Hillary shines, Bonds hits it

I watched the Democratic candidates debate last night, and all I can say is, "Damn, Hillary's good." Not once did she trip over her own tongue. To me she stood taller than the six men she was debating. Talk about grace under pressure.

Several of the candidates sidestepped questions asked of them, with no worse example than Joseph Biden. When asked about protection of miners by the widow of a man who perished in the Sago mine last year, he acknowledged that he, too, knew the pain of losing a spouse, but then went off topic, addressing Iraq. He didn't even answer the poor woman's question.

Barack Obama also did a little sidestepping. I personally didn't appreciate the moderator's (Keith Olbermann) asking Barack Obama if he would receive Barry Bonds at the White House if he were President, then, after Barack's response, prompted, "Was that a yes?" Olbermann did not remind Joe Biden that he hadn't addressed the question asked of him (which was a hell of a lot more serious). Asking about honoring Barry Bonds struck me right off as a question reserved for Barack because of his race. I thought it was inappropriate.

Speaking of Barry Bonds, he hit home run #756 last night in San Francisco. I haven't really followed this controversy, not being a baseball fan, but I always wondered, if he failed a steroid test why not just disqualify him? But from what I've read, Barry never failed a steroid test. So why isn't he left alone? Why all the speculation and doubt surrounding him?

I'm curious to see how much controversy will surround the next guy to approach the new record . . . especially if he's white and never failed a steroid test.

But another curiosity will be settled much sooner than that. Barack Obama is not the resident of the White House, making Olbermann's question moot. But will Barry be invited to the White House by its current occupant?

7 comments:

Gwyneth Bolton said...

But will Barry be invited to the White House by its current occupant?

Okay! Now that's a question! Hmmm.....

Gwyneth

Donna D said...

The reason that Barry is being picked on is that there is suspicion that he took steroids due to his affiliation with BALCO (a steroids distributor) and the fact that his trainer went to jail to avoid talking about whether or not he used steroids. Plus, if you look at his physique over the years, he went from lean to bulk in just months. Though he hasn't failed a test, it doesn't mean he isn't guilty.

That being said, the reason why most people don't care for BB (regardless of the suspicions) is that he is a jerk to fans and press alike. He's not the gentleman that Hank Aaron has continued to be all these years.

As for coming to the White House, Press Secretary Tony Snow said this morning that BB was not being invited, though the President did call him to congratulate him.

I missed the debates, but framed in the context you mentioned, Olbermann was wrong to put that question only to Obama.

bettye griffin said...

Thanks for filling me in on the source of all the bad blood, Donna, and for updating the White House situation. Just before I saw your post, I was just about to tell Gwyneth that the President would probably no sooner invite Barry to dinner than O.J.!

This sounds like one of those unfortunate You-Can't-Prove-It type situations. Hank Aaron is still a classy guy. Did you see his congratulatory speech to Barry via video presentation?

I guess it would bother me about Barry not being an all-around nice guy if I were a baseball fan. But I can say that there are plenty of people I don't like personally whose accomplishments I respect and whose joy is almost catching . . . just like I can sympathize for them when something bad happens. I guess it's a human emotional thing. You know what I mean?

Thanks for posting, both of you. If it weren't for you gals (and my hit counter), I'd think no one was reading!

Bettye

PatriciaW said...

Jeers to Olberman. Kudos to Barry.

Keep in mind that Barry has been in baseball for 20+ years. I remember his early days with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the late '80s, when he was another snot-nosed, thin, less than 25 pup. The man, like most aging men, has put on weight. He's chosen to lift while doing so, so yes, he's bulkier than he used to be. Necessary if he was going to convert from a line drive hitter to a slugger, which he has.

Are there reasons for all the suspicions? You bet, including his own I-used-the-cream-and-the-clear-but-I-didn't-know-those-were-steroids admissions.

Hitting homers takes more than strength. It takes a great eye and lots of patience at the plate, both of which Barry has.

So I'm hoping now that he's got the record, we can leave Barry alone and move on. BTW, today's players are split on Barry. It's mostly the media that can't let it go.

Can you tell I'm a baseball fan? Barry's accomplishment is worth acknowledging, even if he is a jerk.

bettye griffin said...

Pat,
The feelings on whether Barry deserves recognition for breaking Hank Aaron's record may be mixed, but everybody seems to agree that he's a boob!

Let's see how much mileage the media tries to get out of this.

Bettye

Anonymous said...

I didn't see the debate, but I've been reading other's commentaries. I'm making it a point to watch the next one.

bettye griffin said...

Shelia,
It was halfway over by the time we remembered it was on, so you're not alone!

Bettye