Barry Bonds - NCAA - What If?

[Wolf Hopper]

I'm sticking this in Seventh Inning Stretch since it's clearly a fantasy, what if, for fun thing - as opposed to analysis, commentary, or news on a player...............

I read in BBA this AM - - when Barry Bonds was playing in college, he was such a jerk that his teammates actually voted him off the team (you can do that?) - but, the head coach over-ruled them and kept Barry on the squad.

What if the coach had not stepped in? What if the other guys on the team were allowed to vote him off the team? From that point forward, would Barry's career be any different? Or, would some other school just grabbed him (could they?) and it all would be moot?

[Ytown Tribe fan]

I think it says more about modern players than anything else.

There have been worse jerks in baseball who were good enough players that their teammates stuck with them or, at least, lived with them in order to win.

How can anyone compare Barry's behaviour to, say, Ty Cobb or Rogers Hornsby or Ted Williams -- all world-class jerks when they were young.

To me, the coach taught his team an important lesson in winning and dealing with jerks -- something they would certainly need in later life.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but it's my opinion on the whole matter.

[KCBOOMER]

Since a scholarship is involved I am sure the players cannot vote a player off the team but they can conduct a vote that expresses their opinion. The coach elected to ignore what a jerk Bonds was/is which in turn from Bonds point of view meant acceptance of his behavior. Thus his behavior to date.

In defense of the coach, Barry was the guy making his car payments so he couldn't be too precipitous.

I would wager that Cobb, Hornsby, and Williams were no bigger jerks than Bonds from the point of view of their teammates. BTW, Cobb, Williams, and Bonds in their 60 seasons combined to win only five pennants and no WS. Hornsby had three pennant winners one of which won the WS. So for over eighty seasons these guys combined for only eight pennants and just one WS win.

Maybe we should rework the question to question the disservice the coach did to Bonds by not kicking his butt.

[JamesI]

Well, maybe the embarrassment of the event would have caused Barry to change his attitude some (which may have happened anyway from the vote occuring.)

[manny tortolero]

I don't think that this early fact should be became Barry in a non-baseball player. Remember all thoses guys around starting with his father and finnishing with Mays. That must be the main influence he had to choose that profession.
BTW, Barry was playing winter baseball in Venezuela in the mid-80's but he didn't like the league and left just before chritsmas to never back again. He was not so jerk here, very quiet but although his numbers were good, not great, he was not missed at all. He played for the team with most fans all over the country, Navegantes del Magallanes.