Michael Jordan chronically cheated on his wife, and he was worshiped by an entire nation. Joe Namath rocked a mink coat while on the sideline during a game, and he was the toast of the town. Barry Bonds may be the greatest baseball player of all time, and we hate him.

Bonds doesn’t need steroids to be great, he doesn’t even need a normal player’s amount of at bats to stay in the Hank Aaron home run chase; he needs to shut up.

Bonds has always been a media enigma; one day he cooperates and boasts his accolades from atop a mountain. The next day he is annoyed and refuses to talk, and then he is on television talking about how Congress should stop with their steroid witch hunt and start worrying about the issues.

Mr. Bonds, this is the most despicable thing I have heard out of your mouth. First, I listened to your self proclamation as the best player of all time; I ignored it because of the way you hit. Second, I heard you bash the baseball loving public by saying they are historically racist and only hold players like Ruth and Mantle in high esteem, because they are white; I ignored it and chalked it up to your ignorance. Here was the straw that broke my pasttime-loving back.

You went on national television and tried to distract people from your steroid allegations by pinning blame on them for Iraq and Katrina. It’s your bat-speed and uncanny hitter’s eye that makes you who you are, but it’s your mongoloid comments that make you the most hated person in sports.

You claim that Congress should stop worrying about steroids and start worrying about the decisions it makes that effect loss of life. What you don’t understand is that by using these tragedies as scapegoats for attention, you are belittling the horrors that have occurred. That is why you crossed over from cocky athlete to public figure of disgust and loathing. I hope the public gets a chance to see your statements and can see what you are doing. Congress isn’t even conducting the steroid search, Mr. Bonds, it’s the FCC caring about the safety of teenagers wanting to hit the ball out of the park.

Bonds has never been liked by his teammates; he is cocky and treats people from the standpoint of an athletic demi-god.

My first baseball game was at Shea Stadium and the Mets were playing the Pirates. I was sitting in left field just feet from Bonds, and even a younger, less accomplished Bonds had an aura I wouldn’t soon forget. For a long time, people took a turn-the-other shoulder approach but it’s now impossible.

Fans sent death threats to Cal Ripken Jr. before he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak. Fans sent death threats to Roger Maris for competing with Mantle in the quest to break Ruth’s single season home run record, and currently, we have the most selfish player in sports outdoing the likes of Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez will be counted on to one day erase Barry Bonds from the top of the home run list.

America loves to look up to the greats. Jordan’s faults were quickly forgotten. Namath became famous for his charm, but there will be no excuses for Bonds. He is robbing the baseball nation of its most historic record, and there will always be an asterisk next to his name; not to signify a steroid user, but so that fans of the future realize this is not a hero, but a coward.

Ian Gold is a senior in Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].