Bonds Breaking Home Run Record

[TFoA]

Why "steriod cheating" worse than "corked bat cheating" or "spit ball cheating" or "emery board cheating"?

Although your spelling at times is atrocious, the ponts you make are great. The same people who are going after Bonds should be going after Gaylord Perry and exclaiming that he should have his records asterisked since he was an INFAMOUS user of the spitball, which was made illegal. Mike Schmidt should be asterisked since he was an amphetamine user. If you're going to go about clammoring for asterisks, don't just go after the one you don't like.

[EatSleepJeep]

Why "steriod cheating" worse than "corked bat cheating" or "spit ball cheating" or "emery board cheating"?

Although your spelling at times is atrocious, the ponts you make are great. The same people who are going after Bonds should be going after Gaylord Perry and exclaiming that he should have his records asterisked since he was an INFAMOUS user of the spitball, which was made illegal. Mike Schmidt should be asterisked since he was an amphetamine user. If you're going to go about clammoring for asterisks, don't just go after the one you don't like.

And Bonds is an amphetamine user too. As documented by a test. Thanks for playing.

[infrared41]

That's not a good use of the Razor though. Steroids have never been proven to make people better ball players -- when was the last time Jason Grimsley did a damn thing? How about Neifi Perez?

The simplest explanation is that Barry Bonds gained more experience from playing baseball, learned to time his swing better, and due to many other factors (bad expansion pitching, compressed ball, smaller parks), was able to hit more home runs later in his career. Nefarious steroid schemes don't lead to simple explanations at all.

Good point. It was a poor use of the razor. That aside, your argument that he learned more etc. isn't exactly simple or realistic. If it were that simple it would happen more often and as we've seen getting better with age is the exception not the rule. I do however think the razor still applies to Greg Anderson's situation.

thank god i'm not the only sane one posting in this topic.

these people are preconditioned to hate barry by espn. they're haters. plain and simple.

Preconditioned by ESPN? The same ESPN that cuts away to Bonds at-bats and carried all the games live? For the record, I don't hate Barry Bonds at all. I think pre-1998 he was one of the greatest players I've ever seen. His attitude doesn't bother me either. My favorite athletes all time are Reggie Jackson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar so it's not like I'm too concerned with public perception.

They're haters plain and simple? Nice argument. You really know how to illustrate a point.

MOD EDIT

[charger77]

Why "steriod cheating" worse than "corked bat cheating" or "spit ball cheating" or "emery board cheating"?

Although your spelling at times is atrocious, the ponts you make are great. The same people who are going after Bonds should be going after Gaylord Perry and exclaiming that he should have his records asterisked since he was an INFAMOUS user of the spitball, which was made illegal. Mike Schmidt should be asterisked since he was an amphetamine user. If you're going to go about clammoring for asterisks, don't just go after the one you don't like.

I type fast and don't have spell check.

[winghaz]

As long as Major League Baseball recognizes Barry Bonds as the all-time home run king, then so do I. I may feel it's tainted, but I recognize it as the record.

And, no, I don't want an asterisk. One asterisk in MLB recordbook history was one WAY too many.

By the way, wasn't that a class message from Hank Aaron?

[DEAD!]

Haha, the only guy in attendance wearing a Met jersey gets 756

Congrats to Barry

I was thinking "What the hell?! A freakin' METS fan got it?!"

Besides that, the lasting image for me would be Barry's son jumping the railing of the dugout and going beserk as it went out. Sheer jubilation.

yup, a Mets fan from Queens

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/base...l.ap/index.html

Bleacher battle

Mets fan wins bloody scramble for historic HR ball

Posted: Wednesday August 8, 2007 1:55AM; Updated: Wednesday August 8, 2007 3:00AM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With the crack of the bat a brief stillness settled over the right-center field bleachers at AT&T Park as Barry Bonds' record-breaking homer rocketed toward the crowd.

