Barry Bonds is still at 753 home runs. He’s got three home games in the next three days (at 10:15, 9:05 and 4:05 PM EDT, respectively), all against the Florida Marlins, to try and break Hank Aaron’s record in front of a friendly crowd. Then the Giants head to SoCal for three games against the hated Dodgers at Chávez Ravine, and three against the Padres.
Oh man! I can’t wait for him to smash the record!!! It is gonna be great! Time for people to accept and embrace the steroid era of baseball. If it weren’t for homeruns from roids the fans never would have come back after the strike.
Thank you, Sammy and Mark! and thank you Barry for saving baseball.
Ballin is one of those Steroids Era apologists who try to equate the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs with Babe Ruth never facing a black pitcher. The fact is Aaron, Ruth, etc, accomplished what they did through sheer talent while Bonds didn’t.
Bonds would have been a great baseball player regardless of Steroids. Unfortunately, like Pete Rose, he has forever tainted his legacy.
If the game had used foul poles when I played Hank and Barry would both still be behind me in the record books.
Oh, and neither could pitch with me either…
There is a reason some feats are labeled Ruthian!
Angrier has identified my feelings correctly.
However, I do hope that this recordbreaking, steroids are performance enhancers, not performance creators. Otherwise, we could all take roids and do what he did. So he did use his own talent. Further, the Babe never face a pitcher who was juicing either (black or white).
While it is a shame, that the godson of Willie Mays engaged in such activity and I would prefer that he not dirty the Giants’ name, this is good for baseball. It will make people accept the reality of what brought baseball back and the price that was paid.
What about Aaron never playing against the Latin ballplayer? What about never playing against the Japanese? Whats the percentage of African Americans in baseball now? Does that effect how you look at todays records?
By the way, in 1927 Ruth hit 60 home runs… more than any other TEAM in the American League. I don’t care who was throwing them… that is remarkable. As someone said earlier… truly RUTHIAN!
Barry Bonds… again something that causes so much controversy.. shocking. It seems people cannot except the fact that Bonds truly is a good player without crediting illegal performance enhancing drugs to justify it. Of course he took them and/or still does. Do other players partake as well? Absolutely. If you don’t believe this you’re kidding yourself. So you see Bonds doesn’t have such an unfair advantage after all all. Given the fact that he is not the only one with an “edge” up on the competition perhaps it may have something to do with the fact the he is also a great player. Ya think?
Too many fans are stuck in the “Babe Ruth” era of baseball. Those players were great and so are alot of players today. Keep in mind Times have changed and so has the game hence so must the players. It’s the same with any sport. Look at the players 40 years ago versus now. Every single one has to be more intense and extreme. The american public isn’t impressed with average performance anymore they want to see extraordinary. You have to have some “shock value” to keep most people interested these days.
BTW - I’m surprised the racists from the “Ian & Chrissy” thread haven’t oozed their way in here to comment. Maybe insulting any other denomination besides white makes them feel a tad bit hypocritical when they are cheering on their favorite players. Fools.
Bonds cheated — he is fraud. Thus his home run record is a fraud. That simple… “Everyone else was doing them” is a bogus excuse… Really? Lets see some proof that all the pitchers throwing to him were on the juice, and all the hitters were on the juice. Proof please… Griffey, ARod — on the juice? Uh..no
Bonds is a great player even without steroids. However, did the steroids a) keep him off of the DL more often? Probably. b) Add just enough zing to get some would-be ground-rule doubles over the warning track and fence? Probably. c) Increase his number of career homers just enough to break the record? Yes. d) Allow him to play into his 40s instead of washing out in his late 30s? Likely.
Another observation about what makes Ruth great. Back in Ruth’s day, the game was really “small ball.” It was all about RBIs, sacrifice flies, etc. It was a manager’s game.
The only way Ruth was allowed to swing for the fences so often was because he played for a damn good team where the homeruns actually resulted in RBIs.
Today, big ball hitters are allowed to try for homeruns for teams in the cellar of their divisions (SF Giants and the Reds, for instance) instead of being team players and trying to actually win games through RBIs, etc.
Bonds cheated — he is fraud. Thus his home run record is a fraud. That simple…
Did he use steroids when they were not allowed in baseball? If so then yes he cheated, if not then, i’m sorry he did what really lots of other players were doing, including some who have been praised (McGuire, Sosa). The steroids didn’t make the talent come out of nowhere as has been mentioned as well.
