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- Thread starter bucknut74
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Ordinarily, I'd say you are right, but I think the percentage of fans that will always consider Aaron the "real" HR leader (and Maris too, for that matter) is astronomically high.
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if I had any respect for baseball, I might have to give him some credit. From my perspective, he's the best cheater this era has produced (who is clean, and why should I believe that claim?)... I dislike barry, but what's truly absurd is how many known cheaters (by the MLB) are still promoted by baseball while Barry is burned at the stake, basically alone.
I heard a statistic recently that said if Ruth (maybe Aaron, not sure which) played in this 'hitter's park' era, he would have over 1000 HR's.
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Bonds is a cheater? I see...
So, roids weren't being used by Pitchers?
In Bond's era, they didn't bring in a fresh arm come the 7th inning? I know they didn't back in Ruth's day....
I'm not a huge fan of Bonds either, just saying thems a lot of HRs, juiced or not... and even if he was juiced, so was his competition. You don't gain 5 MPH on your fastball after the age of 35 either, folks.
So, roids weren't being used by Pitchers?
In Bond's era, they didn't bring in a fresh arm come the 7th inning? I know they didn't back in Ruth's day....
I'm not a huge fan of Bonds either, just saying thems a lot of HRs, juiced or not... and even if he was juiced, so was his competition. You don't gain 5 MPH on your fastball after the age of 35 either, folks.
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bkb, I agree that others cheat (hence the 'who is clean' portion), and Bonds has been the whipping boy. Personally, I think they chose to distract everyone with the crucification of Bonds, who did cheat, rather than come clean and change the direction of the league.
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"American League president Ban Johnson in 1923 issued a policy against "trick bats" after Babe Ruth [emphasis added] was caught using a bat which consisted of four pieces of wood glued together, and [Ken] Williams [a once prominent but now forgotten player of the 1920s] . . . "had been knocking 'em out with a bat in which a plug of wood had been inserted.""
-- The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, p. 686
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Hard for me to find any error there. It's my belief that owing to the 94 strike, baseball needed some reason to put butts back in seats, and everyone loves the long ball... so, they simply looked the other way.. If anyone wants to blame Bonds for Roids, they oughta have a close look at Bud Selig.
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And, frankly, roids are simply a continuation of a long tradition of cheating in Baseball...
We laugh at a guy getting caught with some emory board - we even let him in the hall... It's still cheating.
The spitter...
Corked bats..
Players have been looking for an advantage as long as there has been competition.
We laugh at a guy getting caught with some emory board - we even let him in the hall... It's still cheating.
The spitter...
Corked bats..
Players have been looking for an advantage as long as there has been competition.
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Captain Hindsight
The Hero of the Modern Age
I don't like Bonds, but he takes a ton of unneeded criticism (which unfortunately comes with being the best "power hitter" of our era, or anytime in general). Sheffield took 'roids, as did Giambi, and they're producing quite well, and I barely ever hear their names mentioned anymore. Unfortunately for Bonds, being the best, and being deemed a cheater (although many other players have done it, as well) will always overshadow how many home runs he hits in his career.
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Feeling sorry for Bonds is a wicked stretch. He's brought most of the attention, and acid attention, on himself. His attitude basically sucks.
That said, I will concede that he is being thrown under the bus more than anyone else is, but that comes with chasing the record. Remember, soon, he could have both the single season and overall HR records. Everyone says "Nobody talks about McGwire" which is true, but his record no longer stands. He retired before he totally broke down, and evaded the attention because he doesn't have the record anymore and because Barry is taking the heat. If Barry were ANYONE other than Barry, he would not be playing right now...he is hitting about .200 with a few HRs and bad knees, and he really can't play the field. Anyone else would be on the DL or in the minors on rehab assignment.
There were a number of factors that let Barry do what he did: steroids (allegedly), wayyy smaller ballparks, watered down pitching, expansion...he's accomplished a lot, no doubt. But when he and Willie Mays and Dusty Baker and all of his other apologists try and proclaim him the greatest player ever, that's when fans get angry, because he's had advantages (outlined above) other players from other eras didn't.
That said, I will concede that he is being thrown under the bus more than anyone else is, but that comes with chasing the record. Remember, soon, he could have both the single season and overall HR records. Everyone says "Nobody talks about McGwire" which is true, but his record no longer stands. He retired before he totally broke down, and evaded the attention because he doesn't have the record anymore and because Barry is taking the heat. If Barry were ANYONE other than Barry, he would not be playing right now...he is hitting about .200 with a few HRs and bad knees, and he really can't play the field. Anyone else would be on the DL or in the minors on rehab assignment.
There were a number of factors that let Barry do what he did: steroids (allegedly), wayyy smaller ballparks, watered down pitching, expansion...he's accomplished a lot, no doubt. But when he and Willie Mays and Dusty Baker and all of his other apologists try and proclaim him the greatest player ever, that's when fans get angry, because he's had advantages (outlined above) other players from other eras didn't.
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