Then the scrum was on.

As the specially marked baseball landed a few rows up in the fifth inning Tuesday night, dozens of fans wrestled for it and the promise of riches it carried. Suddenly, the metal bleachers vibrated with energy. Grunts, cheers and the cries of frightened children broke the silence as parents sought to shield their youngsters from the chaos.

In the middle of it all was 22-year-old New Yorker Matt Murphy, who emerged from beneath the pile holding the ball Bonds hit for career home run No. 756. His face was bloodied and his clothes stretched and torn from his battle in the bleachers.

A team of San Francisco police officers moved in, extracted Murphy from the crowd, and quickly led him through a tunnel and into a secure room.

As he high-fived other fans, Murphy, wearing a New York Mets jersey and cap, slid the ball into the back pocket of his plaid Bermuda shorts.

Reporters screamed questions, but all he managed to say was, "I'm Matt Murphy from Queens, N.Y."

"I just hope he didn't get hurt," Bonds said after the game, which the Giants lost 8-6 to the Washington Nationals. He said he had no interest in getting the ball back for himself.

"I don't want the ball," Bonds said. "I've never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it's his."

Murphy and a friend were en route to Australia and in San Francisco for a one-day layover, a Giants spokesman said. They purchased tickets just before the game.

He and the friend, dressed in New York Yankees regalia, were razzed by nearby Giants fans. "Hey, this isn't New York!" one shouted. Murphy and his friend just laughed it off before settling into their seats.

Murphy declined to make himself available to the media.

Baseball memorabilia experts have pegged the ball's value at $400,000 to $500,000. That's well below the $3.3 million fetched by Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1998.

[TFoA]

Why "steriod cheating" worse than "corked bat cheating" or "spit ball cheating" or "emery board cheating"?

Although your spelling at times is atrocious, the ponts you make are great. The same people who are going after Bonds should be going after Gaylord Perry and exclaiming that he should have his records asterisked since he was an INFAMOUS user of the spitball, which was made illegal. Mike Schmidt should be asterisked since he was an amphetamine user. If you're going to go about clammoring for asterisks, don't just go after the one you don't like.

And Bonds is an amphetamine user too. As documented by a test. Thanks for playing.

Yet no outrage towards the other players I mentioned. Fascinating.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

That's not a good use of the Razor though. Steroids have never been proven to make people better ball players -- when was the last time Jason Grimsley did a damn thing? How about Neifi Perez?

The simplest explanation is that Barry Bonds gained more experience from playing baseball, learned to time his swing better, and due to many other factors (bad expansion pitching, compressed ball, smaller parks), was able to hit more home runs later in his career. Nefarious steroid schemes don't lead to simple explanations at all.

Good point. It was a poor use of the razor. That aside, your argument that he learned more etc. isn't exactly simple or realistic. If it were that simple it would happen more often and as we've seen getting better with age is the exception not the rule. I do however think the razor still applies to Greg Anderson's situation.

Fair enough, but I couldn't think of a good Occam's razor argument. I think the simplest explanation for Barry Bonds hitting a lot of home runs is that he's a really good baseball player. That works, right?

[CS85]

If anything else, Bonds deserves all the negative stigma and tainted records because he's ruining baseball's integrity as well as perhaps tainting every record set from the steroid era of the 80's through today.

Not only is the guy a prick, but he already had a marvelous career before the steroids began in '98, and did it basically for no reason other than that he wanted the attention for himself that was going to guys like McGwire and Sosa at the time. He then, as an established professional athlete with multiple trainers, said he "unknowingly" ingested the cream and the clear when put on trial. Then with every year progressing and his stats piling up exponentially (not to mention his hat size going up tenfold), he writes his plight off as a racial issue (read Game of Shadows for further race-hatred inciting commentary by Bonds).

The main reasons, Giants fan or not, you shouldn't support celebrating this record are:

1. He did steroids. Regardless of how talented he is without them, his stats are forever given one of these* due to his own admission in court and evidence gathered by the Game of Shadows authors.

