(Photo:Stow Family)
Back on Opening Day in Chavez Ravine outside of Dodger Stadium, a man named Bryan Stow, a Giants fan was practically beaten within an inch of his life and suffered a traumatic brain injury at the hands on two Dodgers fans.
The only motive behind the assault was that Stow was a Giants fan, and his two attackers were supporters of the rival team, the Dodgers.
The incident took place in front of Stow's wife and his two children, ages 8 and 12. Several players have contributed money to a foundation they have set up to help Stow and his family, and to hopefully send a message about fan violence in sports. One player went above and beyond much to the shock of the media and the public.
It was announced today that Barry Bonds has pledged to pay for Stow's children's college education. Bonds and the Stow family had met previously, but felt it appropriate to wait until a little more dust settled on the situation. The Stow family are still in the middle of a lawsuit with the Dodgers, and Los Angeles police are still tracking down one of the attackers, but the selflessness showed by Bonds is truly a pleasant surprise.
I mean, I still think Barry Bonds is a cheating bastard who took advantage of his teammates, the fans and the game of baseball itself, but this move by him was one of the classiest things I have seen in a while. Other Giants players have given money to the Stow family, and have supported the fight against fan violence, but a pledge like this has to put the Stow family at ease, and make at least one part of their lives easier, which I'm sure is more appreciated than we could know.
