Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds are two of the greatest players of their era. They are also two of the most controversial. Both of their legacies have been tainted by the presence of steroids in their career and with each passing day, they may have a better chance of becoming the commissioner of the sport than being enriched in Cooperstown one day.
Rodriguez, now the subject of ESPN’s KayRod Cast, alongside Yankees play-by-play voice Michael Kay, recently appeared on Audacy’s The Bret Boone Podcast and had some high praise for Bonds. The former San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had made a couple of appearances on ESPN’s answer for the baseball version of the ManningCast.
Boone mentioned how one of the KayRod Cast(s) that he was able to tune into featured Bonds. He gushed about how “real” the interview was and how Bonds wasn’t afraid to not only say that he was the greatest, but he knew it too.
Regardless of what side of the fence you sit on in the steroid debate, there’s no denying Bonds’ impact on the sport. The home run king was a 14-time All-Star, who won seven MVP awards. And because of those accomplishments, again whether you agree or not, Boone compared Bonds to Michael Jordan.
“It was kind of like when I watched The Last Dance. He’s not arrogant; it’s the truth what he’s saying right now,” Boone continued. “When Barry speaks about hitting for that timeframe in history, what he says is true. I remember just being out there putting up pretty big numbers and watching Barry hit and going ‘He’s so much better than me it’s ridiculous.’”
“He’s a great interview. He’s a great friend,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a very much underutilized asset that baseball needs to use more.”
One could argue that baseball utilizes Rodriguez too much.
As for Bonds, it’s hard to imagine how exactly Major League Baseball would utilize him considering his controversial past. At the same time, you could say the same thing for Rodriguez, who is plastered on both ESPN and Fox’s coverage of the MLB. However, news broke on Friday that he’ll exclusively be with Fox Sports following the 2023 MLB season, so that could open up the door for ESPN to pursue someone like Bonds.
Love him or hate him, Bonds would add an interesting voice to the coverage of the sport. Though, it’s unclear if Rodrguez was talking about him as a media presence or someone that is directly involved with the game. Bonds did serve as the Miami Marlins hitting coach, though, he was relieved of his duties after just one season.
In any event, Rodriguez brings up an interesting point. It’ll be curious to see what happens with Bonds, who just turned 59 years old, considering he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
[The Bret Boone Podcast via Audcacy]
