3 > 25
So I have gone around and around on this in my head for the last couple weeks watching the media stroke Barry Bonds in his quest for 714 and 715. One thing is absolutely clear in my mind after all of this, Barry Bonds is not worthy of the record books. Period.
I am sure that a lot of people will think, duh, yeah we know that but stop and think about it. The beauty of baseball is that everything is statistically linked. Every hit comes from a pitcher who has an ERA and is played on a certain day of the week at home or away. The nerd in me loves this stuff. But take away any particular player or play from the game and the ripple effect through history and the records is magnified. You just cant pull Barry from the books as I simply dont know if that is fair to the game as it changes history. However, the fact that Bonds is VERY likely guilty of taking a substance which in some way gave him a synthetic edge is deplorable and he certainly deserves to be stripped. He is a cheater and does not deserve the honor of playing the game.
But what do you do? What is the answer for baseball? I would argue that baseball has brought it on their selves but I will leave that for another rant later. Some people argue for the asterisks but what does that REALLY mean historically. If that is given then technically he still holds the place on the books which I feel is wrong. I just dont know what the right thing is here.
So I am watching ESPN today and there is an interview with Bonds on which he is asked some pointed questions on how he would feel if there were a mark beside his name on the books or if he was wiped from the records. Of course he plays the victim and expresses that he would be emotionally hurt. Tough, I wont be crying for ya. But he also expressed excitement for what Pujols is doing this season and in some ways I could hear something different in his voice. Here is a man that actually sounds like he is taking the blame for his actions and if you ask me, I dont think that Barry would choose the same path with the media or with synthetic substances. That is a first. I have never heard that from him ever. Ever. Something is changing with this man, but I am afraid that it is far, far too late. One thing is clear in all of this with me though and that is that Barry does not ever deserve to be in the Hall. A friend of mine said it quite well that if Pete Rose is held out for what he did off the field, then surely Bonds has to be held to an even stricter standard.
I will never forget as a child the wonder of baseball. I grew up a huge Atlanta Braves fan. I remember not missing a single Braves game and actually scoring them for a while by hand. Also, being from Mobile, Hank Aaron was a god and I always marveled at him. I still have a signed baseball somewhere at home from him. My beloved 44 is next in the sights of Bonds and it hurts. It just hurts.
I think we can all agree (Yankee and Red Sox fans alike) that seeing the Babe fall to Bonds is tragic. Maybe "tragic" does not even fully capture it. But one thing is true according to Booster's math, 3 will always be greater than 25.
I am sure that a lot of people will think, duh, yeah we know that but stop and think about it. The beauty of baseball is that everything is statistically linked. Every hit comes from a pitcher who has an ERA and is played on a certain day of the week at home or away. The nerd in me loves this stuff. But take away any particular player or play from the game and the ripple effect through history and the records is magnified. You just cant pull Barry from the books as I simply dont know if that is fair to the game as it changes history. However, the fact that Bonds is VERY likely guilty of taking a substance which in some way gave him a synthetic edge is deplorable and he certainly deserves to be stripped. He is a cheater and does not deserve the honor of playing the game.
But what do you do? What is the answer for baseball? I would argue that baseball has brought it on their selves but I will leave that for another rant later. Some people argue for the asterisks but what does that REALLY mean historically. If that is given then technically he still holds the place on the books which I feel is wrong. I just dont know what the right thing is here.
So I am watching ESPN today and there is an interview with Bonds on which he is asked some pointed questions on how he would feel if there were a mark beside his name on the books or if he was wiped from the records. Of course he plays the victim and expresses that he would be emotionally hurt. Tough, I wont be crying for ya. But he also expressed excitement for what Pujols is doing this season and in some ways I could hear something different in his voice. Here is a man that actually sounds like he is taking the blame for his actions and if you ask me, I dont think that Barry would choose the same path with the media or with synthetic substances. That is a first. I have never heard that from him ever. Ever. Something is changing with this man, but I am afraid that it is far, far too late. One thing is clear in all of this with me though and that is that Barry does not ever deserve to be in the Hall. A friend of mine said it quite well that if Pete Rose is held out for what he did off the field, then surely Bonds has to be held to an even stricter standard.
I will never forget as a child the wonder of baseball. I grew up a huge Atlanta Braves fan. I remember not missing a single Braves game and actually scoring them for a while by hand. Also, being from Mobile, Hank Aaron was a god and I always marveled at him. I still have a signed baseball somewhere at home from him. My beloved 44 is next in the sights of Bonds and it hurts. It just hurts.
I think we can all agree (Yankee and Red Sox fans alike) that seeing the Babe fall to Bonds is tragic. Maybe "tragic" does not even fully capture it. But one thing is true according to Booster's math, 3 will always be greater than 25.
posted by Booster MPS at
9:39 PM
5 Comments:
Couldn't agree more. On all points. I remember growing up a huge Braves fan too, and I can't even watch the sport anymore. For me, baseball has lost any "magic" it once had, and it's a damn shame too.
MC Hammer [yes, the MC Hammer has a blog] wrote about this .....
http://mchammer.blogspot.com/2006/05/715congratulations.html#links
First of all I would never have believed that Hammer could form a simple declarative sentence but that is something different......
"Barry,
you deserve to be the all time greatest homerun hitter in baseball history. The hounds, they deserve the dog pound."
Ok so I found and read his post. I could not disagree more. The fact remains that Bonds is closely related to a company, BALCO, that was making designer drugs to enhance athletes. This is what BALCO does. Period.
I am sure that if I was caught coming out of a "massage parlor" by the local news, I could argue for days that I was there because they make a great cheeseburger - I doubt anyone would believe me though.
I'm the biggest baseball nut in the world and I fully agree that Bonds should be punished in some way. It's clear he's doping. Look at the images of him when he was the Pirates and then compare them to his present day photos. Its a whole other person.
But let me throw a quick counter arguement your way. It's one thing to use steroids and bulk up to increase your hit power but the fact remains that you have to hit the ball. That takes skill and Barry has that skill. That skill alone makes him a great player. He could have been the greatest doubles hitter in history but he wanted to eclipse the greats. He needed that homer run record and decided at some point the only way to get there would be with juice. And thats the sad thing. He could have gotten to this number if he just worked harder.
There was a great sign held up here in Philly when the Giants were in town last month. "Ruth did it on beer and hotdogs" That's why Ruth is in the HOF. Hopefully Bonds won't be joining him on the first ballot. Let him in the next year but let that first year of elgibility stew in his stomach and make him sick.
Agreed KOW. I take nothing away from Bond's natural talent and without a doubt he is incredibly gifted. I would say as you do that without the dope he would have been one of the greatest. As for putting him in the HOF, I think he is forever tainted.
It will be interesting to see how history looks on him and also this period in the game.
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