San Francisco Giants retired player Barry Bonds. (Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports)
Barry Bonds was snubbed by the Hall of Fame but he didn’t let bitterness cloud his reaction. Instead, he only shared hearty congratulations to David Ortiz.
It had to be a big disappointment for Barry Bonds to find out he didn’t make the cut in his final year of eligibility on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
While much of MLB Twitter was raging over Bonds’ snub, the man himself focused his attention on the player who did get in.
“CONGRATULATIONS Big Papi on your induction into the Hall of Fame! Well deserved…I love you my brother,” Bonds wrote in celebration of David Ortiz.
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Barry Bonds congratulated David Ortiz for his Hall of Fame induction
Hall of Fame votes are always tough because of the zero-sum game they resemble at times. If one guy gets in, his résumé inevitably gets compared to the ones that don’t.
That definitely happened between Bonds and Ortiz, especially because Bonds has been left out because of his connection to the steroid era while Ortiz got in despite his positive PED test. When it comes to the numbers and impact on the game, there is no question that Bonds outperformed Ortiz across their respective careers.
Still, neither Bonds nor Ortiz decided how the Hall of Fame voters would cast their ballots. It wasn’t an either-or situation for them. One just got the necessary vote tally and the other one didn’t.
Greatness recognizes greatness and Bonds managed to keep that at the forefront of his response. It was a classy way to act.