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(For those unfamiliar with the sport of baseball, it is something like cricket, just a little less refined. Okay, a lot less refined.)
Who is the greatest home run hitter of all time? Well, it is Barry Bonds, of course. A simple Internet query will show you that his 762 dingers eclipse the career totals of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willy Mays. The casual observer, however, may be interested to know that there is more to the story. You see, Barry has many fans, admirers of his exploits. But, he used to have more fans. Way, way more.
The plot developed sometime in his early career, when the temptation of superior performance must have proved too much for Barry to resist. It is alleged, nowadays, that at some point Barry enlisted certain individuals (let's call them engineers) to augment his physique with performance enhancing substances. In short order, Barry's body became an amalgamation of parts, as it were, that were certainly not found on the common man. Performance improved at a rapid rate. Perhaps too rapid.
Where Barry could have been subtle, motives obviously prevented him from being so. Understanding his motives, is not for us. Or so concluded Barry, for he was very uncooperative with the press. Indeed, he became known for dictating things on his own terms and controlling interactions with journalists and his fans, alike. Some fans were lost. Journalists kept on with the job, of course, as home run records were smashed and this sold many copies and allowed them to eat and pay the rent.
But, yes, subtlety was lacking in Barry's ways and fans soon took notice of the rapid changes in his performance. Something did not compute, some would offer, in disbelief of the drastic improvements. The show went on, however, as there was no evidence of foul play by Barry and, besides, everybody was better served by the current situation, weren't they? Stratospheric home run records were exciting for fans, for sure, and many a blind eye was turned.
You've guessed, by now, how the story ends. But let's recap, anyway. When it became known, publicly, what Barry had done, many fans were displeased. They had no interest in maintaining allegiance to Barry and moreover, felt betrayed by his ways. The journalists, also displeased for having bean treated so badly by Barry in the past, began to write vitriolic, scathing articles about him. Once they realized that these stories also sold copies (and allowed them to eat and pay the rent), they further exposed him in any way they could and things became very ugly, for quite a while.
Today, Barry still has many fans. Just not as many, not by a long shot. So, please McLaren Automotive, though the temptation must be very great at this time, don't be a Barry.
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Who is the greatest home run hitter of all time? Well, it is Barry Bonds, of course. A simple Internet query will show you that his 762 dingers eclipse the career totals of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willy Mays. The casual observer, however, may be interested to know that there is more to the story. You see, Barry has many fans, admirers of his exploits. But, he used to have more fans. Way, way more.
The plot developed sometime in his early career, when the temptation of superior performance must have proved too much for Barry to resist. It is alleged, nowadays, that at some point Barry enlisted certain individuals (let's call them engineers) to augment his physique with performance enhancing substances. In short order, Barry's body became an amalgamation of parts, as it were, that were certainly not found on the common man. Performance improved at a rapid rate. Perhaps too rapid.
Where Barry could have been subtle, motives obviously prevented him from being so. Understanding his motives, is not for us. Or so concluded Barry, for he was very uncooperative with the press. Indeed, he became known for dictating things on his own terms and controlling interactions with journalists and his fans, alike. Some fans were lost. Journalists kept on with the job, of course, as home run records were smashed and this sold many copies and allowed them to eat and pay the rent.
But, yes, subtlety was lacking in Barry's ways and fans soon took notice of the rapid changes in his performance. Something did not compute, some would offer, in disbelief of the drastic improvements. The show went on, however, as there was no evidence of foul play by Barry and, besides, everybody was better served by the current situation, weren't they? Stratospheric home run records were exciting for fans, for sure, and many a blind eye was turned.
You've guessed, by now, how the story ends. But let's recap, anyway. When it became known, publicly, what Barry had done, many fans were displeased. They had no interest in maintaining allegiance to Barry and moreover, felt betrayed by his ways. The journalists, also displeased for having bean treated so badly by Barry in the past, began to write vitriolic, scathing articles about him. Once they realized that these stories also sold copies (and allowed them to eat and pay the rent), they further exposed him in any way they could and things became very ugly, for quite a while.
Today, Barry still has many fans. Just not as many, not by a long shot. So, please McLaren Automotive, though the temptation must be very great at this time, don't be a Barry.
