A Young Barry Bonds’ Arrogant Attitude Lost Him a Prestigious Award That Was Seemingly in the Bag

Barry Bonds is famous for his contact making abilities. Bonds’ home run records still stand tall for MLB fans to see and while controversial, few deny his raw ability. And yet, his relations with the media and the general public remain strenuous. While a top performer of the league for years, Bonds has not had the same luck with the sport fans, and this seems to have been an early habit.

Barry Bonds had baseball in his blood. With his father featuring in the Major Leagues for some years, Barry’s initiation into the sport started young. And even while excelling at the sport, some habits caught on early for the young star, even costing him some major honors along the way. Author John Bloom recounts one such instance in the star’s life in his book ‘Barry Bonds – A Biography‘.

Barry Bonds Missed Out On Key Recognition

Barry Bonds was a key part of the Junipero Serra High School lineup. And he proved it every time at home plate. According to author John Bloom’s account on Page 9, Bonds maintained an impressive batting average of 0.462 during his senior year at Serra High.

However, despite this remarkable performance, he missed out on being named the Most Valuable Player in the school’s batting lineup. His former teammate Dave Canziani mentions, “That had to do with the fact that Barry was perceived even then to be cocky and arrogant. . . . He clearly deserved the award.” Even then, the star carried an aura that was hard to shake for the general public.

Read More: Giants Legend Barry Bonds Had the Most Wholesome but Surprising Celebration When He Created History in 2001

In fact, while Bonds could be drafted that year, right out of high school, he missed out on signing with the Giants for a measly $5,000 difference in signing amounts.

Bonds’ School and Collegiate Career

Bonds may have declared for the draft riding the wave of his high school success, but he didn’t. That’s just how the chips fell into place. That didn’t mean, however, that the star had dampened his hopes and dreams.

Bonds instead headed to Arizona State University, where his distant cousin, Reggie Jackson, had also played. Bonds got his revenge, too. Leading his college to the 1983 NCAA College World Series and even being named the Regional Most Valuable Player in 1983.

All this is nothing to say about the star sluggers illustrious Major League career which saw him capture 7 MVPs and the all time home run record. He was, however, unable to win over the media even despite a distinguished career in the Major League.

But what do you think? Was the treatment meted out to Bonds fair? Or do you think he made it tougher on the media to like him?

Watch This Story: From Unforeseen Beginnings to Unstoppable Greatness – The Story of Barry Bonds