Barry Bonds's Last Hurrah

[Guest OlerudOwned]

From ESPN.com

]Report: Barry Bonds Done After '06 After sitting out most 2005, Barry Bonds is calling this season his last. The Giants slugger, who is 47 homers shy of Hank Aaron, told USA Today that he will retire with or without the all-time home run record. "I'm not playing baseball anymore after this," he said.

[Elster88]

I really hope he doesn't break the record.
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This post had the designation 64) Rick Aguilera

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I really hope he breaks his elbow leaning over the plate in about sixteen places. Roger Clemens, where are you now that we really need you?

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Wow, tell us how you really feel Bret.

I wish no harm to Bonds, but I hope he doesn't pass Hank Aaron for the record. I think the home runs of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays are legitimate. I truly believe that the home run totals of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Rafael Palmiero have been enhanced by more than a rigorous fitness regimen.

[nymr83]

Clemens can hit him as hard as he wants and it won't matter, major league hitters, especialy bonds, wear too much armor on their arms now.
Even if he hit him, the umpire would call it a HBP despite the arm being over the plate.
There should be a new rule in light of all the stupid armor...if a pitch hits the armor it is a Ball not a HBP.... either that or enforce the strike zone as it is written in the rulebook.

[Zvon]

47 to go?
He aint gonna make it.
I doubt he hits over 25.

[metirish]

Ok I'll get hammered for this but I hope Bonds breaks the record, I could realy care less about Aaron, I have seen Bonds I think four times and it was amazing, best hitter I have ever seen, shit he's probably the best player ever, remember he won MVP's back when he was smaller, he has had a great career , has he taken steroids?, probably, has that been proven?....again I hope he breaks Aaron's record, when i think of Hank I don't think of a classic slugger, but Bonds later in his career was...yeah I know you can throw the steroids question at me...but still that swing is the best.

[nymr83]

There is no possible way that he is a better player than Ruth because ruth's hitting numbers are as good or much better when adjusting for the era they played in, and even if you could make those stats look equal or even get Bonds a slight edge you'd still have Ruth's pretty amazing pitching record to contend with.

[metirish]

Right, and raise your hands here who saw Ruth play..Jesus Christ, fuck him...Ruth never faced the pitchers Bonds has.

[Guest SI Metman]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Bonds doesn't retire, is the Yankee DH in '07 and uses the Yankee Stadium short porch to pass Aaron.

[Guest Spacemans Bong]

I hope he passes it.

Mostly to piss the rest of you off.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm not sure Ruth never faced the pitchers Bonds has matters.

In many ways, I'm not sure any of it matters. It's not as if breaking the homer total in itself makes Bonds the greater player. It didn't make Aaron the greater player.

[MFS62]

SI Metman wins the cigar.
Just heard on the 20/20 update (forget which station I was listening to at the time) that Bonds has told MLB.com that he WILL play in 2007 "if his knee is ok".
Forget Roger Clemens "when we need him".
I'd take Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale.

Irish:
My dad (may he rest in Peace) saw both Ruth and Bonds (at least one Bond's MVP year). When we talked baseball, he never mentioned Bonds as one of the best he'd seen. And he mentioned Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Musial and Josh Gibson.

Later

[Elster88]

Spacemans Bong wrote: I hope he passes it. Mostly to piss the rest of you off.

I doubt anyone will be pissed.

[Farmer Ted]

Bonds has a right knee made of glass yet NO ONE pitches him down and in?

[nymr83]

Farmer Ted wrote: Bonds has a right knee made of glass yet NO ONE pitches him down and in?

throwing the ball inside is against the "new" rules, you might get ejected for it lol.

call the strike zone as define in the rulebook and lets see how many homers get hit then.

[Elster88]

Farmer Ted wrote: Bonds has a right knee made of glass yet NO ONE pitches him down and in?

Bonds loves pitches down and in. He's a lefty.

Unless by "pitch him down and in" you mean "hit him on the knee".

[nymr83]

i took it to mean pitching him inside off the plate, which for whatever stupid reason isn't done anymore.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yes, it is.

[Guest Spacemans Bong]

Farmer Ted wrote: Bonds has a right knee made of glass yet NO ONE pitches him down and in?

It's been tried. That's where the floating baseballs in San Francisco Bay come from.

[Elster88]

Well said.