SFist: 756: Barry Bonds Is Home Run King

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:49:51 -0800

Guest #25, As suckafree mentioned, maple bats are commonplace. In any case, even if you played 150 games per season and broke a $500 bat each game, that's $75,000 -- chump change for today's MLB stars. Ironically, of all the big hitters, Bonds probably breaks the fewest number of bats.

suckafree

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:05:38 -0800

guest $25, they are called sam bats made out of maple. anyone can buy them. maple is harder than ash. no big secret. all the big hitters use them now. get over it.

suckafree

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:04:00 -0800

rincon, that's tradition at the park to toss the opposing team's homerun balls back onto the field. glad to hear you went to a game. ;)

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:01:39 -0800

Congratulations BALCO!

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:56:11 -0800

Neither A-Rod nor Bonds have ever failed any drug tests. Lance Armstrong did fail one, which was cleaned up with a note from the team's doctor.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:49:18 -0800

RinconHill, Shop at Rainbow.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:40:37 -0800

There is another reason he won't retire. If he goes to the AL and DH's he has a decent shot at 800 dingers. Its only 44 from where he is now, which if he plays another 2 seasons + the last third of this is an average of 19/season. There is no reason to think he can't do that.

RinconHillSF

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:27:30 -0800

It was a fun evening at the ballpark (well, through the 5th inning at least). Everybody stood up for every one of Barry Bonds's at bats. When the Nationals hit home runs, fans threw their home run balls back onto the field ... not the home run balls they wanted. Barry was at 3-2 and had just hit a foul ball, so our expectations were a little lowered just before he knocked it out of the park. It definitely takes talent to hit that many home runs in a career. While I admit I don't have the interest to know anything about the steroids accusations, I can tell you that most of the foods I eat from the grocery store have some sort of chemicals in them beyond the food itself. I can also say that most restaurant prepared foods could certainly have something in them besides what I expect, but how am I to know? It is forseeable that a trainer or whomever would goose up somebody's diet or "sports cream" without the athlete knowing/understanding what is in it - unless you're very uptight about what enters your body and bloodstream, there's typically an implicit trust there ... similar to the folks who implicitly trusted the real estate professionals would not let them buy a home based on a sub-prime mortgage that there was no way in the world the homebuyer could sustain. I celebrate for Barry and the City today ....

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:26:36 -0800

Not only did Bonds use steroids. Has anyone even talked about his bats? He is not using conventional wooden bats. He purchases his own taylor-made maple bats that performs very similar to an aluminum bat. These bats are much stronger than the bats used during Hank Aaron’s days. These bats cost about $500 and with the money he makes, Bonds can easily purchase a bunch of these bats. Hitters who don’t make the money that Bonds makes don’t usually use maple bats. Tickets are still going to be tough to come by. There are still several other milestones for this season that fans can be a part of. And every time Bonds plays, he has a chance to set a new record.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:59:31 -0800

C'mon, steroids aren't so bad. Hank Aaron beat the record as a BLACK MAN!

wsanders

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:43:21 -0800

A-Rod failed drug tests? Citation please? Or is Chris Daly posting to this thread as "guest"?

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:18:24 -0800

Hey, look folks, athletes everywhere take illegal substances, it's even a problem in high-school sports. And taking an illegal stimulant is no guarantee for success: for all the high-profile accused, there are plenty of folks who don't seem to be getting much benefit. Neifi Perez (64 home runs). Clay Hensley (pitched Bonds' 755th home run). Jose Canseco basically ruined his body and career using steroids. The accusations fly in cycling, cross-country skiing, biathlon, track and field, you name it. While I would love to see a world rid of illegal substance use in sports, it is simply beyond the ability for the governing bodies to make it happen. Drug controversies detract attention from on-field performances. I hate it as much as anyone else. Adding an asterisk to Bonds' statistics is hypocritical, unless you add an asterisk by every single sports statistic ever recorded. As mentioned above, Bonds vilification is largely due to his icy relations with the media. He would have been better served by having a sweet, PR-loving warm-and-fuzzy personality, but he simply isn't interested in that. Who knows how many times people in his entourage have tried to smooth his rough edges? Oh, and I figure Bonds will try to play out the rest of the season. Why? He's enjoying the game again. It was obvious at all four at-bats last night: he was relaxed and had his swing back. He's healthy and gains nothing from walking away right now. Also, I believe he still wants to reach the 2000 RBI plateau. He has 1981 right now; making 2000 would put him fourth on the all-time RBI list (surpassing Lou Gehrig's 1995 RBIs).

mariconsoy

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:15:48 -0800

Another thought on Barry- I wonder if he suffers from the typical side effects of roids? Invisible penis and bad back acne come to mind. It could also explain why he is often so diva like, snapping at people. Hope he doesn't flip like that wrestler dude.

