 |
 |
Perspective
Bonds Yields Dividends
By Brad Wall
Guest Writer
Barry Bonds is the best player in baseball. There is no question about it. Well, maybe one question. Is a 37-year-old corner outfielder worth $90 million? Well . . . no, there isn't an athlete alive worth $18 million a year. However, given the outrageous state of MLB salaries, it would be insanity for the Giants to let Bonds leave.
Pac-Bell ballpark, the N-Judah to Cal-Trans, even In-N-Out wouldn't grace our fair city if it weren't for a certain Mr. Barry Lamar Bonds.
The San Francisco Giants were, for many years, a mediocre team playing in a football stadium. You know you're in trouble when your home field advantage consists of 12,000 drunken fans and bitter, swirling arctic breeze. Years of mediocrity relegated the Giants to ugly-stepsister status in the local sports scene.
Every year, it seemed the Giants were just a few phone calls away from being the Tampa Bay Giants, or the -- yuck -- San Jose Giants. All that changed the day Barry Bonds pulled a Giants uniform over his head.
He signed a 7-year deal that at the time was one of the richest in baseball. He rewarded the ownership's faith in his first year here, when he led the Giants to 103 wins and earned his third MVP award.
In 1997 and 2000 he led the way to a division championship, and was voted player of the decade by Sporting News. Anyone who can be counted on to give you .300 ERA, 34 home runs and 120 RBI every season is worthy of being among the highest paid players in the game.
But what makes Bonds special are the intangibles he brings to the team. I know, he's a world class jerk, right? His teammates don't like him, right? Whatever. Barry Bonds is an icon. Bonds is the Jordan of baseball. He is the best player most of us will ever see. No one else electrifies a crowd the way he does. No other position player requires the amount of attention that Bonds does.
The Dodgers brought Jessie Orasco out of mothballs just to pitch to Bonds. Arizona walked Bonds with the bases loaded, in a 2-run game!!
Needless to say, Bonds has a huge impact in the line-up. Right now, he is the face of San Francisco sports. Pac-Bell was built to accommodate his swing; figuratively, it is the house that Bonds built.
The recent development in the China Basin area is a result of Pac-Bell, which is a result of Barry Bonds. Re-signing him sends a message to Giants fans and the rest of the major league. The Giants are mediocre no more. The Giants will be major players in the major league. This point cannot be understated.
Barry Bonds not only changed the fortunes of the franchise; he changed the landscape of the city. So, is Bonds worth it? I'm sure any of the construction workers who built Pac-Bell, or anyone who witnessed any of his 73 homers will tell you, yes.
Rants and Raves
By Meegan Rivera
Opinion Editor
College is a place where I thought I could meet people and make new friends as I work on investing in my future through education. Meeting people is no problem; there are always people to talk to in class. Talking to these people helps one to do well in that class. We can help each other out with homework and study when the big tests come up.
Unfortunately, after the semester is over and everyone has burnt themselves out on finals, the only thing left to say is, "Hey, how'd you do in that class?"
After that, what more? Would you consider these people friends in whom you would confide about your sick goldfish? Probably not.
You move on, and the same thing happens next semester in yet another G. E. class.
Why is it that I find nothing more to say after asking about the final grade? It's hard to create bonds stronger than "classmate" when hang-out time is limited to the classroom, which, by the way, is shared with the professor.
What, then, happens to all our time? I, fortunately, do not have to work while in school and can focus all my attention on my wonderful assignments. But I know many others do have to work, on top of the reading and homework that we students all have.
When, then, is there time to build sufficient bonds with people, make
real friends out of them and get a 4.0 GPA? Must I choose between
building deep, meaningful relationships and building my transcript or
resume? Maybe the real question is if there are enough hours in the day
to have both.
Perspective
The Words on the Street
One can get a message heard in many ways, including painting it underfoot. But the recent messages that appeared on the sidewalks of Phelan Campus are, first and foremost, property damage. The messages themselves are not unique; "Books not Bombs" and "Bush is Evil" are just a few of the messages common to any anti-war or human rights protest or peace rally in the Bay Area.
I believe the protester who created this graffiti was not trying to create an artistic social message, but may have been blocked from placing their message on campus in another form. To place flyers or posters on campus, students must get them approved and stamped by Associated Students. Al-though City College did a fine job, in the months following Sept. 11, in allowing messages against racism and hate to flourish, it may have not allowed the student body to question U.S. actions, thus appearing to give tacit consent. Perhaps a frustrated student took an anti-war message that had little chance of being approved to the streets.
But unfortunately, property has been defaced and must be repaired, all for the sake of rather unoriginal messages. On this campus and around the Bay Area, vocal opponents of war deliver their messages more credibly by organizing a visible group or face behind the message.
For sidewalk messages in the future, my suggestion is to follow the technique of a young neighbor of mine. The child draws frogs chasing butterflies, or hearts with the word "mom" above butterflies, with colored chalk. When the rain comes, the messages turn into a Technicolor wash. When the ground dries, we neighbors get treated to another new work of art, a message of hope that only a child can deliver.