Bonds: I acted like a 'dumbass' during playing days
by Dan Toman Jun 01, 4:57 PM
Rob Tringali / SportsChrome / Getty
Barry Bonds, baseball's polarizing home run king and current Miami Marlins hitting coach, is expressing regret over the "stupid" attitude he displayed during his decorated and controversial 22-year playing career.
In a revealing interview published Wednesday, Bonds took responsibility for the image he portrayed in the media and clubhouses alike, a persona he says was triggered by big expectations at a young age.
"It's on me. I'm to blame for the way I was (portrayed), because I was a dumbass. I was straight stupid, and I'll be the first to admit it," Bonds told Terence Moore of Sports on Earth last week in Atlanta. "I mean, I was just flat-out dumb. What can I say? I'm not going to try to justify the way I acted toward people. I was stupid. It wasn't an image that I invented on purpose. ... No one wants to be treated like that, because I was considered to be a terrible person. You'd have to be insane to want to be treated like that. That makes no sense."
Bonds, who joined Don Mattingly's staff this season after nearly 10 years removed from the game, claimed he was "too young to handle" the pressure placed upon him during his early 20s as he emerged as a star for the underachieving Pittsburgh Pirates. As the expectations escalated, he said, so did his attitude.
"Hell, I kick myself now, because I'm getting great press (since being more cooperative), and I could have had a trillion more endorsements, but that wasn't my driving force."
Despite his MLB-leading 762 homers and unprecedented seven MVP awards, Bonds has fallen short four times of the 75 percent support required for election into the Hall of Fame, in part because of his alleged PED use but also due to his relationship with the media.
"There were times during my career when I really did try, but I wasn't given the benefit of the doubt, because I had already created the monster."
http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1036861
by Dan Toman Jun 01, 4:57 PM
Rob Tringali / SportsChrome / Getty
Barry Bonds, baseball's polarizing home run king and current Miami Marlins hitting coach, is expressing regret over the "stupid" attitude he displayed during his decorated and controversial 22-year playing career.
In a revealing interview published Wednesday, Bonds took responsibility for the image he portrayed in the media and clubhouses alike, a persona he says was triggered by big expectations at a young age.
"It's on me. I'm to blame for the way I was (portrayed), because I was a dumbass. I was straight stupid, and I'll be the first to admit it," Bonds told Terence Moore of Sports on Earth last week in Atlanta. "I mean, I was just flat-out dumb. What can I say? I'm not going to try to justify the way I acted toward people. I was stupid. It wasn't an image that I invented on purpose. ... No one wants to be treated like that, because I was considered to be a terrible person. You'd have to be insane to want to be treated like that. That makes no sense."
Bonds, who joined Don Mattingly's staff this season after nearly 10 years removed from the game, claimed he was "too young to handle" the pressure placed upon him during his early 20s as he emerged as a star for the underachieving Pittsburgh Pirates. As the expectations escalated, he said, so did his attitude.
"Hell, I kick myself now, because I'm getting great press (since being more cooperative), and I could have had a trillion more endorsements, but that wasn't my driving force."
Despite his MLB-leading 762 homers and unprecedented seven MVP awards, Bonds has fallen short four times of the 75 percent support required for election into the Hall of Fame, in part because of his alleged PED use but also due to his relationship with the media.
"There were times during my career when I really did try, but I wasn't given the benefit of the doubt, because I had already created the monster."
http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1036861
