Barry Bonds Home Run Record

[ScottB]

I am not a fan of Bonds and never have been. I do think he cheated and is guilty along with many, many, many other players. I feel like it doesnt matter at all that he broke the record, and I am glad that it will be broken again before this decade is over. A- Rod is my guess. Hopefully the storm that follows A-Rod involving Jose Canseco is not true and we can get behind a player that is not known as a bad guy.

What do you think?

[barfle]

What I think is that I stopped caring about major league baseball when they had a strike that caused the world series to be cancelled. I have little sympathy for crybaby millionaires.

I still love baseball, but now I go to minor league games. The level of play is pretty darn good, and the level of hustle is far, far superior. And you get good seats for $5.

[Shapley]

The problem is simply that Bonds wasn't discharged when he broke the rules long ago. Had they done so, we wouldn't face this dilemma now. Do we honour a man who we know to have cheated?

[ScottB]

I do the same thing. My team is the Red Sox which happens to be one of the most expensive parks in the majors. I find myself at the Rock Cats games a lot. They are a Double A team located two towns from Hartford.

[jamiebk]

The problem is simply that Bonds wasn't discharged when he broke the rules long ago. Had they done so, we wouldn't face this dilemma now. Do we honour a man who we know to have cheated?

Until he is found guity in a court of law...yes. Not guilty until proven so is our measure. Unfortunately, no one has ever conclusively pinned the steroid rap on him...he has been tried in a court of public opinion and by the press. The whole HR record thing is rather "ho hum" to me.

[Shapley]

Until he is found guity in a court of law...yes. Not guilty until proven so is our measure. Unfortunately, no one has ever conclusively pinned the steroid rap on him...he has been tried in a court of public opinion and by the press. The whole HR record thing is rather "ho hum" to me.

Not true. Major League Baseball has the right to dismiss players who are found to have used illegal substances, without due process. We're seeing the same thing in the Tour de France with Landis, et. al. They will be deprived of their standing without a 'court of law' ruling, only a ruling by whatever board is in place to decide such things.

Like a civil court, apparently, there is no great 'burden of proof'.

However, since it was determined not to dismiss him, we have to accept that his record stands. I'm sure there were times Mr. Ruth broke rules that could have resulted in his dismissal, but didn't. Once the decision not to dismiss is made, what follows, follows.

V/R
Shapley

[barfle]

I don't know if Barry Bonds is a steroid user or not. He's been in the majors for 20 years, and I doubt if you can keep that sort of thing going on drugs.

I have heard many reports about him being a seriously anti-social person - not a nice guy. Sometimes this is a side-effect of steroids, as I'm also told, but being unfamiliar with the territory, I'm dependent on the information from others who claim knowledge.

But records are kept so we know when they are broken. Whether a detested Yankee or a beloved Cub breaks them is what we really care about.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Barry Bonds. Drying paint. Growing grass.

:yawn:

[Shapley]

All I'm saying is that, decades ago players were dismissed for actions that, by todays standards, were pretty tame. They were dismissed because their actions were thought to bring discredit to the game. One of these players, perhaps, could have broken Mr. Aarons' record long ago, but the standards were different in those days. If his infractions warranted dismissal, he should have been dismissed. Since he was not, we have to accept that his accomplishments are valid, and his record stands. No asterisk, no disclaimer.

I believe Scott's comments were that, now that baseball is big business, we say 'to Hell with standards', if Bonds can pack the stands, we keep him in scandal or no scandal. We live in different times, with different standards. I doubt many of the heroes of the past could stand up to the investigations of today. If we put every player under the microscope and dismissed them for their infractions, there would be no baseball.

Whether or not this is to the detriment of us, I can't say. In the long run, it'll probably make no difference. People hate to see records fall, but fall they must.

[ScottB]

There is no doubt there have been cheaters for as long as sports has been around. We are now in an era of ridiculous contracts and huge endorsment contracts. Every athlete is looking for an edge over the other. Some people decide it is a good idea to hire a childhood freind as a strength coach that just so happens to be in a working realtionship with a know distributer of performance enhancing drugs.

This same person can be seen on the field after the 1998 homerun chase between McGwire and Sosa as a different person. Bonds showed up to spring training with a different body. His hat size grew and his foot size grew and he was somewhere in the 35 year old range. He claims he started his strength program earlier and thats why he looks so different.

I dont know much about anatomy but I have never heard of any person that has had their head and feet grow after 35. Seem fishy to me. Not only that the same year he came to spring training with his "new look" he hit 73 home runs and broke the record set the previous year. There are also stories of Bonds not liking the fact that Mcgwire and Sosa got all the attention when Bonds had a MVP season that same year.

He is not the only one cheating but he is the only one that has broke the most prized record in sports and thats why he has had so much attention.

