Why Everybody Hated Barry Bonds 

They just hated Barry because they couldn't pull off an earring like him

This is a no shit story. Lived in Pittsburgh when I was a kid. My neighbor was Mike Dunne, and the guy was a legend. I used to watch his dog when he had a long trip and his wife was awesome to me as “the paper boy”. Mike would give me tickets and take me into the clubhouse. Took me into clubhouse when I was a 13 yr old kid to meet the players. Basically, the MOST amazing thing a baseball kid could experience. He brought me over to Barry and tapped him on the shoulder and Barry turned around and said to Mike, at the time the NL Rookie pitcher of the year, and told him to get that “f’ing kid out of my face”. I balled like a 13 yr old kid would. Bobby Bonilla came around the corner and picked me up, shook me, and said “kid, don’t worry, that guys an asshole”. Then gave me a bat and batting glove. Barry Bonds is an ass**le! Always has been and always will be.

The fact the pirates jumped Barry is hilarious lol

Surprised this makes no mention of him insisting on wearing Willie Mays' retired number 24 when he signed with the Giants, with them only rescinding because they received more mail within 2 weeks of signing the agreement than they had during the entire history of the team

Nobody needed to make Barry look bad. He did that all on his own.

Someone bragging about how they haven’t changed at all since high school may be the biggest red flag I’ve ever seen lol.

The thing is Bonds would almost certainly be in the HOF right now, even with the blatant steroid use, if he was slightly more personable than a rabid dog and I don't mean to malign rabid dogs.

He's the perfect example of "if you have a problem with everyone around you, the problem is you."

Pre-steroids, he was a legit first-ballot HOF. He had the patience and hand-eye coordination to be one greatest ever. He didn't need steroids.

Statistically speaking, Barry Bonds is the #1 position player of all time in terms of being the most quintessential and record-setting 5-tool player (i.e., fielding, throwing, stealing, average, power) that the MLB has ever seen. Way back at the end of the 1993 season, Barry had already won 3 MVPs (’90, ’92, ’93), tied for the most in MLB history (making him a clear hall of famer already), only to be broken by himself by garnering a staggering 7 MVPs by the end of his career. Importantly, the very earliest time at which Barry may have been implicated in steroid use was not until after the 1998 season. By 1998, while he was still clearly a natty putting up natty numbers (albeit the best of all nattys), he also became the only player in MLB history with 400+ home runs and 400+ stolen bases, which still holds true to this day. Let that sink in. Furthermore, despite always being a potent power hitter, Bonds always hit for average and struck out far less than most of his power-hitting counterparts. He hit over .300 11 times and-aside from his rookie year-never struck out more than 100 times in a year (averaging only 83 strikeouts a year). Moreover, by this time in 1998, he had also won 8 gold gloves, the most by any left fielder in MLB history to this day. Finally, as far as that exclusive 400/400 club that I first mentioned, for which he is still the only member in MLB history? Well, he ended his career with 500+ home runs (763, all-time record) and 500+ stolen bases (514), a feat that leaves all other players in history 100+ further behind and for which he would have easily completed even if he remained as a natty until the end. Even though I grew up in Chicago and now live in Boston, Barry Bonds was my favorite player back as a kid and will remain my favorite player of all time by far. Although the Red Sox are now my home team ever since becoming a Bostonian 8+ years ago when I moved here for a position as a Harvard Postdoctoral Neuroscientist. On that note, I plan to launch my channel later this year and although most content will focus on neuroscience and biology, I will also focus on data-driven and science-based videos on some of my passions such as baseball. So feel free to sub in advance. Cheers.

Bonds and Griffey had opposite mindsets on the priority of the teams moral and progress.

As someone who experienced this dude when he came into the restaurant I worked at once, I completely understand this video. The guy was a horrible person to deal with in just a couple of hours. Pitched a Karen tantrum that he had to pay $4.99 for a little souvenir item for his daughter. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their waiter. 🤷🏻‍♂️

7:55 “I wouldn’t have that guy on my team for all the oil in the Persian golf” 💀💀. That is absolutely ruthless. Never knew Barry was this bad.

