Barry Lamar Bonds

[WilliamTell]

Congrats Barry!

[zimne piwo]

Not to rehash a horse that has been beaten, but my goodness -- it would be so f***ing awesome to have him chasing 800 next season in a Sox uniform.

 

 

Good God no! I said it before and I'll say it again... BUCK FARROID!!!!!!

[witesoxfan]

Good God no! I said it before and I'll say it again... BUCK FARROID!!!!!!

 

...because it would be terrible if the Sox signed one player and instantly put themselves in contention next year.

[Linnwood]

...because it would be terrible if the Sox signed one player and instantly put themselves in contention next year.

 

 

Yeah, 'cause BB has so put the Giants in contention this year...

[witesoxfan]

Yeah, 'cause BB has so put the Giants in contention this year...

 

If they had anything offensively around him, they'd be just fine. Quite frankly, when you're second best hitter is Ryan Klesko, you never had a shot at competing in the first place. They have arguably the best hitter of this era in their lineup, 2 average hitters, and 5 well below average starters to go along with a pretty mediocre bench. I don't think God could make the 2007 Giants a competing team.

 

I mean, the Cardinals are 7 games under .500 and I'm not going to turn Pujols down because they suck. You're talking about two guys who can bring garbage to bad, bad to mediocre, mediocre to good, and good to great. Without Bonds, the Giants would probably be 20-30 games under .500 right now, and that's just how bad they really are.

 

You put Bonds on a team with some actual talent - and I feel funny saying that because the White Sox have like the least talented team in the AL Central - and he will almost instantly make that offense a force.

[Texsox]

I found it to be a sad moment for baseball. Barry, Mark, and Sammy were used by baseball to bring back the fans. Players, coaches, and owners knew these guys, and many more, were abusing their bodies, and spitting on the image of baseball, but it was selling tickets. Barry's *record* is still amazing, but will always be tainted. As noted earlier Bonds can make a good team great, a fitting metaphor for the drugs he was taking. He went from great to the all time home run record by cheating.

 

For memorable baseball moments in my lifetime, I'd prefer September 6, 1995. Another legend's "record that would never be broken" fell, but by someone who kids could look up to and could look himself in the mirror without shame.

[kapkomet]

I found it to be a sad moment for baseball. Barry, Mark, and Sammy were used by baseball to bring back the fans. Players, coaches, and owners knew these guys, and many more, were abusing their bodies, and spitting on the image of baseball, but it was selling tickets. Barry's *record* is still amazing, but will always be tainted. As noted earlier Bonds can make a good team great, a fitting metaphor for the drugs he was taking. He went from great to the all time home run record by cheating.

 

For memorable baseball moments in my lifetime, I'd prefer September 6, 1995. Another legend's "record that would never be broken" fell, but by someone who kids could look up to and could look himself in the mirror without shame.

I remember that game well. 2-1-3-1

 

[GoSox05]

I'm just glad it's over, I was really sick of hearing about it. I think the homerun record is overrated. It lasted like 33 years and it takes 20 some odd years to break. So when you think about it, that's not that long.

 

I think other records in baseball are way more unbreakable. Like do you see anyone anytime soon breaking Ricky Henderson's stolen base record or the strikeout record?

[WCSox]

Wow. Barry may be a complete jerk and the increased size of his noggin clearly shows that he was using illegal performance-enhancers. But I have to give him props for being the greatest position player of my generation (with apologies to A-Rod, who is still relatively young). Even before he began using the juice, he had 400 HRs, 400 SBs, and 3 MVPs... and that's first-ballot HOF material on its own. Too bad that Barry made himself so unlikeable.

 

I was surprised to see Hank give that videotaped message on the JumboTron. That was classy, even if Barry didn't really deserve it. What was lacking in class was the qualifier that Selig put on the end of his "congratulatory" statement. Considering that Selig conveniently looked the other way when steroid-fueled players were making his league tons of money, it was also downright hypocritical.

 

[kapkomet]

Wow. Barry may be a complete jerk and the increased size of his noggin clearly shows that he was using illegal performance-enhancers. But I have to give him props for being the greatest position player of my generation (with apologies to A-Rod, who is still relatively young). Even before he began using the juice, he had 400 HRs, 400 SBs, and 3 MVPs... and that's first-ballot HOF material on its own. Too bad that Barry made himself so unlikeable.

