Unanimous...

Bonds Boo Birds' Major League Hall of Fame voters Icing out one of the greatest players of a generation.

Congratulations to the first ever first ballot unanimous entry to Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, Mariano Rivera. I am not sure what's more surprising- Rivera being the first unanimous vote? Or the voters continuing for the 7^th time denying entry to one the greatest baseball sluggers in a generation? It's my humble opinion that baseball beat writers and sports writers holding the 'Golden Ticket' of entry have become perversely subjective, short-sited, and hypocritical regarding Barry Bonds. The collective needs to sit down, and be humble.

If you would like to take the 'high road' argument, about cheaters inducted in to the Hall of Fame? I truly hate to disappoint you. Cheaters and poor characters have been inducted going back to the yester-years of Ty Cobb and every year of segregated baseball. Some of the greatest baseball players never had an opportunity to play on a National stage to prove their valor, based on fear of dominance. There were players that used amphetamines and other products in earlier years to gain any advantage possible for an edge over their competition. The more outlying question should be exactly when regulation of banned substances initiated, and when exactly regulation began in Major League baseball of listed banned substances. Major League Baseball placed a banned substance policy in 1985. This policy was never strictly enforced. Even with updated supposed regulation and policy in 2002, Bud Selig and the remainder of owners in Major League Baseball failed to actively regulate banned substances taking advantage of a spike of popularity following a detrimental player strike in 1994. Only after the Mitchell Report was published in 2007, and retirement of Bud Selig, was there a followed regulation policy that was enforced in Major League Baseball.

I find it difficult to punish a generation of particular deserving players, where the commissioner whom looked the other way was inducted in to the same Hall of Fame. The other hypocritical factor regarding this freeze out of two most dominant players (Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens) is there are inferior contributors playing at the same time that were conveniently voted in to the exclusive Hall of Fame. There is no way Mike Piazza and Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez have numbers and production minutely close to the performance of Barry Bonds.

Another factor hardly taken in to consideration is the ambiguous accusation of what are PEDs and were PEDs used by these players even banned under the collective bargaining agreement during their playing career. Time and time again, you hear the term, 'steroids' as the banned substance. So, many players named in the Mitchell Report, have openly admitted to 'Andro' or 'Steroid' use, and others ultimately ended up testing positive of such 'Steroid' and 'Andro' subsances (i.e. Pudge Rodriguez, and Mike Piazza). During the full career of Barry Bonds, never has he admitted or tested positive regarding any banned substance. Bonds may have used some type of PED to assist him in recovery, to maintain consistency and performance, but it wasn't a substance that was particularly banned during his career. Majority of population become short-sited regarding definition of performance supplements. Steroids is an antiquated and poor choice. Steroids ultimately a destructive substance that will ultimately induce breakdown and aggressive side-affects for any athlete using it. Barry Bonds never displayed those side-affects.

There were memoirs written and reports that came out advising of an epidemic taking over the pristine green grassed diamonds perfectly pruned across the nation. It became apparent, practically every athlete competing for a spot on a major league team took advantage of an unregulated policy. The outlying question should be, if PEDs were such an 'advantage', why weren't there more breakout performances? Why weren't there more athletes having year in and year out career numbers? The reason you won't find year-in-and-out performances throughout major league baseball, would be they did not posses other abilities required to succeed in a diverse demanding sport.

Barry Bonds was playing above his competition at a time where majority were taking banned substance, according to laid out (yet loosely regulated) rules of Major League Baseball. Barry Bonds persevered, and usurped upon his competition. Steroids (which I am 100% sure he did not use) does not give any advantage over a player with natural ability to spot a ball coming out of a pitcher's hand, or his instinctual swing...Not that I am condoning the use of performance enhancing products, I just cannot deny the fact: Barry Bonds, hands down outplayed everyone in the Major League... You cannot put an asterisk on a player that has flat-out dominated his peers, and most likely was ahead of the competition regarding choice of performance supplements not banned in sports.

Barry has learned and was taught by the best-of-the-best in baseball history! His godfather is Willie Mays... America- Wake Up!!! He grew up among the greatest players known in baseball- 'Stretch' Mccovey, Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays... Let alone, Bonds learned from all the pitchers surrounding the greatest hitters. Maybe the only unfair advantage he did have, was his father, who knew everything you could know about predicting pitches from pitchers, based on the count and base runners... Bonds' father taught his son about strategy, and used that to his advantage... Imagine... having a mental edge, and knowledge what a pitcher is going to throw, based on, knowing his game?! Maybe that is why he was able to hit home runs off of over 400+ different pitchers...

You say he's arrogant? You say he isn't nice?! He's a 'Richard Cranium'?! How do you know ? I don't know him... you don't know him... Players aren't paid to be 'nice'. I never expected a player I admire to be my hero, or be my friend. Barry Bonds has been paid to perform and be the ultimate of sports entertainers... He has definitely fulfilled more than my moneys' worth! Bonds is legend of my generation. Bonds is an anomaly, a talent we should embrace. Barry Bonds by far has been one of the rare gifts to baseball.

All of the whiners, sit down... Shut up! Tip your hats to a phenomenon that's given some of the most historic highlights in baseball history!