2. He's a jerk. When breaking the record, he threw up both arms and watched it sail off into the crowd before even starting to round the bases. Then during his speech, he thanked the Nationals "for understanding this moment." I'm sure the Nationals were happy as pigs in crap to give up the home run. Barry Bonds was going to do it, and by golly the Nats were just so nice about serving it up. Then he thanked his dad, when he probably should've said anything in his defense regarding everything steroid related.

3. He's killing the integrity of baseball with every record he breaks. There will be a day, though nobody can be sure when, when this whole steroid thing will come crashing down and all the records of the past 20 years will be scrutinized, steroids or not, because Barry Bonds wasn't satisfied with a hall of fame career, he had to have much more. And to get there, he used steroids.

you're just upset he actually did break the record. get over yourself and get a life. he has not failed any drug test, and until he does, he's :censored:ing clean. innocent until proven guilty, or have we abandoned that basic right?

756,bitches~!

he may be an , but that still doesnt exclude the fact that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, steroids or not.

I didn't say that I was pissed he broke the record. Records were meant to be broken. I stated that I can't support him being the one doing it because of my listed reasons.

I'm happy you are all afloat on your cloud of denial and ignorance, enjoy your heroic icon never reaching legitimacy.

[Epiphanic]

First, I'm going to agree with the statement that steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs don't help you hit a baseball. If beefed up on 'roids, I still wouldn't be able to get wood on the ball. However, when PEDs are taken by an athlete of skill--say, someone who can put wood on the ball--then it can make a difference. PEDs don't help you hit the ball, they help you hit the ball farther.

That being said, I believe that Bonds took steroids knowingly. I think the leaked grand jury testimony is true. The reporters went to jail for refusing to disclose their source. Tell me would they have gone to jail to defend a fabricated story? I think Bonds cheated and I have to reconcile that with this record. 756 (and whatever the record will be when he's done) does not diminish the greatness of 755. Bonds made his choice on how to break this record. We will make our choice on how to receive this record.

[EatSleepJeep]

Good work, Des Moines Register

[HappyBrownie13]

2. He's a jerk. When breaking the record, he threw up both arms and watched it sail off into the crowd before even starting to round the bases. Then during his speech, he thanked the Nationals "for understanding this moment." I'm sure the Nationals were happy as pigs in crap to give up the home run. Barry Bonds was going to do it, and by golly the Nats were just so nice about serving it up. Then he thanked his dad, when he probably should've said anything in his defense regarding everything steroid related.

Are...you...serious?? Firstly, he was CLEARLY thanking the Nats for allowing the game to be delayed and the field cleared for the celebration, a very classy move considering it was likely MLBs proceeding. And getting teary eyed about his dad?? excuse a guy who's normally a rock with the media for showing some emotion over his passed father! Finally, I think it would've been 10-times shadier if he'd have reached for a steroid defense in that particular moment. Some people take some wild stances on this issue...

[HappyBrownie13]

If anything else, Bonds deserves all the negative stigma and tainted records because he's ruining baseball's integrity as well as perhaps tainting every record set from the steroid era of the 80's through today.

Not only is the guy a prick, but he already had a marvelous career before the steroids began in '98, and did it basically for no reason other than that he wanted the attention for himself that was going to guys like McGwire and Sosa at the time. He then, as an established professional athlete with multiple trainers, said he "unknowingly" ingested the cream and the clear when put on trial. Then with every year progressing and his stats piling up exponentially (not to mention his hat size going up tenfold), he writes his plight off as a racial issue (read Game of Shadows for further race-hatred inciting commentary by Bonds).

The main reasons, Giants fan or not, you shouldn't support celebrating this record are:

1. He did steroids. Regardless of how talented he is without them, his stats are forever given one of these* due to his own admission in court and evidence gathered by the Game of Shadows authors.

