The time frame – the late, late 1980′s.

A time when the Bay Area was home of the best baseball being played in the majors.  My favorite team at the time, the Oakland Athletics, would later become infamously renown for having some the sports biggest miscreants and most eccentric personalities ever.

But they were a fan’s dream back then.  In 1988, Jose “Blabbermouth” Canseco became baseball’s first ever 40-40 man (40 HRs and 40 SBs in the same season).  He and Mark McGwire were affectionately known as ”the Bash Brothers.”  Rickey Henderson was more than just a blur on the basepaths – he was a refined combination of speed, power, and genuine baseball instinct.

Yet, around the time that teams in Oakland and San Francisco were making headlines, the multitalented Barry Bonds was showing a glimpse of his potential in Pittsburgh.  For the first 10-12 years of his career Bonds was doing it all.  He swiped 28 or more bases in 12 of his first 13 seasons in the big leagues.  Bonds made amazing catches and throws, and covered tons of ground in the outfield.  He gradually worked himself into becoming a more patient, efficient hitter – flirting with the .300 mark for most years in the 90′s.  Bonds’ home run production had also crept into territory that would have him classified as a ‘power hitter.’

As the new millennium neared, we had all observed a natural progression of Bonds’ size and stature.  In and around ’99 and 2000, it was clear to all that Bonds was gaining mass, but, of course, the 90′s and early portions of the new decade had yet to be declared as ‘the steroid era.’ 

Reports have alleged that Bonds’ drug use coincided with the fan-captivating 1998 home run race between McGwire and Sammy Sosa – both of whom have since been outed by teammates, media and/or the government.

The Riverside native’s desire to enjoy such a moment in the spotlight can be understood, but it ended up jeopardizing his sure-fire Hall of Fame standing.  Up until 1998, here were Bonds’ statistics (12 years):

• .288 BA
• 374 HRs
• 1094 RBIs
• 418 SBs

During the first half of his career, Bonds was one of the best all-around performers in major league baseball history.

After 1998, he became the first player to ever member of the 400-400 club (400 HRs and 400 SBs).  Couple those figures with some above average play in the field, and Bonds was clearly on his way to Cooperstown.  Bonds was a complete player, who was equally dangerous in nearly every aspect of the game. 

But we know how the story ended.  Bonds’ spectacular 73-homer campaign, which came a few years after McGwire’s record-setting 1998 total, would only elevate the speculation surrounding the increased long ball numbers over the past decade.  Eventually, many baseball players startled us with connections to performance enhancing drugs – - to the point where we began to wonder which baseball players had not engaged in such activity. 

Based on this account, Bonds foray into the PEDs became obsessive and he became a different player altogether.  As a baseball fan it was saddening to witness the limitations – and decline – of Bonds’ signature well-rounded play.  Sure, for five years, Bonds was the most feared hitter in the sport…but at the expense of his other abilities?  That certainly turned out to be the case.

During the 90′s, baseball was all about the long ball.  Now that the smoke has cleared, only the true fans of the sport remain.

And we can all agree that the first Bonds was clearly the best Bonds.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author