 

I was surprised to see Hank give that videotaped message on the JumboTron. That was classy, even if Barry didn't really deserve it. What was lacking in class was the qualifier that Selig put on the end of his "congratulatory" statement. Considering that Selig conveniently looked the other way when steroid-fueled players were making his league tons of money, it was also downright hypocritical.

Selig is an asshole. Period.

 

[greasywheels121]

Youtube is f***ing awesome.

 

[whitesoxfan101]

This is on Selig moreso than Bonds. On Bonds, to be honest, if Bonds were just a jerk, or even "just" a bad guy, I could still appreciate and enjoy last night, but I know that the reason it happened was not natural, so I couldn't. The one thing I hold against Bonds is this: had he never touched steroids, he STILL ends up the only 500/500 player ever, and more than likely ends up the only 600/600 player ever IMO, along with like 4 MVP's, a dozen gold gloves, 18 all star games or whatever....he didn't NEED steroids to be arguably the greatest ever, he'd have been that without them. So, in that regard, I'll never forgive nor understand why Bonds did it. I can understand a fringe major leaguer who wants to stick and make money becoming a science project, but not Bonds. I wish he had gone the route that Griffey did and ignored the juice, but it's too late now obviously.

 

Getting back to the main point here though, which is the true man to blame is Bud Selig. As TexSox perfectly put it, he used guys like Sosa, McGwire, Bonds, etc to bring fans back to the park. First, Selig allowed a league with a long history of labor issues to have a strike SO BAD that the freaking World Series was cancelled, and thus a lot of fans lost interest. Then, he comes back with a monopoly system that makes it almost impossible to win without a big payroll, thus the Yankees win every year almost. Then of course, he wants fans to somehow through all that come back to the parks, so he ignores all ideas of steroid and performance enhancing drug testing and you end up with a science project instead of baseball games. Some people might say Bonds is the face of the steroid era, others might say McGwire and Sosa in '98, even others might say guys like Brady Anderson and Luis Gonzalez, who went from average/below average players to 50 home run hitters thanks to the juice are the face of this era. But to me, the face of this era is that of a clueless Bud Selig, who has ruined man great records, including now the greatest in sports, thanks to his own ignorance. The players made the choice to do all the steroids and such yes, but if Selig weren't an idiot, they'd have never had that choice. What a damn shame.

Edited August 8, 2007 by whitesoxfan101

[Balta1701]

I don't know if this is a comment on Bonds, Selig, the game itself, or what...but here's my thoughts.

 

Last night, during the Colbert Report, I tuned in to ESPN2 during a commercial break and saw Bonds up to bat. I decided I'd rather not see it if anything happened. I literally turned the TV away from the Giants game during the at bat where he broke the record.

 

I grew up a fan of baseball. Loved it when ESPN used to show the replays of the old black & white home run derby's from the 60's. Knew the record books quite well. Saw the clip of Aaron more times than I can count.

 

And yet, I had absolutely no urge to either watch the greatest record in the sport be broken or to hear anything about it afterwards.

 

I hate this. All of it. This should be something I would enjoy. Love. Etc. F***ing cheaters and their enablers.

[Steff]

"I just hope he didn't get hurt," Bonds said after the game, which the Giants lost 8-6 to the Washington Nationals. He said he had no interest in getting the ball back for himself.

 

"I don't want the ball," Bonds said. "I've never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it's his."

 

 

 

www.yahoosports.com

 

 

What a jag.

 

[whitesoxfan101]

"I just hope he didn't get hurt," Bonds said after the game, which the Giants lost 8-6 to the Washington Nationals. He said he had no interest in getting the ball back for himself.

 

"I don't want the ball," Bonds said. "I've never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it's his."

www.yahoosports.com

What a jag.

 

To be honest, I've never disliked him for any reason other than steroids. He strikes me overall as a decent guy who just so happens to hate the media, thus getting a bad reputation in that regard. But hey, if I dealt with the media like he's had to for 21 years, I'd probably hate them too. I just think his one flaw is the classic "invisible athlete" mindset he has, which is what probably led him to take illegal stuff, think he could get away with it, and still think even now he wasn't wrong to do it since so many others did.

