Here’s a vote for Bonds
Maybe it’s because he was born and bred in the Bay Area and the Giants were his hometown team.
Or maybe it’s just that he’s the kind of guy who’s willing to believe in the innate good of most people.
Whatever it is, unlike the majority of the national baseball community, Spokane Indians pitching coach Keith Comstock has nothing derogatory to say about newly crowned home run king Barry Bonds.
“I think it’s a great thing for him to break that record,” said Comstock, who pitched for the Giants in 1987, back when Bonds was in his sophomore season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“Everything that people are saying, that’s still accusations and not proved,” Comstock said in an interview last week. “The only ones you can really prove (used steroids) are (Jason) Giambi, who admitted to it; (Rafael) Palmeiro, who got caught; and (Jose) Canseco, who’s admitted to it.”
In six seasons and 144 games in the majors, Comstock played for Minnesota, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle, and finished his career with a 10-7 record and a 4.06 earned run average.
Comstock recently returned to San Francisco for the 20-year reunion of the Giants’ 1987 National League Western Division Championship team, and he got to watch Bonds’ home run pursuit at AT&T Park in the San Francisco’s 8-5 defeat to the Marlins on July 29.
That night, Bonds went hunting for home run No. 755, but was unsuccessful, finishing 1 for 4 with an infield single.
From a purely business standpoint, Comstock believes that Bonds’ run toward the record has been nothing but beneficial for the Giants’ franchise.
“It’s great for the Bay Area. The fans pack that place, and I think it’s done wonders for the Giants,” Comstock said. “How can you not come to the ballpark and be happy that you’re playing in front of 50,000 to 60,000 people every night?”
Regardless of how many fans he pulls in at home, all the steroid rumors surrounding Bonds ensured that in his run to break Hank Aaron’s record, Bonds became Public Enemy No. 1 to many fans across the country from Dodger Stadium to Wrigley Field. Yet Comstock doesn’t think Bonds is any more vilified on the road than the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez is at the Red Sox’s hallowed Fenway Park.
“It comes with the territory,” Comstock said. “Barry wasn’t well-liked on the road to begin with, so it’s not anything that he’s had to adjust to.
“If you’re the star of one team, you’re gonna be the enemy of another.”
The bottom line: Comstock is hesitant to prematurely condemn Bonds because he is a strong believer in the presumption of innocence.
“When it’s all said and done, that’s when you can make your final determination,” Comstock said. “But until then, this is the United States and people are innocent until proven guilty.”
Still, regardless of whether Bonds gets to keep his title or an asterisk is eventually added next to his name in the record books, Comstock will always have the honor of saying that he has a winning record against one of the most prolific players to play the game.
“He’s 0 for 1 against me,” Comstock said. “He grounded to second base on a cutter down and away.”