Pujols' big year overshadowed by Bonds' crass act

It was a typically irrational and insincere bit of posturing by the most reviled athlete in professional sports. First of all, why would Bonds expect the dozens of media who had been following his every move to pull up stakes after he had merely tied Ruth for second place on baseball’s all-time home run list?

Those poor saps were doomed to stalk Bonds until he finally hit No. 715, putting him ahead of Ruth and within 40 homers of Henry Aaron’s record. I felt sorry for those guys – and even sorrier for Bonds’ irritated San Francisco teammates, who were reduced to calling phony team meetings to clear their cluttered clubhouse of the reporting masses.

Most of all, though, I feel sorry for Pujols, a classy, gifted hitter who had the misfortune of staging one of the most remarkable starts in baseball history at the same time when Bonds was mounting his protracted and joyless assault on the Babe.

Heading into today’s games, Pujols had 23 home runs and 58 RBIs in 49 games this season. That put him on pace to hit 76 homers and shatter Bonds’ single-season record of 73. Pujols was also on pace for 192 RBIs, which would also break Hack Wilson’s major-league record of 191 ribbies.

The baseball world should be celebrating Pujols’ amazing start and reveling at the prospect of Pujols making a run at the home run and RBI records. Instead, the Cardinals first baseman must perform his feats in the lingering shadow of suspicion cast by Bonds and the generation of big-leaguers who cheated to gain an edge while baseball turned a blind eye.

Thanks to Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and their legion of juicers, we can’t fully enjoy the power-hitting exploits of any slugger. Every feat becomes suspect, every achievement accompanied by whispers, skepticism and doubt. No one is immune – not Pujols, not Jim Thome or Adam Dunn, no one.

Pujols has done the gracious thing. He has criticized the media for hounding Bonds and bringing up the steroid question at every opportunity. Pujols has little choice. He’s a player, a member of the club, and with a few exceptions (David Wells, most notably), the players have learned to keep their feelings to themselves.

But Pujols shouldn’t have to apologize for Bonds. Bonds and the other cheaters should be apologizing to Pujols, for creating a climate of rampant suspicion and making it necessary for Pujols to defend himself against the inevitable rumors of steroid use.

It’s too bad we can’t simply sit back and appreciate Pujols for what he is – the best young hitter of his generation. Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t believe Pujols is on steroids. I think he’s legitimate, a great pure hitter who is developing into the most feared power hitter in the sport.

Pujols doesn’t have the classic signs of steroid use. His body is squat and powerful, but he comes by his power naturally, as a product of his amazing hands and flawless, right-handed swing.

There are skeptics who believe Pujols is actually older than 26. He has to deal not only with the steroid issue, but the suspicion that many Dominican players lie about their real ages. Really, who cares if he’s a year or two older? This isn’t Little League. Whatever his age, he is having his power surge in his early prime, unlike Bonds and McGwire, whose bodies and power numbers made freakish changes late in their careers.

There’s been a stunning consistency to Pujols’ early career. He has hit over .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of his first five seasons. His walk totals have increased with each season. He is a tireless student of hitting. He goes to the video room after his at-bats to review his swing and look for flaws. He has also become an excellent first baseman.

Pujols has become a great hitter and a terrific player, although he could never be the astounding all-around talent that Bonds was in his prime. That’s the sad thing about all this. Bonds never needed to use steroids and become a longball freak to ensure his legacy. If he had never hit 50 homers, he would have been remembered by baseball historians as one of the greatest players of all time.

Bonds’ story is largely one of excessive ego and pride. He felt he didn’t receive the adoration that McGwire and Sosa did during their home run chase in 1998. There’s truth to that. He’s right about another thing. We should ignore Bonds and pay attention to Albert Pujols, who actually deserves it.

Believe me, Barry, I’m already there.