I was looking for a picture of Barry Bonds, and stumbled across this one. Thought you might enjoy it.
Barry Bonds, steroids, "the cream" and "the clear" have all been discussed to no end. But now it's time to focus the discussion on the merits of the record he is about to set.
Bonds hit career home run no. 740 today, leaving him only 16 away from the record. Unless he's indicted or his leg breaks off at the knee, the record will be his by the end of the season.
But what is the signifcance of the record? I, for one, am in the camp that believes baseball history should be divided up into two eras: the pre-steroid era and the post. Where the line should be drawn to delineate the two is beyond my grasp.
Am I impressed with Bonds' career? Certainly. I'd even say without hesitation that Bonds is the greatest player of the two generations his career has spanned. But the greatest home run hitter that ever lived?
Hammerin' Hank and the Babe would contest that, as might Willie Mays -- if it wasn't his godson in question.
Barry Bonds, steroids, "the cream" and "the clear" have all been discussed to no end. But now it's time to focus the discussion on the merits of the record he is about to set.
Bonds hit career home run no. 740 today, leaving him only 16 away from the record. Unless he's indicted or his leg breaks off at the knee, the record will be his by the end of the season.
But what is the signifcance of the record? I, for one, am in the camp that believes baseball history should be divided up into two eras: the pre-steroid era and the post. Where the line should be drawn to delineate the two is beyond my grasp.
Am I impressed with Bonds' career? Certainly. I'd even say without hesitation that Bonds is the greatest player of the two generations his career has spanned. But the greatest home run hitter that ever lived?
Hammerin' Hank and the Babe would contest that, as might Willie Mays -- if it wasn't his godson in question.
2 comments:
while I believe there's little doubt in anyone's mind about whether Baroid knew that the "clear" and the "cream" were more than just that, I think it's important to keep in mind that there were other drugs floating around at that point. How about the infamous "greenies" that have surfaced in the recent years? Are we convinced that Willie or Hank never touched these? Again, it's not that I think Bonds will be a nomination for sainthood anytime soon, and I truly believe that these other names played the game the way it was supposed to be played. However, I think it's important to not rule out the possibility that these guys had a little help toward the latter parts of their careers as well. Everyone fears the day when they will be dispensable and will do ANYTHING to postpone that day- even Hammerin' Hank... I mean look at how big his butt is when he hits 715, vs. his lithe form at the beginning of his career- definitely greenies :).
Well, greenies don't make you bigger, they just give you enough energy to play when you might not have otherwise been able to. Not that that's the voice of experience. But that's somewhat the point of the post. Maybe Hammerin' Hank and Willie Mays DID have an advantage Babe Ruth didn't by taking the greenies. But my guess is that Bonds didn't hesitate to pop the greenies in addition to whatever else he was putting in his body. The point is that performance enhancing drugs muddy the water so much that I think fair comparisons are impossible.
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