Barry Bonds is perplexed as to why the New York Yankees are planning to ignore Alex Rodriguez's pursuit of Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list.
A-Rod is just five home runs away from Willie Mays' mark of 660 home runs -- a milestone that will trigger a disputed $6 million bonus in his contract.
Regardless of the financial side of things, Bonds believes that if/when A-Rod catches up with his godfather, Willie Mays, the Yankees should celebrate his accomplishment.
"Anytime anybody in the game does something that's a great accomplishment, the game of baseball should celebrate that," Bonds said to USA Today Sports. "No matter what. Baseball is benefiting from that person's hard work, so baseball should at least celebrate.
"Why the hate? Why hate on something you're paying to see? I don't understand it. He's entertaining us. I wish life wasn't like that."
The Yankees have vowed to fight A-Rod's pending bonus, claiming the accomplishment is worthless because of Rodriguez's drug history and season-long PED suspension in 2014. Barry Bonds isn't buying into that line of thinking.
"This guy is not running for president of the United States,'' Bonds said. "He's not running for commissioner. We're not running for political office. We're just ballplayers. We're not God. We're imperfect people. We're human beings.
"When Alex hits No. 660, I'll be happy for him. Willie will be happy for him. Everybody should be happy for him. ... And I can't wait to until he hits 660. I know I'll celebrate."
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