Barry Bonds – Baseball’s Superman
by Steven Travers
p 280
Published by Sports Publishing, Inc.
I don’t think that there has ever been a book that I have purchased
that I wanted to return for a refund…until now. As a consummate Giants
fan I was elated to find a biography on Barry Bonds on the bookstore shelf;
as a matter of fact, I could not wait to get home to read it.
I was expecting a well-written chronological biography of Barry Bonds
and that is most definitely not what this book is. While the material
may have been all right, the book is atrociously written and a labor to
get through. The author, Steven Travers, is a former sports columnist
for the San Francisco Examiner. He was also a minor league baseball player,
who graduated from the University of Southern California and attended
law school. Unfortunately, in my opinion, his impressive background does
not make him a good writer.
I really enjoyed the foreword, which was written by Charlie Sheen, although
I didn’t realize he was a Giants fan or a fan of Barry Bonds for
that matter. I think that his only connection with Bonds, other than meeting
him at Dodger Stadium some time ago, is that he played a pitcher in the
movie Major League and Barry may have watched it once. Nonetheless, Sheen
is a baseball fan and the foreword was well written.
Sadly, the book takes a turn for the worse after the foreword. The premise
of the book is that Barry Bonds had the greatest season in baseball history
in 2001 (it was published prior to the 2002 season). The author then goes
on to say that if Bonds accomplishes some specific goals (such as winning
a World Series, breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record, getting 3000
career hits and 500 career steals, having a lifetime .300 average, and
breaking records for walks and RBI’s) that he may go down in history
as being the best player ever.
More than discussing his accomplishments, the book is supposed to get
into the mind of Bonds and let the reader discover who he really is. Regrettably,
the coverage of his early years is limited to the first three chapters
of the book; it begins by discussing Barry’s youth – literally
growing up on the diamond with his father, Bobby Bonds, and his godfather,
Willie Mays. We learn that Barry was drafted by the Giants organization
out of high school but based on advice that he received by Mays, he decided
to attend college first. Of course, it is common knowledge that the Pirates
drafted Barry in 1985 and he played there until he signed with the Giants
in 1993.
What follows is intended to be an account of Barry while on the Giants
– leading up to home run number 73 on October 7, 2001. However, the
book goes off on so many tangents that I found it extremely difficult
to follow. In one chapter the author is presumably discussing the beginning
of the 2001 season and the fact that Barry’s contract will be up
at the end of the year. Rather than getting to the point and saying that
when the Giants reported to Scottsdale for spring training there was controversy
surrounding Barry because the Giants’ GM, Brian Sabean, did not want
to discuss his contract until the end of the season, he spends two pages
talking about the nightlife and debauchery that goes on when the players
are in Scottsdale. I have yet to understand what Jason Giambi “partying
like a porn star” or Dusty Baker doing or not doing bed checks has
to do with Barry’s contract expiring. Nor do I know how the 8-18
start that the A’s had in 2001 or the fact that they made it to the
play-offs is relevant to this book at all.
Throughout the book there are many more examples of the author digressing;
he continually jumps from one thought to another and back again all in
the same chapter – sometimes on the same page. I can only assume
that Barry’s face on the cover caused the publisher and the editor
to see dollar signs because it appears that they overlooked the content
entirely.
This has got to be the most poorly written book that I have ever attempted
to read; it is so bad that it obscures any good content that the book
may have had and unfortunately, in my opinion, it is not worth the paper
it was printed on.
Give this stinker no balls. In fact it’s a balk - balk at the
idea of buying of reading it.
If you still really want to buy this book, I would recommend therapy,
but you can
by clicking here.
Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows: One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special. Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above
average, and worth reading/owning. Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended. Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out
together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk -
straight to the local book store to get a copy.
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