[Steff]

To be honest, I've never disliked him for any reason other than steroids. He strikes me overall as a decent guy who just so happens to hate the media, thus getting a bad reputation in that regard. But hey, if I dealt with the media like he's had to for 21 years, I'd probably hate them too. I just think his one flaw is the classic "invisible athlete" mindset he has, which is what probably led him to take illegal stuff, think he could get away with it, and still think even now he wasn't wrong to do it since so many others did.

 

 

He's very much like Frank Thomas as far as his personality.

 

 

[WCSox]

He's very much like Frank Thomas as far as his personality.

 

I've never heard Frank tell kids asking for autographs to "shut the f up." Frank has a massive ego and can be a bit mercurial at times, but I've never heard of his treating a fan badly. Can't say the same for Barry.

 

Edited August 8, 2007 by WCSox

[NorthSideSox72]

boooooooo.

 

Too bad this sad moment had to happen. I agree with Balta on that. Baseball is worse off for it. The sooner someone else breaks that number, the better.

 

And I am very, very glad that Bonds won't be in a Sox uniform.

 

[Balta1701]

Too bad this sad moment had to happen. I agree with Balta on that. Baseball is worse off for it. The sooner someone else breaks that number, the better.

Go get em ARod, Albert.

[Steff]

I've never heard Frank to tell kids asking for autographs to "shut the f up."

 

 

I've never heard Bonds do it either, and I've met the man and gotten his autograph over a dozen times at a park and away from a park.

[WCSox]

I've never heard Bonds do it either, and I've met the man and gotten his autograph over a dozen times at a park and away from a park.

 

Barry's not-always-nice treatment of fans (and people in general) is pretty well-documented. I've also read that he can be an incredibly generous and caring person at times. It sounds like he has some psychological issues where he alternates Jeckel-and-Hyde-style between Frank on a good day and Albert Belle on a bad day.

Edited August 8, 2007 by WCSox

[Steff]

Barry's not-always-nice treatment of fans (and people in general) is pretty well-documented. I've also read that he can be an incredibly generous and caring person at times. It sounds like he has some psychological issues where he alternates Jeckel-and-Hyde-style between Frank on a good day and Albert Belle on a bad day.

 

 

They all have mental issues. Some more severe than others.

A mix between Frank and Albert I would agree is very close to what I have seen over the years.

[AirScott]

I've never heard Bonds do it either, and I've met the man and gotten his autograph over a dozen times at a park and away from a park.

There's plenty of instances of Bonds being a jerk to fans. There was an ESPN.com spring training article a few years ago that began with an anecdote about Ray Durham arriving and being met by a bunch of fans asking for autographs, and he obliged. When Barry showed up, he yelled or said something to the effect of "Don't you people have lives?" But there's also plenty of stories about him being gracious and kind to people. When I read Jeff Pearlman's Love Me, Hate Me, I would hate Bonds one moment and almost like him a few pages or a chapter later.

 

As for the record...it sucks that it came to this, it's very likely Bonds did use performance-enhancing drugs (I think he did). But he hasn't tested positive, and he wouldn't have even been breaking the rules of the game until 2002. If they put an asterisk next to this record, or wipe it clean, the same has to be done for EVERYTHING from about 1980 to 2004.

Edited August 8, 2007 by AirScott

[WCSox]

They all have mental issues. Some more severe than others.

 

Yep. Show me a pro athlete without a massive ego and an occasional mean streak and I'll show you a someone who won't be playing at the professional level for very long.

 

FWIW, a former roommate of mine played college ball with a guy who ended up in the Orioles farm system. Apparently this guy got called up one day back in the late '90s and, when walking out to RF one day, Cal Ripken completely b****ed him out for (gasp!) walking across the dirt on the left side of the infield. Even the nicest guys in professional sports can act like complete asses at times.

 

[AirScott]

Yep. Show me a pro athlete without a massive ego and an occasional mean streak and I'll show you a someone who won't be playing at the professional level for very long.

 

FWIW, a former roommate of mine played college ball with a guy who ended up in the Orioles farm system. Apparently this guy got called up one day back in the late '90s and, when walking out to RF one day, Cal Ripken completely b****ed him out for (gasp!) walking across the dirt on the left side of the infield. Even the nicest guys in professional sports can act like complete asses at times.

I forget where, but I've heard/read a lot of that kind of stuff about Ripken.