Leave Barry alone

Unfortunately, it happens to all of us... We all lose our parents and we all have to deal with that differently.

Over the weekend, Barry Bonds Jr., the game's greatest player lost his father at the tender age of 57. In this age of medical miracles, somehow, medicine failed the Bond's family.

I was saddened to see numerous articles written about Bonds. Yes, he was a great player. Yes, it is sad that he passed away. What I cannot understand is why columnists have made a point to write elaborate articles about his son, Barry, and his team, the Giants.

What is next? Will Jim Gray pull another debacle out of his hat and ask Barry to tell us how he feels about his father's passing in an exclusive interview during the post season?

To any would be reporters and fans out there that are tempted to ask Barry about his dad, I would ask you to remember back to a time when you lost someone you loved.

I'll bet everything I own that you remember the exact time and day when you discovered that someone you loved had died, and I am also willing to bet you still remember how it changed your life forever.

Instead of asking Barry to talk about what he should not have to share, why not leave him alone so he can be a man and deal with a devastating loss in his own way.

There are hundreds, even thousands, of writers out there covering baseball and hungry for news. However, this is not news. This is a private family matter and should be treated as such.

Every man remembers when they lose their father. It is the day that the little boy inside of them dies. Even at the age of 40, when in the presence of our father, we somehow have a timeless link to our childhood when were happiest. We never stop looking up to our dad. We never stop asking them for advice.

It is true that over his career Bonds has not been open to reporters, and I would not blame him for never speaking to a reporter again if they betray him over the passing of his father.

I hope to heaven on high that no reporter has the nerve to delve into a place he has no business delving, and that is into Bonds' private life. We all have common bonds with our parents and we all lose something when they die. How Barry deals with this unfortunate turn of events is nobody's business but his.

Sadly I fear that upon his return to the Giants in the coming days, every time you turn on a Giants' broadcast you will hear something about Barry and his dad and the whole unfortunate situation, and that is just wrong.

Comments: You can reach Peter Ross at: anything_baseball@yahoo.ca