An open letter in support of Barry Bonds

FoxNews ^ | 4/8/06 | Andy Nesbitt

[freedom44]

Dear Barry, You've just resumed your chase on history, going after a record some thought would never be touched, and I'm with you every step of the way.

I know you have taken a lot of heat over the years, and with all the recent news about a new book whose goal is to bring you down, it seems like that disdain isn't about to go away.

And I don't know why.

While many people seem to take joy in expressing the amount of distaste they feel for you, I come as a friend, a light in the dark who supports you 100 percent. It's not a popular stand, I know, but I just want you to know you are not alone. You do have supporters.

Unlike those who like to point at your alleged steroid use as a reason not to like you, or respect the numbers you put up, I find all the off-the-field issues to be moot. I don't care if you rub so much steroid cream on your body that your bat slips out of your hands and lands in right field.

[Enduring Freedom]

Did someone say 'Sycophant'?

[Past Your Eyes]

Where did that daughter come from?
':^0

[em2vn]

What pitchers are you talking about?

[PzLdr]

Barry Bonds doesn't have 94 wins, and 29 plus scoreless innings in the WORLD SERIES as a pitcher. Before he juiced up he was a Hall of Famer. Now, he's either a joke, or one of those cheesy Sci-Fi Channel special effects from their Sat. night low budget flicks.

[PzLdr]

The Babe used beer and hot dogs. He did it the American way!

[PzLdr]

Why not blame the gov't? After all, steroids were illegal in '89, and Mike Francesa to the contrary, baseball by not banning steroids in the contract didn't get a walk, and neither does Bonds. Contractual silence doesn't negate Federal and state criminal law. MLB is still part of the United States. So either the Feds or Cal. should have prosecuted Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield [and I'm a Yankees fan] and whoever else, not just BALCO.

And since I presume, there's a standard morals clause in Big Barry's contract, throw him out of baseball for violating it, and let HIM sue [Defense is better than offense in court]. Any records established by Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, Palmeiro, and anybody else baseball suspects of juicing should be wiped off the books.

[TXBSAFH]

Bond should have all his records expunged from the books.

[PzLdr]

Either that, or he lost 'em to steroids - like Barry probably has.

[em2vn]

...Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn,Bluemoon Odem, Catfish Hunter,Vida Blue.....

[PzLdr]

Barry has never hit more home runs than any other TEAM in the league. He has never hit as high a percentage of his League's home runs as Babe did. And as you pointed out, Babe did it in the dead ball era. The only thing they have in common is that they both changed the game. Ruth with his home runs, Bonds with his chemicals.

[beyond the sea]

Right now there are only a few athletes that make me stop what I'm doing and tune in.

Maria Sharapova (from behind) returning serve. Just kidding, maybe.

****

I'm with the writer. Barry is one of those players I will stay up 'til 2:00 a.m. on the east coast to see his at bats out west.

He has the greatest, most compact, most disciplined swing in baseball, and he has such a great eye at the plate. He is simply the best.

I played a lot of baseball, have followed it for over 50 years and Barry is the best............... oh, there's Maria.

;-)

[beyond the sea]

The Babe was COOL!

[eastcobb]

I kept waiting for the punchline or something to indicate that this was just sarcasm. But it never came. What an idiot this guy is. Oh, and this letter writer's an idiot, too.

[infidel29]

[duckman]

Stopped watching baseball after the World Series strike in the mid-90's. Bunch of whining cry babies making big bucks to play a kids game.

[steelyourfaith]

Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth did not face pitchers taking Steroids. Barry Bonds did. That makes it about even.

Thanks. I wasn't aware that raw muscle mass was an asset in pitching. Also, the pitchers seem to be hiding the increased bulk really, really well.

[steelyourfaith]

[Alberta's Child]

Oh, please.

Staying up until 2:00 AM to watch Barry Bonds* play baseball is like staying up until 2:00 AM to watch WWF wrestling.

[04-Bravo]

Fans should also remember that until 1969, the MLB pitcher's mound was 15" high, 50% higher than today's 10" mound. The good pitchers of that era could dominate a game.

I dream about how much fun it would be to watch Barry Bonds (in his prime, but without steroids) face Koufax, Drysdale, and Gibson (in their prime, pitching from the 15" mound).

I think Koufax's combination of fastball and curve would leave him stuttering; Gibson would throw at his chin and brush him back; Drysdale would throw at his head and knock him down.

Mays, Mantle, Maris, and Aaron didn't use steroids, faced all-star pitchers, and earned their place in the record books and in the Hall of Fame.

[frankiep]

Lets take a look at some of the best pitchers of the past few years:

Pedro Martinez: would be blown over by a strong breeze. Must weigh about 150 pounds soaking wet.

David Wells: Steroids? More like Heineken and cheese fries.

Bartolo Colon: Appears to be on the same beer and grease diet as Wells

Randy Johnson: Unless steroids gives you the physique of a very tall tootpick, I wouldn't imagine him to be juicing.

Gregg Maddux: Wouldn't need steroids, he is not a power pitcher. They wouldn't help with the placement and location of pitches, something he excels at.

Tom Glavine: Same as Maddux.

Mariano Rivera: Again, not a big guy at all.

and on and on....

The only pitchers I have my doubts about are Roger Clemens, and possibly Curt Schilling.