The Barry Bonds Chorus Grows Louder - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

OK, everyone hates Barry Bonds. We get it. Those of us who believe he did steroids, and believe he, at least in some meaningful way, tainted the game of baseball's most historic record by doing so, well, there's reason to dislike the man. Few would disagree.

What is ridiculous, however, is the fact that this man has yet to even field an offer from a team. It's not as though he's been forced to turn embarrassingly low offers down. He hasn't even been asked to play. No veteran minimums. No condition-laden half-contracts. Nothing. Which is, for lack of a better overused exclamation, utterly ridiculous. So, like David Pinto before me, I'm with Childs Walker:

I hope some club signs Barry Bonds this summer. And I hope he leads that team to the playoffs with a fusillade of walks and 450-foot homers. I don't wish for this because I have any rooting interest in Bonds. Whether he never homers again or hits 50 more, my opinion of him won't change.

No, what I'm rooting for is the unconventional, a general manager who doesn't give a hoot about disapproving scrutiny as long as Bonds can help his team win. If we're going to create entertainment markets in which we reward those who win at all costs, then by Job, I want some executive to stick his neck out and make this move.

Nuance is a beautiful thing. You can hate Barry Bonds the person all you want -- hey, if it suits you, you can hate everything Barry Bonds represents -- but, even if you hate him, you can also recognize that his signing would help almost any baseball team in the major leagues. That most GM's don't seem to recognize that, or don't have the balls to act on it, is pretty sad.