Major League Baseball all-time home run king Barry Bonds* will appear in a new show called H8R, in which the former San Francisco Giants slugger will confront a fan who hates Bonds and try to convince the fan that he’s actually a good guy. The segment, which Bonds has yet to film, will begin with the fan explaining why he despises the star of the Balco drug trials, then segue to Bonds pleading his case directly to the fan.
Bonds, whose career ended in 2007, is one of the biggest lightning rods in baseball history. A preternaturally gifted athlete, he developed a reputation as surly and arrogant with fans, teammates and the media. He was convicted of obstruction of justice in April, following a trial in which federal prosecutors accused him of knowingly lying about taking performance-enhancing drugs. The jury deadlocked on allegations of perjury.
H8R, which also will feature episodes with Ron Artest, Charles Barkley and Terrell Owens, debuts on the CW network next month and will be hosted by Mario Lopez.
* debatable, especially if you’re Bob Costas.