[jamiebk]

There is no doubt there have been cheaters for as long as sports has been around. We are now in an era of ridiculous contracts and huge endorsment contracts. Every athlete is looking for an edge over the other. Some people decide it is a good idea to hire a childhood freind as a strength coach that just so happens to be in a working realtionship with a know distributer of performance enhancing drugs.

This same person can be seen on the field after the 1998 homerun chase between McGwire and Sosa as a different person. Bonds showed up to spring training with a different body. His hat size grew and his foot size grew and he was somewhere in the 35 year old range. He claims he started his strength program earlier and thats why he looks so different.

I dont know much about anatomy but I have never heard of any person that has had their head and feet grow after 35. Seem fishy to me. Not only that the same year he came to spring training with his "new look" he hit 73 home runs and broke the record set the previous year. There are also stories of Bonds not liking the fact that Mcgwire and Sosa got all the attention when Bonds had a MVP season that same year.

He is not the only one cheating but he is the only one that has broke the most prized record in sports and thats why he has had so much attention.

Very well said....

[OperaTenor]

Barry Bonds. Drying paint. Growing grass.

:yawn:

[barfle]

While it's hard for me to get enthusiastic about Barry Bonds, and while I'm no golf fan, Tiger Woods is closing in on Arnold Palmer's victory record, and Tiger's still pretty young.

At least Tiger seems like a nice guy.

[BigJon@Work]

His hat size grew and his foot size grew and he was somewhere in the 35 year old range. He claims he started his strength program earlier and thats why he looks so different.

I dont know much about anatomy but I have never heard of any person that has had their head and feet grow after 35. Seem fishy to me.

Portions of our heads, feet and hands can grow throughout our lifetime. The bones never really fuse. Look up Acromegaly for an extreme example.

[ScottB]

His hat size grew and his foot size grew and he was somewhere in the 35 year old range. He claims he started his strength program earlier and thats why he looks so different.

I dont know much about anatomy but I have never heard of any person that has had their head and feet grow after 35. Seem fishy to me.

Portions of our heads, feet and hands can grow throughout our lifetime. The bones never really fuse. Look up Acromegaly for an extreme example.

The game of shadows book has the stats as his shoe size grew 2.5 sizes 10.5 to 13 since 93, his shirt size from a 42 to a 52 and his cap size from 7 1/8 to 7 1/4 and he is shaving his head bald now. Thats major league growth.

Here is the link i got the info from. With mention of Acromegaly.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17384233/

[jamiebk]

Does anyone really believe that Bonds DIDN'T do steroids? The question is whether it matters to us.

To me, whether it's the Tour de France or MLB, it's cheating. Steroids are "performance enhancing drugs". However, one must have the talent and drive for them to be effective and make a difference in that performance.

[BigJon@Work]

To grow to the numbers that are quoted in the article, he was probably taking HGH, not just steriods.

[Trumpetmaster]

The only thing that's grown over the years is my expanding waistline...
due to my love for food...


I thought you shrunk with age.....

[BigJon@Work]

Well, the doctor says I need to shrink, or I won't age. So I'm beginning my new diet this week.

[Ghostman]

To grow to the numbers that are quoted in the article, he was probably taking HGH, not just steriods.

I also believe he used HGH, but "not to his knowledge"

I live, breath, and "eat" baseball. (literally, read past posts) Barry Bonds, surliness and all, WAS one of my favorite players. I use to make winning arguments as to why he is/was the best ball player of all times. Even subtracting the last five years, I can still make the case. I've had serious practice defending the "Bad Guys". I live in Cincinnati and defended Pete Rose.

The shameful thing about Bonds is he didn't need medicated help to get the large contracts. He hit 40-40 twice when only one other person in the history of the game did it once, and when Barry was still the skinny phenom. If going to the Hall of Fame was is goal, he’d have made it with his own talent. If stats were his goal, I believe he would have made that too, but with longevity, and not Ultra-seasons. The “junk” he put in his body, and the weight he gained destroyed his longevity. He’s played a long time (22 seasons) but it is coming to a painful-to-watch end. I truly believe he could have played another five after this one.

Enhanced Barry Bonds had to face enhanced insert pitcher X name here while hitting those home runs. To think that pitchers weren’t using as well is ridicules. No excuse, but hitting a fast ball is considered one of the most difficult tasks. (according to sports writers.)

For the record Alex Rodriguez is on pace to break the record in 2013, in is 19th season. He is a whopping 78 home runs ahead of Aaron at this stage in his career, and 109 in front of Bonds. Alex is also a 40-40 guy.

It’s a shame Ken Griffey Jr. had all those injury years, or I think we would be talking about him nearing the record. And to think the both Alex and Ken came through the same minor league system. Someone needs to find that bating coach and give him a major league contract.

~Kevin