Reality Is, This Could Be an Act by Bonds

Can a reality series really be a reality series when the series really isn’t sure what the reality is?

That’s just one question posed by ESPN’s “Bonds on Bonds,” a weekly hourlong look at controversial San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds, which debuted Tuesday evening.

Some others:

Are the best interests of baseball being served when its most cherished record is being chased by a hitter widely suspected of juicing his pursuit with performance-enhancing drugs?

Are the best interests of journalism being served when a major news outlet such as ESPN trades on its ability to credibly cover the Bonds story by paying for the dubious privilege of allowing Bonds to put his own spin on that story?

And how much of that story is being left on the cutting-room floor by the production company working in association with Bonds?

This sort of checkbook journalism is enough to bring tears to the eyes of any self-respecting member of the media ... and while we’re on that subject, what are we to make of the scenes of Bonds weeping at the end of the first episode of “Bonds on Bonds”?

With his voice breaking and his right hand mopping up tears, Bonds tells an interviewer, “You don’t see me bringing anybody else into this. I take it myself. (Long pause.) And I’m going to take it. Because there’s so many other people that depend on me. And I think I stand up for them too, it’s not just me.

“They can take me down. Who gives a ... ? I don’t really care. I never care. Baseball, they want to take me down, go right ahead.... I don’t care. But there are so many other people that depend on me to stay strong.

“I wish I could walk away. Like, leave this game. But can I let my father down, my mom down, myself, everybody, my teammates? I don’t need the money.

“I don’t really care. I’ve never really cared about that anyways. I just want to play ball, and that’s just it.

“You’ve got this half of the people that hate you, and then you have this other half that roots for you. Why should I let them down? Why should I let them down for all these other people? Why should I let myself down? Why should I let my kids down? I just can’t do that.”

The sequence makes for gripping viewing. Good television, as they say.

But is any of it real? The tears? The emotion? The Ruthian tug at the heartstrings?

Or is Bonds just playing a role? Acting out a part for the benefit of a public-image salvage project, to say nothing of a sizable paycheck? Bonds is sharing profits with the company producing the series for ESPN, Tollin/Robbins Productions.

That association casts yet one more cloud over Bonds. The series has sparked debate within ESPN over possible conflict of interest, an argument not diluted by the network’s decision to turn the production over to its “original entertainment” division, the same august body responsible for “Hustle,” “Season on the Brink” and “Dream Job.”

Anyone without that knowledge tuning into ESPN2 on Tuesday easily could have assumed the program to be an independently produced news report. All the trappings are there -- footage of the Giants’ season opener against the San Diego Padres, references to the syringe tossed onto the field by a spectator, baseball journalists commenting on the Bonds case and the validity of his home-run chase.

On the surface, “Bonds on Bonds” works hard to avoid puff-piece allegations.

ESPN baseball reporter Peter Gammons is shown commenting, “When Barry passes Ruth, [the steroids controversy] will be a major topic. And I’m sure people in baseball would love for Barry to announce he’s going to retire, and deal with this. But there are certain things you have to deal with.”

There is a reference to a national poll showing that only 49% of baseball fans believe Bonds should be elected to the Hall of Fame, with 46% saying they wish Bonds would immediately retire.

But the strength of such segments is undercut when they serve mainly to create sympathy for Bonds, who is seen laughing at a GQ article about the 10 most hated athletes and wondering how he could have ever finished second behind Terrell Owens.

In a self-promotional commercial aired more than once during the program, Bonds says, “All that you’ve read, all that you’ve heard -- I’ll tell you the truth. I’ll tell you who I am. I’ll tell you what I go through. And I’ll let you into my life. There’s no better person to get it from than me.”

But is anyone believing it?