Minutes to Memories

Well, he tied the record without me last night. I wasn't watching when Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron for the most revered record in baseball, the all-time home run king.

I read the reports this morning, and the article noted the irony that he hit it off a pitcher who had formerly been suspended for violating the minor league steroid policy.

My feelings have been mixed. The evidence declaring Bonds guilty of cheating is overwhelming, though not officially confirmed. Still, taking a drug doesn't help one hit a baseball like Bonds has hit baseballs - if it did, lots of folks would have put up numbers like his.

So, I pause today to recognize a monumental achievement by a baseball player even more polarizing than Pete Rose. What he has accomplished is flat out amazing, though the consequences of his actions along the way won't allow him to truly enjoy it.

There's a lesson in there somewhere for all of us.