As someone who grew up in the bay and watched Barry Bonds growing up I had no idea he was so controversial (besides the steroids thing)

My sister asked barry bonds for his autograph back in the nineties in the chiropractic office waiting room, and he told her fifty dollars

Way back in 91, when he was the Pirates, they were at old riverfront stadium. He came over to us kids and signed my Reds hat and my brother's t-shirt that he had on his back. He totally made our day. When I think of it, we must have caught him on a good day.

Born and raised in Dominican Republic when I was a kid playing baseball every kid like me was trying to have the same batting style as Barry Bonds.

Read the book "Game of Shadows" by Mark Fainaru - Wada. It goes into great detail about the entire BALCO scandal and the masking agents he got from BALCO to pass drug tests. It also talks about what an absolute asshole he was to his teammates - having his own personal locker room, not flying with the team for away games and not appearing in team pictures didn't help. Watch the video when he hit # 715 and passed Babe Ruth. The entire team stayed in the dugout and didn't greet him or celebrate with him when he crossed home plate.

According to former teammate Julian Tavarez Barry pulled Salomon Torres out of the shower because he was using his shower that instigated Tavarez hitting him on purpose when he faced him.

He really injected himself into everyone’s lives

It's likely that Bonds is a sociopath. His talent made him irreplaceable, which is unfortunate for everyone that had to work with him. Similar to Lance Armstrong, except Bonds is overtly aggressive where Armstrong is manipulative.

Players and teammates hated him because of his arrogance. His perceived sense of entitlement. He was truly gifted as a baseball player though. That being said, I believe the attention given to fellow dopers McGwire and Sosa were the reason he started doping. He was head and shoulders more talented than either of them. Yet he was being overshadowed by their HR numbers. He couldn't handle that. So he started using too. And deny it as many times as he will he did it. Your hat size, and shoe size doesn't increase when you're in your 30s.

I'm friends with an ex White Sox player. He asked Barry to sign a jersey for a charity and Bonds said, "Why would I sign a shirt for some white kid's charity?"

The fact that Barry Bonds is proud of not changing since high school, tells you all you need to know about him. You're not supposed to be the same at 40 as you were at 15. You're supposed to grow and mature.

He hit the pinnacle, the zenith of hitting. Nobody ever got into the zone like Barry. He hit better than anyone on the planet ever for a few years.

I got to see Barry Bonds last Splash hit in AT&T park when he was on the giants. Dope ass memory. Shoutout my grandpa, he used to take us to games when we was young. As a kid I loved Barry bonds. Had his SF Jersey and everything haha

I like Barry. In fact, I hope they have Ezra Miller play him in the documentary. He’s a Barry-type of guy too.

The steroid usage is much more forgivable than the way he treated other human beings.

Not even two minutes in but that quote about him being the same since high school is all that needs to be said. If you don't cringe about things you did and how you acted in high school, you're either lying, you are the very rare exception to the rule and were already ahead of your age, or you're like Barry and still an immature child. You should always be growing, maturing, and working on yourself regardless of age.

I didn’t hear about the hate during the pirates years. he was great in Pittsburgh and Bonilla. That loss to Atlanta was a shit day. SId Bream with the slide into home ruined my night. There was a dent in my wall from that one.

As a Braves fan I can confirm we hated him and jeered him any chance we got at the Ted.

"It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice." - B. Bonds

Dusty Baker holding Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent to only one public fight is a big accomplishment.

Barry’s dad was a very good player and wealthy so it makes sense Barry had a huge chip on his shoulder raised by a millionaire and then talented too! What a jerk never liked that guy

Hold up 5:30 he was not fucking forced out of Pitt, the Giants signed him out of free agency for 6 yrs/42m making him the highest paid position player in the league the day after signing the deal to build PacBell Park. Peter Magowan, may he continue to burn in hell had been holding the City hostage along with The Sporting Green for two years crying poor and demanding public funding for the new stadium and threatening to move the team to St Pete, FL. THE SPLIT SECOND he got the funding he got on the horn & inked the deal for Bonds and made it clear Will Clark, the heart and soul of the club was now expendable. He knew exactly what he was in for with Barruh Bones and the two of them were made for each other, so there's no need to exaggerate reality here. Mmm-kay?

