Back In The Saddle Again

Wednesday August 8th 11:25 PM

....Now where was I?

Received a couple of humorous text messages on my cellphone recently.....at 3:23 this afternoon:

"I liked Picard better"
From: pj

And from Aug 3 @ 5:44 PM:

"This is Oliver from The Stills. I'm so sorry to bother you but I'm so fucking pissed about the Brisebois signing I just had to tell you! Have a nice weekend!"

Oliver (Crowe) is actually Olivier Corbeil, bass player for the popular Montreal rock group. And that's how I found out that Brisebois was back. Oh, the angst. More on this later in the week. But I'll say this. I'd rather have Brisebois than Luke Richardson (Richardson just signed a similar deal with Ottawa).

http://www.myspace.com/thestills

Where's Bud? (composed 1:30 AM AUG 8)

watchin' Bonds on tv
waiting on the hit
playin' the old expos
do you believe that shit?
without a homer
the game's a dud
but I keep thinking
where's Bud?

the pitcher's name is Bacsik
an ordinary lefty
Hey-there's Tony Batista!
(looking a little hefty)
and Brian Schneider, like Wilkerson in Texas
how their careers went thud!
they're all there in 'Frisco but
where's Bud?

thousands of flashbulbs on every pitch
lighting up the park
watch him go 2 for 2
not a bad way to start
Kuiper and Krukow upstairs keeping it real
(I suddenly find myself thinking of Todd Zeile)
steroids make it unreal?
who am I to judge
the only question I really have is
where's Bud?

Into the 5th; third time up
25 is on every pitch
locked-in, looking good
he's really going to do it
(the son of a bitch)
seven pitches in, the ball strikes
Sam Holman's wood
Deep to right center
and there Barry stood
alone

40 years later it's another love-in
in San Fransisco
but now there's no reason to go
unless you'd like to visit F.P. Santangelo
a New York kid gets the ball
kind of fitting, with Willie in the hall
755 shows some class
a lot more than barry who spent his career
asking everybody to kiss his ass
and suck his
blood
but where's Bud?

let the debate begin
hall of fame? No question he's in
asterisk? Leave alone his next of kin
Barry didn't start this fight
he just took it to a different height
looking for a villian
who's wrong and who's right?
look no further than the man who led the sport
dragging it through the mud
Look! There's Bud

Among many e-mails received today (from our New York producer Stu Hackel)

Welcome back.

I am not among those confused about Bonds, of course. As a Giants fan, I've cheered this guy for 15 years, like all the iconoclasts in San Francisco (which is the entire city, most likely). I may not like his standoffish attitude toward the media or the fact he did steroids, but so did so many others. Brunt alluded to this, that so many people were complicit in Bonds taking supplements, but I think of it in even stronger terms. I think Baseball forced Bonds (and others) to take this stuff by turning a blind eye to it in the quest for home runs, the weapon the sport used to win fans back and revive their business after the mid-90s strike. This is the era in which Bonds played and, not only does Bud Selig have no moral high ground to be critical of Bonds, but no one does. Bonds doesn't do himself any favors by being curt and disparaging of the media, of course, but the media has ganged up on him. He's an easy target and I find the media's treatment of him the same as most of the US media accords hockey, jumping on every little wrinkle and gaffe as proof the NHL is not a major league sport, when in fact, they don't understand the game and have no desire to broaden their shallow understanding of it.

And you know something? I think the MLB players by in large have supported and cheered Bonds on. They understand the magnitude of his accomplishment, they understand the era in which he lived, they know he is probably the greatest hitter and one of the greatest players who ever lived. You don't see a gigantic outcry from the players to condemn him for cheating. The few who have (I think Schilling was one) have gotten headlines, but I sense most of the players are happy for him.

Personally, this guy won a bunch of games for the team I cheer for, a seven time MVP, and -- just like a hated visiting irritating hockey player, a Chelios, a John Ferguson, maybe every sandpaper guy except Claude Lemieux -- every baseball fan would be happy to have had Barry Bonds to have him on their team, wearing their uniform and winning games for them. Given who he is and the way he carries himself, he is fated to be hated in every city he plays in except his home team and their fans..

Stu

A more nastier e-mail was sent by a Montreal wrestler who goes by the name "Green Phantom". Apparently Mr. Greenie took exception to my recent posting of an old Phil Mushnick column about steroids in wrestling.
This ugly guy (must be ugly since he hides behind a mask) says I should "watch my back everday between 3 and 7".
Oooh, I'm scared. At least I know where to bite him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDC08_issBc