Am I glad he did it while possibly using steroids? No, not really, but i don’t think its the huge tragedy some people make it out to be because I also believe that the higher ups in the Major League looked the other way while it was happening because it was good for the bottom line. You want to be pissed? Be pissed at Selig and others for not making it against the rules.
Steroids weren’t banned by MLB in the 1990s. However, THEY WERE ILLEGAL. That is why Bonds is being investigated.
If it turns out that Bonds is convicted of the illegal use of performance enhancing drugs, the guy shouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Period.
If Barry Bonds is convicted of something and MLB wants to kick him out, then fine. But Vick isn’t having his TD’s taken away for doing something illegal, Bonds doesn’t need an asterisk by his name if he did something illegal either.
But dog fighting doesn’t help Vick on the field like steroids does for Bonds, so its different! You say.
True, steroids might have affected his play, but 1) he’s not the only one doing it, 2) MLB upper management looked the other way. Even so you say, it was illegal so that means its cheating. And I would have bought that argument up to and until the point that MLB decided to add a specific rule saying that steroid use wasn’t allowed. Before that point I would have bought the argument that hey, it might not have specifically been against the rules like juicing a ball, corking a bat, etc but since its illegal its against the rules too. But MLB decided that it wasn’t enough to be illegal it had to also be outlawed by them as well. If he used SINCE that rule went into effect then yes, absolutely take away his homeruns, but unless you can prove that with atleast some evidence, then i’m sorry but this is the situation that MLB AND its fans allowed to happen and they are just going to have to live the consequences.
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July 27th, 2007 at 2:50:33 am
There’s still time for him to break his legs…
July 27th, 2007 at 11:32:05 am
Oh man! I can’t wait for him to smash the record!!! It is gonna be great! Time for people to accept and embrace the steroid era of baseball. If it weren’t for homeruns from roids the fans never would have come back after the strike.
Thank you, Sammy and Mark! and thank you Barry for saving baseball.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:33:46 am
He will break it this weekend with this homestand.
Ballin - Is it dark in there? Get your head out of your ass.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:07:22 pm
Ballin is one of those Steroids Era apologists who try to equate the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs with Babe Ruth never facing a black pitcher. The fact is Aaron, Ruth, etc, accomplished what they did through sheer talent while Bonds didn’t.
Bonds would have been a great baseball player regardless of Steroids. Unfortunately, like Pete Rose, he has forever tainted his legacy.
July 27th, 2007 at 4:39:48 pm
If the game had used foul poles when I played Hank and Barry would both still be behind me in the record books.
Oh, and neither could pitch with me either…
There is a reason some feats are labeled Ruthian!
July 27th, 2007 at 4:43:57 pm
Just looks at Bonds huge forehead from doing so many steroids. It’s like the screen from a movie theater.
July 27th, 2007 at 5:33:19 pm
Angrier has identified my feelings correctly.
However, I do hope that this recordbreaking, steroids are performance enhancers, not performance creators. Otherwise, we could all take roids and do what he did. So he did use his own talent. Further, the Babe never face a pitcher who was juicing either (black or white).
While it is a shame, that the godson of Willie Mays engaged in such activity and I would prefer that he not dirty the Giants’ name, this is good for baseball. It will make people accept the reality of what brought baseball back and the price that was paid.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:15:05 pm
Ballin,
What about Aaron never playing against the Latin ballplayer? What about never playing against the Japanese? Whats the percentage of African Americans in baseball now? Does that effect how you look at todays records?
July 27th, 2007 at 11:17:30 pm
By the way, in 1927 Ruth hit 60 home runs… more than any other TEAM in the American League. I don’t care who was throwing them… that is remarkable. As someone said earlier… truly RUTHIAN!
July 28th, 2007 at 1:01:53 am
#754 in the books tonight.
July 28th, 2007 at 3:11:52 am
Barry Bonds… again something that causes so much controversy.. shocking. It seems people cannot except the fact that Bonds truly is a good player without crediting illegal performance enhancing drugs to justify it. Of course he took them and/or still does. Do other players partake as well? Absolutely. If you don’t believe this you’re kidding yourself. So you see Bonds doesn’t have such an unfair advantage after all all. Given the fact that he is not the only one with an “edge” up on the competition perhaps it may have something to do with the fact the he is also a great player. Ya think?
