The commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred, spoke Tuesday at a memorial service for Hank Aaron.
“It was an honor to know one of the best — if not the best — player of all time,” Manfred said. “It was a pleasure to spend time with a man of humility and dignity who helped change America.”
Those descriptions seldom are applied to Barry Bonds, who broke Aaron’s all-time home run record. Aaron won election to the Hall of Fame on his first try, with 98% of the vote.
A few hours after Manfred spoke, Bonds was rejected for the Hall of Fame for the ninth time.