It doesn’t sound like the media had to try too hard to make bonds come across as a villain

Him rocking up to a high school to train and parking his car in a teachers reserved spot is peak Barry Bonds lmao

It would have been cool if Barry played in Japan when no American teams would sign him after his last year. He would have had a monster season over there

Saw on another that the league offices made sure no team signed Barry. He suggested that they didn’t want him to get 3,000 hits, (2935) and 800 home runs, (762) I don’t doubt it one bit.

"The pirates where emerging as one of the best teams in the league." Something you wont hear for a long time

“The pirates were becoming the best team in the game.” - last time these words will be spoken by man.

Bonds: "I hate the media, leave me alone!" Also Bonds: *Does literally everything possible to draw attention to himself and piss people off to the point where multiple teammates hate him.* Bonds: "I don't know why the media has it out for me, I never did anything."

holy shit barry bonds ran at my high schools field i learned that from this video thats pretty sick. hell yeah screw my teacher bonds can take that spot any day

His daughter ran track at a school in the same district as mine growing up. Barry would always be there supporting her, and he was always kind to anyone who went up to him to talk. I don’t have single bad thing to say about the man. A very misunderstood character.

“Ruth did it on hotdogs and beer” Ruth was shooting up horse steroids for breakfast 💀💀😭😭

Talk about family. His father was a baseball player, godfather Willie Mays a legend and Hall of Famer, and Reggie Jackson Mr. October... Part of the reasons he was given so much flak. Barry was literally born in a baseball family, He didn't need PEDs to be that good. Damn!!

Thatz crazy his body in pittsburgh vs sf he looks way different went from a cf to.a 1b

Insane stat- Bonds has more intentional walks than a combined EVERY player whoever played for the Tampa Bay Rays EVER. That’s EVERYONE from the Rays combine from 1998- present. Insane.

7:53 so not as bad as Nagasaki?

Barry Bonds is the GOAT man. He is the reason why im a baseball fan. Crazy how they villainized these 90s superstars

My coach is friends with Barry and was roommates with him in college while playing on the same team. Both were drafted. Same era. Now pretending steroids didn’t make him hit harder is a duh. However he was already a hall of fame level player. Steroids don’t make you see better. He also gave me a pair of ken Griffey’ Jackie Robinson day addition terfs and cleats.

I grew up watching Barry. Love the guy.

Fans loved Barry . It was the media that demonized him because he didn't jump thru their hoops and play their games

One of the best players ever but not the one of the best people. The more disliked he was the better he played

Only a narcissist would blame the media for bringing him down instead of taking accountability for his actions.

I haven't watched a season of baseball in probably 17 years or more but this channel is really building that love and appreciation for the game again. Can't wait for this season to start! Thanks for the content man!

Not a bad take at all. The media culture back then was pretty toxic. If we couple Bonds "egomania" with the fury of the press it can have a startling effect on people who read the news. Players, coaches, and fans

barry bonds and jon jones have the same exact career just in 2 different sports

Amazing video as always.

Best baseball channel on RU-vid hands down.

I’m a casual baseball fan but your videos have made me want to get more involved as a fan - thank you for all your content 🙏🏾

2 things, one Barry without steroids was pretty much a HOF guaranteed. He prolly would’ve won many more mvps, gold gloves, silver sluggers etc. 2nd my dad told me that Bonds was always stuck up and a jerk. He said that multiple times he tried to get Barry’s attention with either getting a ball or getting a jersey signed, but he still ignored him even when he was less than 20 feet away. This was also back in Bond’s steroid era.

I don’t care what anybody says, Barry Bonds is one of the best MLB players.

Bonds and Roger Clemens were almost the same. Both had their careers launch, peak, and coincide at exactly the same time, both were generational talents, both were massive cancers for their respective teams, both already had HOF-lock careers prior to taking steroids, and both got a lot of shit for lying over steroids. Oh, but one main difference: Clemens got caught grooming an up and coming country singer named Mindy McCready and somehow got away with it, and it pretty much ruined her life and led to her tragic death as well. He also had a final "farewell" in Boston in 2003 when he supposedly retired but it became awkward when he came back the following year. A few years later, he fucked over Boston in 2007, going to New York when he said he wanted to play for his favorite team for his last season despite teasing the Red Sox so much over potentially returning. There really could be an entirely separate video made on why everybody hated Roger Clemens, there's much more lore aside than what I listed above. Speaking of pitchers, Jonathan Papelbon (or Papeldouche depending on how much you hate him) might be a possibility too, his whole career is fascinating on and off the field due to his eccentricity and how much controversy he attracted regularly, especially later in his career with Philly and Washington.

