Fresh off another round of Hall of Fame debate, the Giants stirred up mixed opinions throughout baseball when they announced their plan to retire No. 25, last worn by all-time slugger and alleged steroid-user Barry Bonds.
One of those strong opinions came from ESPN’s Keith Olbermann, who took to social media to voice his discontent with Bonds’ receiving this honor from his former team.
The Giants, their owners, their media, and their fans, are among the most sophisticated and intelligent in sports. Their self-hypnosis about this fraud Bonds is amazing and disheartening #Shame https://t.co/0eh6D7h8pY
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 6, 2018
He was wearing armor and stuffed to the gills with illegal and immoral PEDs. He is a fictional character. https://t.co/plK0o66eal
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 6, 2018
For those who know Olbermann, such as Mike Krukow, this take is nothing new. The broadcaster responded to his recent comments on Murph & Mac Thursday morning.
“I don’t agree with it,” Krukow said. “Because we got to watch it. We got to see what Barry Bonds did in 1993 when he put on a Giants uniform for the first time and what he’s done for his whole career or what he did in his whole career as a Giant.”
While many in the baseball world see Bonds as forever tainted by steroid allegations, those in San Francisco see him as the savior of their beloved franchise.
Heading into 1993, there were talks of the Giants relocating to Tampa Bay after losing 90 games in 1992 and becoming only a shadow of the former glory the franchise had in New York.
However, the Giants signed Bonds as a free agent in December 1992 and he proved to be the perfect spark they needed.
He went on to hit 46 home runs that season, which at the time was his career high, and eventually broke the all-time and single-season home run records before his career came to an end in 2007.
His reputation as the most feared at-bat in the major leagues and the excitement he brought to the ballpark, both Candlestick and AT&T, resurrected the Giants and played a key role in keeping them in San Francisco.
“I mentioned this the other day on our little chat, Barry will tease us like ‘hey, I’m the guy who built this ballpark’ in reference to AT&T,” Krukow said. “We kind of laugh, but he’s probably right. If you think about it, in 1993, the Giants had one foot in Tampa. There was no guarantee that the Giants would be here.”
Regardless of their differing opinions, Krukow has always been an admirer of Olbermann’s work and commends him for his educated takes on a wide variety of sports.
“Well I really admire Keith Olbermann,” Krukow said. “He’s one of the opinions I seek. He’s a perspective that’s completely refreshing. I don’t always agree with it, but it’s genuine, it’s heartfelt, and I think he speaks for a lot of people, in regards to the innuendo that has surrounded that generation of player.”
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and start from the beginning for Krukow on Bonds.