Too many fans are stuck in the “Babe Ruth” era of baseball. Those players were great and so are alot of players today. Keep in mind Times have changed and so has the game hence so must the players. It’s the same with any sport. Look at the players 40 years ago versus now. Every single one has to be more intense and extreme. The american public isn’t impressed with average performance anymore they want to see extraordinary. You have to have some “shock value” to keep most people interested these days.
July 28th, 2007 at 3:20:29 am
BTW - I’m surprised the racists from the “Ian & Chrissy” thread haven’t oozed their way in here to comment. Maybe insulting any other denomination besides white makes them feel a tad bit hypocritical when they are cheering on their favorite players. Fools.
July 28th, 2007 at 8:10:17 am
Bonds cheated — he is fraud. Thus his home run record is a fraud. That simple… “Everyone else was doing them” is a bogus excuse… Really? Lets see some proof that all the pitchers throwing to him were on the juice, and all the hitters were on the juice. Proof please… Griffey, ARod — on the juice? Uh..no
July 28th, 2007 at 9:38:00 am
Here’s some thoughts.
Bonds is a great player even without steroids. However, did the steroids a) keep him off of the DL more often? Probably. b) Add just enough zing to get some would-be ground-rule doubles over the warning track and fence? Probably. c) Increase his number of career homers just enough to break the record? Yes. d) Allow him to play into his 40s instead of washing out in his late 30s? Likely.
July 28th, 2007 at 9:44:38 am
Another observation about what makes Ruth great. Back in Ruth’s day, the game was really “small ball.” It was all about RBIs, sacrifice flies, etc. It was a manager’s game.
The only way Ruth was allowed to swing for the fences so often was because he played for a damn good team where the homeruns actually resulted in RBIs.
Today, big ball hitters are allowed to try for homeruns for teams in the cellar of their divisions (SF Giants and the Reds, for instance) instead of being team players and trying to actually win games through RBIs, etc.
July 28th, 2007 at 1:57:42 pm
Bonds cheated — he is fraud. Thus his home run record is a fraud. That simple…
Did he use steroids when they were not allowed in baseball? If so then yes he cheated, if not then, i’m sorry he did what really lots of other players were doing, including some who have been praised (McGuire, Sosa). The steroids didn’t make the talent come out of nowhere as has been mentioned as well.
Am I glad he did it while possibly using steroids? No, not really, but i don’t think its the huge tragedy some people make it out to be because I also believe that the higher ups in the Major League looked the other way while it was happening because it was good for the bottom line. You want to be pissed? Be pissed at Selig and others for not making it against the rules.
July 28th, 2007 at 3:49:11 pm
Steroids weren’t banned by MLB in the 1990s. However, THEY WERE ILLEGAL. That is why Bonds is being investigated.
If it turns out that Bonds is convicted of the illegal use of performance enhancing drugs, the guy shouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Period.
July 28th, 2007 at 5:33:58 pm
David K-
Last time I looked, dog fighting wasn’t against NFL rules. Maybe the NFL shouldn’t do anything about Vick.
July 28th, 2007 at 5:51:45 pm
Actually McGuire and Sosa have both been criticized for taking steroids, and neither will be a first round Hall of Famer.
July 28th, 2007 at 6:03:41 pm
Last time I looked, dog fighting wasn’t against NFL rules. Maybe the NFL shouldn’t do anything about Vick.
Maybe they shouldn’t, maybe they should let the courts decide it first.
July 28th, 2007 at 7:41:04 pm
David K-
And yet the NFL is doing something about Vick. Maybe MLB should follow its example.
July 28th, 2007 at 11:01:55 pm
If Barry Bonds is convicted of something and MLB wants to kick him out, then fine. But Vick isn’t having his TD’s taken away for doing something illegal, Bonds doesn’t need an asterisk by his name if he did something illegal either.
But dog fighting doesn’t help Vick on the field like steroids does for Bonds, so its different! You say.
True, steroids might have affected his play, but 1) he’s not the only one doing it, 2) MLB upper management looked the other way. Even so you say, it was illegal so that means its cheating. And I would have bought that argument up to and until the point that MLB decided to add a specific rule saying that steroid use wasn’t allowed. Before that point I would have bought the argument that hey, it might not have specifically been against the rules like juicing a ball, corking a bat, etc but since its illegal its against the rules too. But MLB decided that it wasn’t enough to be illegal it had to also be outlawed by them as well. If he used SINCE that rule went into effect then yes, absolutely take away his homeruns, but unless you can prove that with atleast some evidence, then i’m sorry but this is the situation that MLB AND its fans allowed to happen and they are just going to have to live the consequences.