2. He's a jerk. When breaking the record, he threw up both arms and watched it sail off into the crowd before even starting to round the bases. Then during his speech, he thanked the Nationals "for understanding this moment." I'm sure the Nationals were happy as pigs in crap to give up the home run. Barry Bonds was going to do it, and by golly the Nats were just so nice about serving it up. Then he thanked his dad, when he probably should've said anything in his defense regarding everything steroid related.

3. He's killing the integrity of baseball with every record he breaks. There will be a day, though nobody can be sure when, when this whole steroid thing will come crashing down and all the records of the past 20 years will be scrutinized, steroids or not, because Barry Bonds wasn't satisfied with a hall of fame career, he had to have much more. And to get there, he used steroids.

you're just upset he actually did break the record. get over yourself and get a life. he has not failed any drug test, and until he does, he's :censored:ing clean. innocent until proven guilty, or have we abandoned that basic right?

756,bitches~!

he may be an , but that still doesnt exclude the fact that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, steroids or not.

I didn't say that I was pissed he broke the record. Records were meant to be broken. I stated that I can't support him being the one doing it because of my listed reasons.

I'm happy you are all afloat on your cloud of denial and ignorance, enjoy your heroic icon never reaching legitimacy.

why, thank you. Enjoy your jaded existence

[TFoA]

There is someone who did not benefit from this entire thing...

That man is Pedro Gomez. He is now out of a job.

[RichardWitham]

pedro gomez is an

[Fred T. Jane]

This sucks. When Bonds hit 756, none of the moralistic sportswriters, who shared cheat sheets last night for their columns and 45 years earlier would have done the same to Roger Maris, exploded and died. This is the true tragedy of last night.

Most importantly, congrats Barry. A lot better of a record-breaking homer than McGwire's #62*! (Why not? We've got just as much evidence for this one too!)

[DEAD!]

as an afterthought ..... even with that home run, the Giants still lost ....

[Fred T. Jane]

as an afterthought ..... even with that home run, the Giants still lost ....

There was a game last night?

[FiddySicks]

as an afterthought ..... even with that home run, the Giants still lost ....

There was a game last night?

Yeah it definately felt like BondsFest 07 last night rather than San Francisco vs Washington. Bummer it's over now though. No more Giants on national TV

And truth be told, im kinda over caring about this record one way or the other. I mean it's just a record in a game that hs no bearing in my life past entertainment. I don't get why so many people hate Bonds like he raped their momma or something. He's a fu*king baseball player you watch on TV. And another thing I don't get is how people feel he stole their childhood memories by either "cheating" or by passing Aaron who "didn't cheat". If you truely feel that, your getting way to wrapped up in some weird baseball fantasy. Im glad to see Bonds got the record, and I won't ever forget it, but truth is im kinda bored with it already. It's time to move on. And this is coming from a huge Bonds fan, and someone who was THERE at Petco to see 755 live.

[Shumway]

Y'know, I really don't care much about Barry breaking the record, mainly because I don't see his reign atop the list lasting long at all. I don't like that he raised his arms and stood there, watching the ball fly. I'm just a firm believer of "act like you've been there before". However, I can't fault the guy...I'm sure if I, or anyone, hit #756, we'd do the same. The one thing that really bothered me is how he managed to bring up the "there is no discrepancy"or whatever during his speech. There was no place for that....have your moment, do your speech, finish the game. Any way you look at it, tainted or not, 756 is impressive as hell, and Barry's one of the greatest players of all-time.

I'm glad it's over though. Congrats Barry, you've returned teams in pennant/division races to television. I'll applaud you for that, along with the record, so long as it is in fact legit, as you constantly remind us.

Sportscenter was just unbearable last night. I don't even recall seeing other highlights.

Congrats to Bacsik as well. He's officially joined Ryan Minor as a Jeopardy/Tank's Trivia answer.