By far thee best baseball player ever to play the game. The only 6 tool player...eye at the plate. The only 7 time MVP. By far the most walks and home runs. Can you imagine hitting .370 with 46 home runs and 198 walks and then.362 with 45 home runs and 232 walks?????????? lol

Haha that’s so funny but true. That sign said Ruth did it on hotdogs and beer. I challenge any player today to hit a three home runs in a game on a diet of fried food and hotdogs and playing every game either hungover or drunk. Oh and they have to chain smoke cigarettes or cigars too

9:49 lol i love how unfazed this reporter is and hits him back with "YOUR slump" and Barry knew he couldn't do or say anything

Imagine getting jumped by six people and then being blamed for it😂

Say what you will about Bonds, he’s the best player in the last 50 years!

I read an anecdote that Bond’s Pirates teammates and staff once asked him to make a concentrated effort to improve his personality. For a time he was unrecognizable, smiling and friendly but his play cratered. After losing a few games the Pirates are said to have begged Bonds to go back to his old self to regain some competitive ‘edge.’ Hmm but you know Michael Jordan and the late great Kobe Bryant seem to have had personalities that would be difficult to work with in most professional environments, perhaps it’s a different mentality to attain superstar status in pro sports.

Thanks for telling us the story of Bonds before steroids, it’s not a story often told even though he had a HOF-worthy career before the roids. And a HOF-temper too.

Seems like you dialed the speed of your presentation back by about 20% and a little more defined structure to your scripts and I have to say it's awesome. Makes it so much easier to absorb the avalanche of info. Love it.

Having gone to on average 40 games a year in Arizona back then, I don't remember ONE single time our fans booed because we walked him. Not sure where the narrator got that information from, but it's totally inaccurate. Buck Showalter once walked him with the bases loaded, and we didn't boo that either.

Other significant reasons people hated Barry Bonds In SF Refused to appear at Fan-fasts Refused to appear in annual team photos opted out of MLB collective bargaining for the purpose of receiving increased royalties, in effect denying $$ for the players association refused to allow his likeness in MLB video games Complete locker room, cancer, demanding, free lockers, Barcalounger, and large screen TV for his use only. Insisted on, using only his personal trainers, not the teams, and demanded the team provide his uniforms weeks in advance so they could be sent to his personal tailor.

So pumped you did one on BB. Bonds deserved to be in the Hall. It’s a shame that the hall has turned into a popularity contest and all around circle jerk.

Saying "The Media" is ridiculous. Millions of people work in news and sports media. Freedom of the press is extremely important yet so many people today have decried the entire industry based on their likely skewed perception of what only a handful of outlets and reporters have said or written. Instead of saying "The Media", cite actual reporters, columns, or as a last resort, outlets. There's far too much vague nonsense out there about "the media is trying to say X" that when actually checked, turns out to be extremely limited to only a couple instances by one or two reporters, or just turns out to be blatantly wrong.

It’s weird that he’s saying that he hasn’t changed since high school as a positive. That’s reallyyyyyy sad in so many ways

Went to a Reds Giants game at Riverfront in 1996. We sat behind the plate in the green seats, which were the second deck. Everytime Barry batted I loudly did the Barrry Barrrry chant. He hits a homerun, crosses the plate and pointed up at me.

I loved the Giants. Then came Bonds. I stopped following them. Then he left. I started following them again.

I was standing next to a young black girl who handed a baseball and a Sharpie to Bonds and asked him, "Mr. Bonds, will you please sign my baseball?", to which Bonds responded, "You'll have to see my people about that."

