barry bonds

[russ257]

does barry bonds annoy anyone else i mean it seems like it's all i hear about. and they keep coming up with meaningless HR statistics like if you add together father/son homeruns bonds and his dad have 1000. I think that the balls today are juiced hitting a homerun today isnt the same as it was back in the day. Also the players are juiced. I think the drug testing issue is stupid. I have to take a drug test for my job so why should a baseball player. If you're on steroids too bad you dont deserve to play. If I was bonds i would step foreward and take a drug test but he wont cause he uses steroids. just my 2cents

[Stang2Vibe]

I remember him well when he played here with the Pirates. He was a tremendously talented player who had a terrible attitude about playing here. Every time he played here again after he got traded, he'd get booed at just about every at bat. I'm sure he takes a good bit of heckling from the fans in the outfield, too.

[Fformula88]

Bonds is a terrific talent, and he will get this attention until he retires. Steroids or not, he is now #3 all time in home runs, certainly a tremendous feat. Just the fact he has been healthy enough to get the at bats. Nobody can even get him out anymore. Throw the ball over the plate and he crushes it. Steroids may be a factor, and maybe juiced balls, but home run production has gone way up as a result of two things in baseball. Lighter bats, and new ban-box ballparks.The weight of bats used years ago were way heavier than what these players use today. Now it is common to see a player break the bat at the handle, I have even seen them snap on check swings without contacting the ball. They have the handles shaved razor thin, and cups dug out of the ends to lighten them up. This allows greater bat speed and hence, the ability to hit the ball farther. A lot of people believe that power comes from a heavier bat, but that is a falacy. The weight of the bat isn't the issue, it is bat speed. An even bigger factor is the ballparks. Some of the top sluggers may be on steroids, but everyone isn't. Yet home runs are up for everyone, not just the top couple players like bonds. It is because they have replaced a lot of pitchers parks the last ten years with smaller parks because you get more home runs. Fans like homers, so bring in the fences. Good pitchers parks like the Astrodome have been replaced with Minute Maid park and its left field pennant porch. Colorado and Phoenix's high altitude make their stadiums launching pads. PNC park has a pennant porch in right field, Comerica brought in the fences for more home runs, as did Bush stadium, Cincinnati's new park is an easier homer than Riverfront was, the Candlestick was a tough park, but the Giants new stadium isn't, and on and on. Wrigley Field used to lead the league in home runs allowed each year and was considered a hitters park, the last few years it has been mid-pak, even with Sosa laucching balls out.Jay Bell even had a 40 homer season a couple years ago. He wasn't on steroids. He played in Phoenix. Since most of these parks cannot really be expanded, increased homers are here to stay.Still, Bonds will hit well over 700 when he is done. He is a jerk and I cannot stand him. Yet, he is one of the best all around hitters the game has seen, and certainly the best hitter of his generation (for combined average/power/speed).

[drunkenmaxx]

i hate bonds. i just wanna rip that ugly gay earring out of his ear!

[Mr. Poopypants]

I hate Bonds as well, Anyone can hit that many home runs when smacked up on the juice. JK. I don't like Bonds because he is an arrogant A-Hole.

[Psychobroker]

I'm a Dodger fan, so I don't like the Giants in general. However, I DO have a ton of respect and appreciation for Bonds - his swing is the most beautiful in the game IMHO. What an accomplishment it was to pass his uncle (Mays), and hit 73 in '01 - the bambino's only 46 dings away...he could even do it this season. Those are HUGE accomplishments, steroids or not. Eventually, he will be the "King of Swing".

[drunkenmaxx]

do you have any idea how bad it sucked being a cardinal fan and watching mcgwire (sp?) beat the record, only to have bonds take it right after??

[Psychobroker]

I bet I like Mark as well...that race w/ Sosa was amazing. But Bonds earned it fair and square.

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by Fformula88 »PNC park has a pennant porch in right field,pennant porch or not, players have started hitting homers OUT of the stadium altogether and into the Allegheny River---ON THE FLY!!!

[goodvibe]

Steroids are cheating, plain and simple. I know in baseball that if you don't get caught, nobody usually minds but this is way past a spit ball. Unless every player took steroids, there is no way to messure his accomplishments against his peers. With a sport that is so bound to history and records for comparison something like taking steroids devalues all that went before. Everyone hates cheaters but somehow Bonds gets a pass from many. I'm from Chicago and also thought Sosa (also juiced) got off easy for his corked bat. This stuff teaches kids that it's alright to cheat. You don't justify the means by the end and if you don't believe he's done steroids, you're in denial.

[redlava]

I like Bonds as an athlete. Personally I don't believe that he was taking any illegal steroids. Probably the same stuff that Mcguire took. Which is still legal I believe, or it has just been banned by baseball, not sure. But you have to admit the man is amazing, he has hit like 130 homeruns in about 2 seasons, and he is in his late 30's. His awareness at the plate and his ability to hit fastballs I believe is most of the reason for his success over the last few years. He will go down as one of the best hitters in baseball when he retires.

[Fformula88]

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »do you have any idea how bad it sucked being a cardinal fan and watching mcgwire (sp?) beat the record, only to have bonds take it right after??It wasn't as bad as being a Cubs fan and watching Sosa jump into the lead late in the year, only to have McGuire fo on a home run binge the last week of the season to take the lead back and set the record at 70, leaving Sosa second at 66. Then to go through the next year and watch McGuire win the HR title again 65 to 63 over Sosa. Then as a final last straw, have Sosa manage to hit 65 HR's two years later, and watch Bonds belt out 73 to leave Sosa with 3 60 HR seasons, and not one HR title among them. You had the record holder at least for a short time, I have no pity for the Cardinals fans.