Christien Louviere

Man, talk about knowing the proper way to just ruin your image.  I watched bits and pieces from the Barry Bonds press conference two days ago.  My first impulse was to write about it the next day, but then I decided to wait a day to see if I settled….nope, didn’t happen.

The thing that bothers me the most is that he gets a pass because he’s still performing.  Who cares?  If he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t run the show at the conference and he would be booed into an oblivion on the field.  I think it’s the biggest hypocrisy to let him play.  If it was a utility infielder for the Devil Rays, then I bet he’d be punished.  It would be one thing for special treatment on a suspension for fighting or yelling at an ump, etc., but you’re letting this man affect the integrity of the game.  That’s just wrong and blatant disrespect for the men of the past.

Outside of San Fran, this guy has everything going against him from an image standpoint.  He has since day 1 of his career.  His communication skills are lacking to put it mildly.  I’m acquainted with a sports caster for a news station in south LA, who played with Bonds at ASU.  He’s confirmed that he was an ass in college.  Ok, so fans are disgruntled with you before you ever got close to the record because you treated the media like shit, so naturally the fans perceive you as such.  You do nothing to clean up your image with them.  Young players, some of which idoled you coming up, you have treated like garbage…like they were below you (source is a former LSU player).  Initiation is one thing, but disrespect is another.  So most players and most media don’t like you.  The fans are an extension of the media.  What do you do?  You act like a coward in front of the entire nation and press.
1) You cheated.  Don’t act ignorant like you don’t know what steroids do.  Yeah, they won’t help me hit a ball because I never could.  But you can.  One of the great players in baseball called a HR nothing more than a long fly ball.  Without the roids, you’d probably be pushing for #550 by the end of 2005.  Seriously, that extra quickness in your hands, was created by the extra strength given to you by roids.  How many injuries were you able to cruise through because of the quick recovery time offered by the drug?  Class lesson:  Muscle is buily by having tears on the fibers.  Scars form on the muscle, which turn into tissue, thus making your guns bigger.  Scars require recovery time.  Roids increase recovery time, so yes, you cheated.
2) You lied.  All you have to do is bring your game face for 162 games a year and maybe some playoffs.  We understand that you’re going to have several off days.  We all do.  However, your side job year round is to maintain your body.  You remind me of Eddie George or Steve Finely in that regard.  They are some of the most meticulous athletes when it comes to their bodies.  Nothing goes in or on them without their full knowledge.  You knew what you took.  You have your own fucking food table in the clubhouse!
3) You have trouble with reality. 
    A) The media lies.  Yeah, they distort the truth (the news much more than sports).  Yeah, they over-exaggerate sometimes.  Yeah, I and most, are hesitant to believe certain things.  We consider the source.  I’d put my money on anything Peter Gammons or Tim Kurkjian spews out.  They are credible sources.  You see them after every game, so you know who the good ones are.  Don’t pull crap like asking a reporter who his source is and then after he tells you act like that reference is not accurate.  You froze like a deer in the headlights and your eyes lifted up to the left. 
    B) The fans are supportive.  Yeah, maybe in SF and I bet it’s not even the majority.  The fans are baseball.  They are not supportive of what you’re doing.  They want to know why your messing so much with their game.  They want to know why they have to discuss an asterisk on the assured record. 
    C) Don’t give me race.  I’m so sick of this race card from all sides.  It’s 2005.  Please, let’s move on!  There are way too many factors.  Yeah, Ruth played in a segregated league….some guys with juiced balls…some guys with higher mounds….with lower mounds…could go on forever.  You’re a victim!?  Keep thinking you are one and you will be.  Is your mind that weak?  I know one part of it isn’t because when you stand in that little 4 foot box you put it all into that charge.  Hank Aaron doesn’t say much, but has refused to show up for the ceremony in the event that you hit 756.  He’s trying to tell you something.  Last I checked, he’s black, so I’m sure his motives are pure.  Also, he’s had to put up with a ton more than you.  Well, maybe not in quantity of issues, but his disturbances were not self-imposed unless you blame his parents for having him.  I could see you doing that though.
4) You whine (many pros do).  When you took the job, you knew that the media was going to be coming into the locker room after the game.  You’re compensated heavily.  You’re free agent ancestors are to blame.  If you don’t like it, then quit and go sell some insurance or something.  Don’t give us this crap about the media never comes to our place.  The country is not interested in how much ad-space I sold for the day. 

If I had the network, I’d like to combine my passion for marketing and sports.  I’d work for an agent and tutor his clients along with their image.  Some guys deep down are amazing people, but people don’t quite get them for whatever reason.  "I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy
you’re not sure whether or not you like yet. You’re not sure where he’s
coming from," Vince Vaughn, Swingers.  The guys such as A.I., Bobby Knight or the opposite side of the spectrum such as Barry Sanders. 

Solutions (on the major assumption that he’d actually listen to someone else): Barry.  1) Tell them that you at least had an idea that the substances were enhancing your performance.  2) Tell them that you really do care about the records.  Fans are not stupid.  They don’t believe that you’re playing just out of love.  You’re playing for your legacy.  You may not have one after this is all said and done.  3) Tell them that you are retiring.  If you care about the men before you, then you will cherish not tainting some of the most coveted records in this country.  You will still be HOF bound because you were above the required numbers across the board before this garbage first surfaced.

I think it would be cool if no one ever pitched to him again.  Just walk the hell out of him.  Let him own that walk record and put an asterisk on that.  *Attained as a way to stop the bleeding.  An initative by the players for the game.  I know it won’t happen, but can you imagine the message?

Is there any other way to restore what’s left of his brand image or to restore his legacy?  I love to see some comments.