Many of u have already heard by now I'm sure that Barry Bonds broke Hammerin' Hank's Home Run Record tonight. At home in San Fran too. I'm glad he did it and was able to do it at home. He's been a great hitter for all of his career. Sure, he'll have the alleged steroid use hanging over him forever. Maybe it's justified. Who knows for sure except for Barry and anyone else who had seen him use it. But what is fact is that he's a helluva hitter. Steroids can't teach u HOW to hit. Pitchers in the majors are the best in the world. And they REALLY bring it whenever they face Bonds. And STILL, no matter what they throw at him, he's going to make them pay. Like I said, he's been doing it all of his career. He just didn't get that many HR's in 5 years. Anyway, I know anyone who's a fan of baseball or sports in general, has their opinion of Bonds. And that's the beauty in it. I'm glad that he's gotten a lot of support from his fellow players. All through out the league. Because they know, more than anyone else, that what he achieved, was no easy feat. Many managers from other teams have spoken on this. That the fans don't have a clue on how hard it is to do what Bonds has done. Anyway, Congratulations Barry!

Hanks Record...no cloud

Bonds...will always be clouded....


new generation...no integrity....just be successful.


yay bonds!!

Rhondab said:

blackguitaristz said:

....maybe you should re-phrase that to say some people don't have a clue on how hard it is to do what Bonds has done.

Most baseball fans understand how hard it is to hit a ball traveling at you 90 to 100 MPH from 60' 6" away that has movement.

Steroids or not, smaller parks or not, juiced balls or not...what Barry did is extremely difficult and takes tons of talent and hard work.

The fact is the record is broken and it really cant be proven that he used steroids, with the exception that he grew 100% after the age of 35. But i think the bigger "crime" is the fact that baseball let so many use steroids during this whole era, I mean McGwire,Canseco,Sosa etc..all did them, but so many others did too. This whole era is tainted and thats why you cant compare Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. While Hank Aaron was chasing Babe Ruth he had the KKK threatening him and his family if he broke the "white mans" record, Barry didnt go through any of that kind of pressure. The record may be broken but Hank is by far the better player and better person. If we want to applaud a record or milestone, applaud Tom Glavine of the Mets getting his 300th win. As far as how long this record will stand, well Barry will probably play 2 more years he says, so im guessing he will end up with 800. But Im guessing in about 8-9 years Alex Rodriguez (if he stays healthy) will break it, hes already at 500 and hes 32, and can easily play 10 more years.

lastdecember said:

That's why it's unfair to make Barry the poster boy for steroid use. Baseball execs knew what Sosa & McGuire were up to in '98, but as long as ballparks were filled, everything was cool. So they can't turn around and go after Barry.

uPtoWnNY said:

They didn't go after Barry in 2001 either.

THE DIFFERENCE IS....Jose Canseco's book, the other book "Game of Shadows" and the Balco scandal. Those three events made the steroids issue impossible to ignore anymore.

And Mark McGuire is paying for it now, no hall of fame. If the books and BALCO scandal had happened in 1998, McGuire and Sosa would have taken the brunt of it back then.

And the funny thing is that after Bonds retires, and goes for the Hall of Fame, he most likely wont get in, which means the all time Hit leader (Pete Rose) and now the all time Home Run leader (for now) wont be in there. The thing is even if Baseball bans someone for life now caught using steroids, it cant go back and ban others that werent caught and just suspected. The funny thing is that in the "BlackSox" scandal back in 1918 there was no rule about Gambling on games, it wasnt till after their trial and they were found innocent that the newly appointed head of baseball wrote the rule in the books. The reason now that Baseball cant do that is because of the Players union, that didnt exist back then.

lastdecember said:

I have to disagree with you there. While many believe that Barry used steriods and other substances...the same comment I here over and over from many who actually vote for the hall of fame is that Barry was a hall of fame player long before he supposedly started to do steroids and they will ultimately vote for him.

It might not be on the first ballot, but unless some other major scandal comes up involvoing Barry, I bet he gets in....and deservedly so!




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[Edited 8/8/07 8:46am]

Sowhat said:

Canseco hinted at having the goods on A-Rod in his upcomming book. People villify the dude, but he's the only one telling the truth. As far as I know, no one's sued him.

I honestly don't know how someone can take claim for a record when they know good and well they didn't earn it fair and square. It's pathetic and embarrassing for all of the athletes that do things on the up and up. Our country kisses athletes' asses and it's pretty sickening if you ask me. Look at pictures from early in his career. He was so much smaller. There isn't any way someone will convince me that this man didn't use steroids. No one puts on that much muscle mass without some outside help. The man's head grew. Your head doesn't grow from lifting weights. I think it's shameful that he gets up there and tries to act like he's so great.

hokie1 said:

Barry was great - he had HOF numbers before he juiced up. But he saw what Sosa & McGuire were doing, and probably said to himself, "why not me?"

uPtoWnNY said:

I am very familiar with Jose Canseco with him playing in Oakland for so many years and Canseco was villified with good reason. When his first book came out, most people dismissed it (including myself), but it turns out he was mostly right.

