Ruth or Bonds? Don't make me laugh.
Hank Aaron is included in my chuckles.
The true Home Run King is none other than Josh Gibson. And that's that.
Posted on 05/07/2006 10:00:12 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) PHILADELPHIA -- Barry Bonds is heading home, one behind the Babe.
Bonds hit his 713th homer Sunday night, moving within one of tying Babe Ruth for second place on baseball's career list.
The San Francisco Giants' slugger hit a mammoth shot in the sixth inning off Philadelphia right-hander Jon Lieber, sending a 2-1 pitch off the facade of the right-field upper deck during a 9-5 loss to the Phillies.
"They tell me that's the way the Babe used to hit them," Giants manager Felipe Alou said.
Bonds' fifth homer of the season was estimated at 450 feet, one of the longest ever at Philadelphia's hitter-friendly park. He needs 42 to tie Hank Aaron for the major league record.
"About tore that golden arches sign down out there," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I'm glad he's leaving town, too, because he's about to get hot."
The solo homer cut the Phillies' lead to 5-3, but they soon broke it open and pushed their winning streak to eight games for the first time in 15 years.
The last time Philadelphia won eight in a row was a 13-game run in 1991.
The Giants were headed back to San Francisco to begin a homestand, but Bonds is not expected to play Monday night.
Bonds had been held in check since arriving here on Friday. He went 3-for-9 in Philadelphia's three-game sweep with a pair of singles. He had gone 11 at-bats since his previous home run Tuesday against San Diego.
As he took his slow trot around the bases, some of the Phillies fans -- who had been needling Bonds with boos and derisive chants throughout the series -- stood up, cheered and clicked photographs.
He struck out swinging in his next at-bat against reliever Aaron Fultz in the eighth inning, sending many fans heading for the exits. He was taken out of the game before the bottom of the inning, replaced in left field by Jason Ellison.
Carlos Oliveras caught the home run ball, specially marked to assure authenticity. The 25-year-old Oliveras, an Airman 1st Class who lives on McGuire Air Force Base in Fort Dix, N.J., paid $20 for his seat in Section 202, Row 7.
He said he is a Bonds fan and would probably keep the ball.
"I never thought I was going to be lucky like that," Oliveras said.
It was Bonds' fourth career homer off Lieber. But the seven-time NL MVP came into the game 5-for-36 (.139) against the right-hander, his lowest batting average against any pitcher he had faced at least 15 times.
With his mother cheering in the stands, Bonds pumped his fist as he returned to the dugout, perhaps trying to inspire a slumping Giants team that had lost three straight, six of seven and eight of 11.
Now he is one homer shy of Ruth's 714, one of the most hallowed numbers in a sport ruled by them. Ruth hit No. 714 in 1935 and held the major league record until Aaron broke it on April 8, 1974.
Ruth's total is the record for left-handed hitters, and Bonds has said he's more interested in owning that mark than catching Aaron.
Commissioner Bud Selig has said baseball won't do anything special to celebrate Bonds passing Ruth because it would only put the Giants' star in second place.
Maybe it also has something to do with allegations of steroid use by Bonds and baseball's probe into whether he took performance-enhancing drugs.
Bonds has long denied ever knowingly taking steroids, though the new book "Game of Shadows" reveals his alleged extensive doping regimen the authors say began after the 1998 season when Bonds saw the attention Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa generated in their race for the single-season homers record.
Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to his role in a steroid distribution ring, and a federal grand jury is looking into whether Bonds perjured himself when he testified to the separate grand jury that indicted Anderson and three others in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative scandal.
Perhaps no pursuit of second place in anything has ever garnered as much attention as Bonds closing in on Ruth. The Phillies said they received about 200 requests for media credentials this weekend, about 125 more than for a typical game.
The Giants do plan a celebration when Bonds catches Ruth. The team was set to take an overnight, cross-country flight and face Houston ace Roy Oswalt at home Monday night to make up an April 12 rainout. But Alou said Bonds probably won't play against the Astros.
As Bonds walked out to left field before the bottom of the first, fans in the front row of the bleachers unfurled a huge sign that read: "Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer. Aaron did it with class. How did YOU do it?" In addition, one `i' and the question mark were dotted with asterisks.
The sign came out again in the third. Another sign in left field read "LIAR."
Lieber (2-4) allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings. He is 2-0 in his last three starts after losing his first four outings.
Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer off Matt Morris (2-3) and drove in three runs for the Phillies. David Bell had three hits and scored twice.
The Cincinnati Reds now have cheerleaders. Maybe you should give baseball another shot.