Akit

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:13:03 -0800

Good for Bonds to hit 756. At least now, tickets to the game will be much more available, and no more heavy price gouging by the stubhub and double play folks.

mariconsoy

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:11:34 -0800

Dearest Suckafree, [8] True that most people jack up in the morning with caffeine, but they don't use a syringe to load up.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:56:20 -0800

Bonds will not retire this month. Remember his contract is for $20 MILLION to play this whole season. Why would he retire with two months left and forfeit over $5-6 MILLION of his contract?!?

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:45:53 -0800

Sorry, I disagree. When I watch the Giants and when other fans watch the Giants, they wanna see Barry Bonds. All other things are secondary, including winning. The Giants may lose. But if Bonds hits two homers, I'm happy and excited. There is no doubt that the Giants have to keep Bonds until he decides to retire.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:45:29 -0800

MLB, along with other sports, is riddled with drug use. ALex Rodriguez failed drug tests just like Bonds. Do you think when A-Rod breaks the record he'll face the same scrutiny?

City Dweller

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:16:25 -0800

What's the best guess as to when Bonds will suddenly find it necessary to retire? This month?

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:21:34 -0800

It's funny when Barry grants interviews he is accused of basking in his own glow, when he doesn't he is accused of being a diva. At this point it doesn't matter what he does or say, it will be printed that he is a jerk. Players often go back to the locker room during games they can no longer play, if they are not Barry Bonds there isn't a cadre of reporters waiting for them.

guest

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:20:55 -0800

Isn't it telling that the jerk was basking in the glow by himself in the locker room, while his team was on the field losing? The win is the important stat, and the Nationals, a team tagged in the pre-season as "historically bad", have shown the determination and class that all baseball fans should enjoy from their teams. Barry can't go soon enough so the Giants can get back to a winning program. 756*

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:27:19 -0800

Number 10, Not to derail Barry's fake moment of glory, but I agree with regard to John Lennon. He was another faker in my opinion. Not so much with regard to drug use, but I hate how he up and left his first wife and Julian all in the name of Peace and love. I don't think he should have been shot, but he wasn't my favorite person. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is a great song. With regard to the other sports legends, you may be right. I don't follow sports enough to say if you're right or wrong. I did follow Barry Bonds throughout his career. He's alwasy struck me as defensive, rude, and cocky.

Cement Brunette

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:16:02 -0800

Who the hell is Barry Bonds?

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:53:57 -0800

McGuire, took the 5th to congress about his drug use (he is widely know to have use a little more than Andro[which is now banned]). I think the french would claim that 7 tour de france victories by a certain american cyclist with an ego the size of texas who was very closely connected (he was a client) to a doctor (Dr Michael Ferrari) convicted in Italy for distributing performance enhancing drugs is far more of a shame. And where is the outrage about all of the Pot that John Lennon smoked to write songs such as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? Listen like it or not, all of these sports have an even playing field, everyone has always looked for an edge legal or not (spiked cleats, greenies, corked bats, steroids, cocaine, EPO). The reason Bonds is vilified is that he hates the media and always has, and everything they write is filtered by that.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:51:50 -0800

Barry Bonds is Home Run King*

suckafree

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:49:34 -0800

what sport doesn't involve some sort of artificial help. it's not unlike you going to starbucks in the morning for your first of several lattes to be up and ready to face your miserable day at the office. give it a rest. before steroids, baseball players took amphetamine's.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:47:21 -0800

Big Deal...now maybe the jerk will ride off into the sunset by retiring and then get out of San Francisco. The Giants can hopefully and finally cut him loose.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:23:26 -0800

Great post #5. I completely agree. It is surreal to watch people actually get excited over something so plastic. I'm sure someone will come in soon and post about that you can't dispute he's a talented player. That may be the case. Still, he didn't break that record without artificial help that has nothing to do with talent. I just don't know what all the fuss is about. He's a disgrace.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:12:38 -0800

It was almost surreal watching this. Never has a record been broken under circumstances like this. It was inevitable, yet somewhat creepy to see him get the same coronation from the announcers and local news media given to McGuire, Cal Ripken, etc. Now I really hope the Warriors or Sharks win a title so this won't end up being the highlight of the Bay Area sports fan's decade.

MalcoveMagnesia

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:51:52 -0800

That fireworks image looks a lot like an asterisk. hmmmmmm.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:50:35 -0800

Yeah, let's hear it for the glorified druggie! What a fine example for our kids. *vomits*

mariconsoy

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:27:10 -0800

He broke the record by using drugs. He's a cheat and liar.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:24:36 -0800

Maybe the Giants will actually win the game!