episodes of Alf to the cult novels I, Fatty and Plainclothes Naked. (His new book is Love Without, a collection of short stories, two of which originally appeared in Playboy). Jerry’s also the guy who years ago turned into his own drug habit into the bestselling book Permanent Midnight, which remains one of the most gripping (and honest) reads about one man’s descent into heroin addiction. Even the movie version was pretty good, showing a different side of Ben Stiller who played Jerry with remarkable accuracy.
Here’s what Jerry had to say about Barry in The Huffington Post: "Poor Barry Bonds. He just doesn't get it. The reason America doesn't love him is not that he did drugs—it's that he did the wrong ones. I mean, Keith Richards has spent more on his right arm than George Bush spends on children's health care, and what does he get? Forty years of subsidized debauchery and $7.3 million from Little, Brown to write his memoir. ... Bonds, that degenerate, actually accomplished something on drugs. And we all know narcotics and ambition are a lethal mix. Just look what happened to Keith.”
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Comments on this entry:
Sour grapes Jerry,
Keef is an Olympian, eclipsing Bonds in iconic status, loved because his music is everywhere, for free with no season pass required. Loved and revered from the black woman who straightens hair in Richmond California to the Hank Williams Jr fan who owns the Amarillo Dominoes Pizza franchise to the Finnish hippie who teaches pre-school to the 14 year old Japanese girl who just got the Dutch pressing of "Love You Live." Keith is the Johnny Depp blockbuster template Devil to Macca's Christlike Starbuck green tea latte soothsayer.
I mean Madonna only looks marginally younger than Mr.Richards due to an enduring and pointless exercise addiction. I'm sure more money went into her facial wasting habits and ropey arms than ever went into Riffhard's stash box or limbs yet no one has the guts to point this out or dare ask who's had more fun?
No contest.
I'm from SF and was growing up as Barry was emerging as the Siddhartha of baseball.
He has so much to be proud of and everyone knows he was on a fitness regimen (sans facial wasting)
that transformed his body and that he escapes milli vanilli status by simply knowing he deserves it.
Will he ever be an blazing and raging icon like the Yankee Clipper or Keef Riffhard?
That remains to be seen but he seems to not care about redemption and that ultimately redeems him.
I've heard Bob Costas go on and on about the increased productivity of Bonds from age 38 to the present as if drugs are the cause of the effect, but what is left out of the equation is the diluting of pitching that was caused by the last two expansion teams. Most of those home runs were hit off of pitchers that before would have been at aaa or aa level instead of "The Show." All things concidered he should be exalted instead of vilified.
"Most of those home runs were hit off of pitchers that before would have
been at aaa or aa level instead of 'The Show.'"
1. This is patently false
2. Guys don't get BETTER at 40, llike Bonds has. Stop making excuses.
3. His hat size and shoe size have skyrocketed. Explain that.