Barry Bonds...your thoughts?

[trekkor]

Tell us how you really feel...


KT

[Shuie]

I think he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

[URY914]

I was wondering when this topic was going to be posted.

I think he is a cheater. He get no respect from me.

[nostatic]

who cares? Baseball died when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken left the game. And was barely on life support before then. I quit watching after one of the "labor actions", I forget which one. I'd rather go watch minor league or women's softball. Or better yet, actually play a sport instead of watching.

[BertBeagle]

I think he is a great ball player - steroids or not. To get where he is you need to be able to put the bat square on the ball and I don't believe the steroids help at all with that detail.

[Shuie]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I quit watching after one of the "labor actions", I forget which one.

I quit watching after the strike in '94. That ruined the sport for me.

[M.D. Holloway]

The roids will help some but the hand to eye is where it is all at and no drug will help with that. Plenty of the boys are on the juice and not many can hit like him.

Still though, it is illegal and he should be put in jail or what ever it is they do to repeat drug offenders.

[trekkor]

I hate to say this, but I suspect he will break the record and commit suicide...

I don't know why I think that, but I do.


KT

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Sham.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Shuie

I quit watching after the strike in '94. That ruined the sport for me.

That's the one. Tony could have hit .400 that year were it not for the stupid strike. The ones before were annoying, that was the final blow for me.

"The only way to pitch to Tony (Gwynn) is throw the ball down the middle and hope he hits it at someone." - Al Leiter

[Flatbutt1]

I couldn't care less.

[Sonic dB]

Sports Figures are becoming less and less important in our society.
They no longer hold the public respect and power, as they had in years past.
Sports Records will go the same way.

[BeyGon]

The only "proffessional sport" I watch anymore is golf, the only one the ref, judge, umpire can't mess with.
I do watch college football though.

[the]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

The roids will help some but the hand to eye is where it is all at and no drug will help with that. Plenty of the boys are on the juice and not many can hit like him.

Still though, it is illegal and he should be put in jail or what ever it is they do to repeat drug offenders.

But the reality is, without the steroids, he would not be near 755 home runs right now. No way, no how. No one would argue that steroids didn't help him get more home runs. When he was juicing, he was practically hitting check swing homers. Ridiculous.

He's still one of the great players, certainly one of the greatest hitters. But those 70 home run seasons were courtesy of the juice. I don't think there is ANY disagreement that the steroids gave him at least 100 home runs.

Again, 655 home runs is spectacular, and his career would have been spectacular without the roids. But that's the problem. The HR record is the greatest and most revered records in all of sports, having only changed hands twice in the last 85 years. And I don't think there is ANYBODY who would argue that without the roids, Bonds would not be at 754 right now. So it taints the whole thing, forever.

My take: I think it's sad for everyone involved. It's sad for one of the greatest players ever, who overcame unbelievable adversity and bigotry (read a book on Hank Aaron's life in the bigs, amazing). It's sad for Bonds. IMO you can see it on his face every time the camera shows a closeup. He knows he's wouldn't be there but for the cheating, and that something he worked so many years for is highly tainted. It's sad for all of baseball.

And, it's sad for kids. I know most here aren't baseball fans, but believe it or not, there are millions of kids who play baseball and are big baseball fans. It's very confusing for them. Go to any little league field, and you hear the kids saying "But he cheated" and "He took drugs." Sad that 7, 8 and 9 year olds are saying those things when talking about baseball.

[trekkor]

Barry looks very sad to me.

He's a robot and he knows it.

I was hoping he would come to bat in the bottom of the ninth tonight with the bases loaded, however.

Left in the on deck circle after the winning hit.


I've been a Giants fan since I was in little league. I've been to games at Candlestick and at the new park.
I like baseball, but the conduct of grown men, entertainers, is not worthy of imitation.

I think I enjoy watching kids play the game or playing ball with my friends better.


KT

[K. Roman]

...And, it's sad for kids....

That's nothing, think about kids who want to be in bands...look at the people they have to look up to.

[Super_Dave_D]

I think he's a great player and gets a bad rap!! It's not a Barry issue - its a baseball issue!! I bet hundreds or more were on roids before they were banned!! I wonder if he wasnt so much of an *********, if everyone would want to see him fail so bad? Besides - he will get the record and if Arod stays healthy - he will break 800!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Gay-rod is overrated, IMHO. He'll end up like Barry or Kobe Bryant - he'll get sick of living in Pretty-Boy Jeter's shadow and demand to go somewhere where he can be "the guy". And his career will languish. It's only a matter of time.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by nostatic

who cares? Baseball died when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken left the game. And was barely on life support before then. I quit watching after one of the "labor actions", I forget which one. I'd rather go watch minor league or women's softball. Or better yet, actually play a sport instead of watching.

Todd speaks the emphatic truth. I'm in San Diego at the moment I type this, at the San Diego Comic Book Convention, and the only thing outshining Harry Potter is Tony Gwynn. God love a real city with its real pro ball heroes (baseball in this instance). You can buy Tony baseball cards for $3. In a year's time, they're projected to be over $100. Wall Street ain't got s h i t on Gwynn.

[widgeon13]

Barry who......?