Hank Aaron's statement this week, reaffirming his previous decision to skip Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run, was odd. According to the AP report, when asked why Aaron said, "I traveled for 23 years, and I just get tired of traveling. I'm not going to fly to go see somebody hit a home run, no matter whether it is Barry or Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig or whoever it may be. I'm not going any place. I wish him all the luck in the world."
Aaron has always struck me as a man of honor and integrity, which is exactly why I think he is being dishonest in this instance. I think he is very troubled by Bonds' assault on his record, and I think he believes that Major League Baseball should consider action to "stigmatize" the record (a la the asterisk next to "61" that Roger Maris had to endure for years), because of the likelihood (or certainty, depending on your point of view) that Bonds would not have gotten close to 755 without the use of steroids.
No, I don't have the ability to read Aaron's mind, and yes, I could be wrong. But I just can't believe that a man as thoughtful as Aaron would come up with such a lame excuse, unless his true motive was to avoid having to say what he was really feeling.
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