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Brian Murphy writes on ESPN.com's Page 2 about San Francisco Giants fans and why they still like Barry Bonds.
It's an interesting look at a complicated issue.
Jeff Kent won the MVP award in 2000, but Kent didn't get it the way Barry got it. While Barry kept saying he wanted to win a World Series for Giants fans in San Francisco -- "my hometown," as Barry always pointed out -- Kent was the one who ripped the Giants' new home uniforms on Opening Night at Pac Bell, oozing disdain when he uttered his infamous "french vanilla" description of the Giants' cream-colored home gamers. Worse, he dared describe Pac Bell Park as a place with flaws. He pointed out its shortcomings, how it wasn't a hitter's park, how it was still cold … when all any San Franciscan and any Giants fan wanted to hear was how pretty it was and how lucky we were to have it.See, I told you, this is complicated stuff. It involves the ego of the native Northern Californians, and a regional pride that likes to be fed with compliments. Northern Californians and San Franciscans are proud in a provincial way, sometimes to our own detriment. Kent never got that, or maybe he did get it and he wanted to be the needle in our pride balloon.
As Murphy says repeatedly, it's complicated.
What he doesn't answer is, could Bonds get a sympathetic reaction now in any other city if he played for a different team?
Personally, I don't think so.
To address your question, I think Murphy does a great job of illustrating how Bonds's situation couldn't be more polarizing if he played in a different city. That is, he couldn't be as loved anywhere else.
Eric Davis only came back to L.A. because he and the Reds hated each other.
The most beloved L.A. players have been guys from other countries (Fernando Valenzuela, Hideo Nomo) or Italian guys from Pennsylvania (Lasorda, Scioscia, Piazza).
I'm not going back to the Koufax/Drysdale years.
I don't think L.A. fans particularly care about a local hero since area ties here aren't all that strong.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930
WE can think what we want about Bonds. WE can be disappointed by his guilt. YOU, on the other hand, don't understand the history, the journey, the ride we've been on. YOU don't remember the 90 losses in 1992, the potential St. Petersburg Giants. YOU weren't there that day when Pacific Bell Park opened, and the Giants had the prettiest park in the land, the House that Barry Built. It's family. WE can talk about our family, judge our family. YOU, on the other hand, are an outsider. You are not family. You are not to judge.
...snip
Yes.... There was a man named Elster there that day wasn't there.
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