Now he says he's got the goods on A-Rod....if I was A-Rod, I'd be pretty nervous right now.

uPtoWnNY said:

That is exactly what is rumored to have happened. Supposedly Barry was putting up MVP numbers and having great year after great year but all the attention was on McGuire and Sosa and Barry couldn't handle it so he bulked up like them....supposedly.



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[Edited 8/8/07 9:08am]

Sowhat said:

A reporter asked Canseco if he mentions A-Rod in his book - Jose's answer was "wait and see".

I think A-Rod's buying up every copy of that book.

uPtoWnNY said:

So, b/c he was mad about getting beat (even if it was wrong) he thought he may as well go the illegal route too? Wow. Such class.

uPtoWnNY said:

Barry was ALWAYS great. ALWAYS among the VERY BEST.

Sowhat said:

Well then it becomes a game of who did what and when did they start doing it. When did Mcgwire do it? When did Sammy do it? I personally think that steroids were an issue after the strike of 94. , some claim that Barry started doing it in 2000, between 2000-2004 he hit 258 of his homeruns, which is almost 60 a year. So if that is true, though it cant be proven than maybe Barry "legit" hit 450-500, which does get you into the hall though there are a few players, mainly New York Met Dave Kingman who played from 1972-1986 and hit about 450 homeruns but never got on the ballot because he had a .238 batting average, now for those of you who ever saw Kingman, he was 6'6 200 pounds, he was like a tree, really skinny, but he could homeruns farther than anyone ever, and this is long before the "steroid era". So it really cant be proven what Barry did or Mark Mcgwire or Sammy or others regardless of what Jose Canseco writes, he really can write anything now since he has become a celebrity book writer pretty much. I just know that Baseball has to make a decision about how its gonna deal with this issue. I mean if Barry is convicted does he get the lifetime ban that Pete Rose got?
[Edited 8/8/07 10:06am]

Despite the suspicion, it was still fun to watch history being made. At least I got to see the fireworks from my window. If he didn't take steriods, great; but if it all comes to light months or years from now, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

The guy who ended up with the homerun ball is probably chilling in Australia right now. Funny that he was in a layover and decided to go to the game and then this. Too bad it was a Mets fan. He wouldn't have survived if he was a Dodgers fan.

funkyslsistah said:

...so true!

lastdecember said:

If Barry had retired in 1998 (right before he supposedly started using steroids), he would be in the hall of fame already. He had the numbers, he had the awards.....

And it is not just what Jose Canseco writes, there is the other book "Game of Shadows" which seems to be very well researched (even though much of the info seems to have been illegally leacked) with damning inside information AND the BALCO scandal which Barry was right in the middle of.

Dave Kingman does not deserve to be in the Hall...he was a good player, but not great.

In about 8 years it won't matter, because A-Rod is going to hit 900 homeruns.

lastdecember said:

yeah i saw kingman play in person..king kong!!! i'm still miffed that pete rose isn't in the hall of fame

There may be an asterick, but then no fact in sports comes without an argument, right?

Fact is, steroids or not, he hits monster blasts pitched to him by the best pitchers in the world!

Juice me up and I'll still bat .000!

lastdecember said:

No....the Lords of Baseball take gambling more seriously than steroids. They DO NOT PLAY AROUND on this. If they get a whiff of a player or manager dealing with/hanging out with gamblers, they will haul their ass in so fast. They frown on anything that hurts the "integrity of the game".

uPtoWnNY said:

You are right, Bonds won't get a lifetime ban nor should he. Even if it was proven he took steroids, technically they were not banned by major league baseball until 2003. But even if they were banned earlier, I don't believe it would warrant a lifetime ban.

however, gambling on their own sport is a big no-no for any professional athelete, manager, coach, referee, umpire, etc.....

Sowhat said:

makes sense, since steroids wouldn't change a person's desire to win. but a huge bet on one "meaningless" game might.

L4OATheOriginal said:

Oh yeah i saw him many times as a kid, he was my favorite Met during those Long hard years when the Mets were pretty much in last or next to last every year. It was great going to those games because you could buy tickets in the loge or mezz section and then move down to the field because there were always empty seats. I will always remember Kingman for one time during a Met-Yankee (Mayors Trophy Game) Kingman hit a ball thrown by Catfish Hunter about 560-600 feet, people just dropped, they couldnt believe a human could hit that far.