Anybody else notice that the strike 3 call at 9:44 was a foot outside? lol

Ironic every one hated him, growing up he was always my favorite player lol. Still is in terms of retired players.

not everybody hates barry, sf fan here and I say NOBODY PLAYED THE GAME BETTER

Him doing Roids was the least of his Issues really and why people didn't like him. If that was the case, how many people do Roids in more than just Baseball? And we see where Bonds learned his Actions from. 5:13 that's what happens, if the whole team is against you and ''fights'' you, it's you. Worst thing to happen since Japan was nuked, I was like Dang son Roasted!

Growing up in Northern California I'm an avid Giants fan. Bonds is one of my favorite players all time. No one could connect like #25, with or without juice. Greatest slugger all time!

The news industry has always been dirty in a world in which most people care only about status, instant gratification, and novelty, and in a world where relatively few people have any substantial intellectual curiosity. And the news industry has always singled out easy targets to deflect attention from its own systemic dishonesty with the sports media sometimes being as guilty of dishonesty as any media, and not just in baseball. No reporter covering the worst NBA team can write 82 times that the team he/she covers played terribly and didn't play NBA caliber defense without getting fired since no one wants to read that 82 times. Thus it's often in the interests of sports writers to make the bad teams they cover look much better than they are in order to keep their jobs since if no one cares about the teams they cover they may soon be out of a job. As a result sports writers often write that the NBA team they cover played well even when anyone who was at the game saw otherwise. Yes Barry Bonds brought a lot of media abuse on himself by needlessly trying much too hard to be a "badass." And that is on him. Yet the sports media sanctimoniously treated him very unfairly. For years the sports media willfully ignored steroid abuse in baseball and other pro sports since "no one cared." Then parents groups forced Congress to force Major League Baseball to change its steroids policy or threaten that otherwise Congress itself would change steroid policy in ways Major League Baseball and the Players Association would not like. Then the same sports media that had ignored steriod abuse for so many years accused many baseball players of "cheating" for using steroids at a time when ignoring or even encouraging steroid abuse was policy, as if oh sure the sports media always covered sports honestly. But seriously, even the most dishonest pro players have been a lot more professional than the sports media. At least all pro players are good at what they do which is a lot more than many sports writers can claim.

This is a prime example of how all the talent in the world isn't enough to make you a truly top tier team player. Baseball is a team sport so being the best player doesn't mean much if your team doesn't like you. VanSlyke got paid because he was a good player and good teammate. Life lesson here kids, don't get hung up on being the best player, be the best you who can play

How does your shoe size grow 2 sizes?

Bonds sounds like a great heel

Making everyone hate you is a really good way to get into the hall of fame

Still my second favorite player of all time. He gave me a Giants flag to fly in Iraq when I came home on leave and went to see him play. After I got home he remembered me when I was at a game sitting along the left field sideline and played catch with me to warm up between innings and talked to me the entire game. The media treated him like shit so he returned the favor. He's good in my book.

I mean he wasn’t really forced out of Pittsburg he was going to be a free agent and the Pirates couldn’t afford him since the team was legitimately falling apart. Bonds leaves Pittsburg at the end of the 92 season, Bobby Bonilla the 2nd best player on the team left in 91, and the Pirates didn’t have a record above .500 until 2013.

Nothing quite like watching Barry at the plate in person. When he homered, the whole stadium was electric! Very grateful to have grown up in the SF Bay.

I've never heard one person say they didn't like Bonds!

What’s the song at 13:55

Tried to get his autograph after a game at Candlestick in the early 90s. We were driving out of the park & I looked over & saw him. My parents let me jump out of the car to ask him. When I got to his car & asked, he just rolled up the window & drove off. The guy is a dick, but one of the best players to play.

I met barry in seattle in 1996 5 hrs before the game outside the kingdom. he was nothing but nice to me. he didn't sign anything and wouldnt take pictures but he spent 20 minutes letting calming me down in the middle of a panic attack because i got to meet my hero. i do wish more people got to see that barry.

Met Barry in Vegas years back… got a picture with him and autograph..

You HAVE TO DO A VID ABOUT THE 2004 sox PLS it will get so many views

I always thought why does everyone hate bonds. Then around 2004-06 sometime I don’t remember exactly I had an interaction with him. After that interaction I then knew why everyone hated him. Bonds did not need the media to make him look like a jerk he did a fine job himself