The steroid question is difficult to answer. The game has changed a lot since the days of Ruth. Things have been altered to favor the hitter over the pitcher (mounds lowered, ballparks shrinking, balls being replaced more frequently). Additionally, there are performance enhancers. Say a pitcher from the olden times blew out his elbow. His career was over. Nowadays, the player will have Tommy Johns surgery and come back. Should his stats get an asterisk because it is modern medicine that allowed him to achieve that?
But I suppose for all my questions I would have to say no to steroids. The distinguishing feature is that they chemically alter the player's body to enable play beyond what is naturally possible. The problem is enforcement, and the temptation for aspiring players to do whatever they can to get the edge. No one would care about it if the hallowed records of Aaron weren't in danger of being broken by a man who is something of a freak of science. It's just so strange--Ruth is larger than life, a tragic hero and the original slugger; Aaron is the tortured model of consistency, a man who faced untold malice of racists while also bearing the weight of history. Bonds is an acerbic man with no charisma and no compelling backstory.
Rose should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. As well as superior playing ability, it's also supposed to be for good ambassadors of the game. Rose disrespected the game by his antics and his lack of sincere repentence. He doesn't deserve it. Curt Flood on the other hand does deserve some sort of honor in Cooperstown.
I played baseball from aged 9 in 1966 till aged 19 in 1976...basically from Dixie Youth Little League up to Servian-American Legion League where guys either got drafted to the minors or scholarships
I never saw roids in those latter teen years though I see them now in High School players
Drugs may not explain talent but they certainly exploit talent. As was pointed out earlier, his numbers exploded when naturally they should have been falling. That effect did not come from all those years of practice.
I don't think anybody here would disagree that Barry is loaded with talent. However, his admittance to using performance enhancing drugs sheds a negative light on all of his accomplishments. That is actually kind of sad.
And they lowered the mound because after Gibson's stellar year (who as you know was both black and one of the best pitchers ever) the hitters cried foul, so to speak.
Ruth or Bonds? Don't make me laugh.
Hank Aaron is included in my chuckles.
The true Home Run King is none other than Josh Gibson. And that's that.
Anybody knowledgable knows that Bonds is talented.
They also know that he is tainted.
And walk-off homers didn't count back then either. Say the Yanks were tied with the Red Sox 4-4 in the Bronx. Bottom of the 9th. Runner on first. Babe hits one out of the park. As soon as the runner on first scores, the game ends, 5-4. The Babe would not be credited with a home run. I'm not sure how this affected Ruth's career numbers, but it's an interesting rule.
The numbers before were still better than average. The drugs may have helped, I don't really know what he really used, and what he really believed them to be. But he also has had himself on a strenuous work out routine of over 4 hours per day for many years, which may have helped as well.
On the contrary to what you say, MANY here disagree that he is loaded with talent. Many people, led by the MSM, have had a campaign to tear him down for much of his career. His dislike of the media has been well documented, and as most of us on FR know, the media can do a pretty good job of tearing people down whether they be sports personalities or politicians. He has been portrayed as less than pleasant, so many like to use him as a whipping boy. Technically he has not admitted to using enhancing drugs, which is part of what annoys folks. I do agree with you that using anything to enhance himself does shed a negative light, and it is sad. But I don't think it should bring out the venom many here show.
"They also know that he is tainted"
Amazing what people "Know" without first hand proof.
Did I read you post correctly? Are you implying Babe Ruth wasn't "all ego"? Many writers and players of his time may disagree.
Joe Morgan was a great player but not a good analyst or commentator. He also claimed that Aaron had "way" more RBIs than the #2 guy on the list. The #2 guy is the Babe (which Joe never mentioned). Aaron has 2297, Ruth has 2217. That's not a big difference, especially when you consider that Aaron played 795 more games than Ruth. And if Gehrig hadn't gotten sick, he would easily have held a virtually unbreakable record (he retired with 1995 and many more years of playing time ahead of him).
Don't forget to ask how many season's of "deadball" baseball Ruth played, where entire teams did not hit as many home runs as he did?
I remember him in Pittsburgh... Everybody knew he was special.
I just googled "Barry + Bonds + admits = " Bonds admits he used a clear substance and a cream that was supplied to him by his trainer, but he didn't know the substances contained steroids."
As a former athlete.Athletes are really aware about what goes into the machine. He knew what he was doing.
4 hour workouts... I would say he was not working out with any intensity. If he was working out with a lot of intensity, he would need more than protien powder and vitamins to recover. Things slow down as we age. Recovery is one of those things.
As far as the media goes... I would hate them to. If in the same situation. I cannot say I would be helpful to that beast. I kind of admire his disdain for the media.
I make my own decisions and I stick to them... Sometimes it takes me a while to process the info. but I do the best I can and I am always learning.
Bonds earned his ego as well.
I already read the other post!
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