Such Arrogance Barry

[gordon30307]

It's reported that Barry Bonds will boycott the Hall Of Fame if his HR record has an asterisk. Someone tell him he first has to be elected.

[ChrisSportsFan]

Originally Posted by gordon30307

It's reported that Barry Bonds will boycott the Hall Of Fame if his HR record has an asterisk. Someone tell him he first has to be elected.

I saw that as well and I won't lose any sleep if he's not in there. He still has 2 months to find out if he's elected to the state penn.

[greymule]

Reminds me of Huckleberry Finn's father: "I'da voted myself if I warn't too drunk to get there!"

[JRutledge]

Who cares? This is years away and he has a right to feel that way.

Peace

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Who cares? This is years away and he has a right to feel that way.

Peace

I agree 100%. I would be pissed if they put a friggin asterisk on my HR record that I spent years breaking. Nobody is going to convict Bonds for anything folks, so just get that out of your heads now. Hundreds of MLB players use steroids, including many pitchers who Barry Bonds hit home runs off. Are we going to see asterisks on every one of those? I think not, so get over the fact that Barry clobbered more home runs than Aaron and everyone's golden boy Ruth.

Steroids or not, it takes a whole lot of talent to even hit a baseball, much less hit it out of stadiums against major league pitching. Steroids don't make that much difference when it comes to the hand/eye coordination and other batting skills.

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I agree 100%. I would be pissed if they put a friggin asterisk on my HR record that I spent years breaking. Nobody is going to convict Bonds for anything folks, so just get that out of your heads now. Hundreds of MLB players use steroids, including many pitchers who Barry Bonds hit home runs off. Are we going to see asterisks on every one of those? I think not, so get over the fact that Barry clobbered more home runs than Aaron and everyone's golden boy Ruth.

Steroids or not, it takes a whole lot of talent to even hit a baseball, much less hit it out of stadiums against major league pitching. Steroids don't make that much difference when it comes to the hand/eye coordination and other batting skills.

Hand eye coordination you either have it or you don't I agree. However, generally speaking, your stats don't improve as you age nor does your reaction time. I don't know if this is true or not but I heard that steroids improve your vision. Barry was a Hall of Famer before he started cheating.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Steroids or not, it takes a whole lot of talent to even hit a baseball, much less hit it out of stadiums against major league pitching. Steroids don't make that much difference when it comes to the hand/eye coordination and other batting skills.

Agree that it aint easy to hit a baseball.

What's even harder is to keep hitting a baseball for distance after an age where that ability is *normally* reduced.

Besides increased strength (hitting the ball over the wall instead of to the warning track) I understand that some steroids actually improve vision in some cases, or at least reduce vision loss due to aging. There's your hand/eye connection.

Is this true in Bonds' case? Who knows...but his record does show an increase in HR output at a point where most players start to seriously consider retirement.

edit oops, repeating Gordon. That's 2 votes at least

[ChrisSportsFan]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I agree 100%. I would be pissed if they put a friggin asterisk on my HR record that I spent years breaking. Nobody is going to convict Bonds for anything folks, so just get that out of your heads now. Hundreds of MLB players use steroids, including many pitchers who Barry Bonds hit home runs off. Are we going to see asterisks on every one of those? I think not, so get over the fact that Barry clobbered more home runs than Aaron and everyone's golden boy Ruth.

Steroids or not, it takes a whole lot of talent to even hit a baseball, much less hit it out of stadiums against major league pitching. Steroids don't make that much difference when it comes to the hand/eye coordination and other batting skills.

Do you really think most people who are in the "asterix bucket" are there because they don't want Barry to break a record set by Aaron or Ruth? Or do you think they are there becasue they are anti-cheaters? I know he has not been proven guilty of knowingly cheating and to that I call BS.

[David Emerling]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I agree 100%. I would be pissed if they put a friggin asterisk on my HR record that I spent years breaking. Nobody is going to convict Bonds for anything folks, so just get that out of your heads now. Hundreds of MLB players use steroids, including many pitchers who Barry Bonds hit home runs off. Are we going to see asterisks on every one of those? I think not, so get over the fact that Barry clobbered more home runs than Aaron and everyone's golden boy Ruth.

Steroids or not, it takes a whole lot of talent to even hit a baseball, much less hit it out of stadiums against major league pitching. Steroids don't make that much difference when it comes to the hand/eye coordination and other batting skills.

I agree with you 100%!

Although I personally believe that Bonds used steroids, I don't believe an asterisk should be placed on his achievement. Baseball has always had "eras." As baseball moves on, this will simply be known as the Steroid Era and everybody will recognize it as that - without the need for any silly asterisks. Bonds' achievement will be seen for what it is and each individual can ascribe to this achievement whatever they desire.

Sure - it takes skill to hit homeruns, whether you're on steroids or not. If I started pumping up on steroids, I couldn't hit a major league fastball out of the park, not to mention even hit it at all. I think there are many major league hitters who, given the benefit of steroids, would never come close to achieving what Bonds has achieved. Yet, it has to be assumed that many of Bonds' homeruns would have been nothing more than long flyballs had steroids not been involved.

I say, let him have his record and allow individuals to take it for what it's worth.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

...Nobody is going to convict Bonds for anything folks, so just get that out of your heads now...

Are you sure about that?

[Tim C]

Gentlmen:

Please re-read the press release.

You have "jumped the shark" here:

The issue that Bonds is speaking to is the BASEBALL that he hit for #756.

As you all remember the guy that bought the ball allowed the public to vote on what would eventually happen to the ball. As I remember there were choices such as: "Shoot it on a rocket into outer space" or "blow it up" (nee: the "Bartman Ball").

The overwhelming choice was to place an asterisk ON the ball and give it to the HOF.

What Bonds is saying is: "if the HOF displays the ball with the * on it he then would select to "boycott" his possible induction ceremony.

Regards,

[SanDiegoSteve]

Then in the words of Emily Litella....never mind!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Then in the words of Emily Litella....never mind!

I still say who cares? And stuff like this is the reason baseball is struggling in many places. Instead of worrying about the skill of the players or the game, you have guys that are so worried what record someone had 80 years ago when the game was not even played the same. Good Lord records are made to be broken. Steroids or no steroids players are better, faster, stronger, have more training and we have people that cannot believe that someone can pass a record of a player that did not take care of himself at all.

Peace

[SanDiegoSteve]

Again you have quoted me and then said "you guys" as if you are including me in with the others, when I was agreeing with you to begin with.

[DTQ_Blue]

This is from the "Overview" section of the HOF Museum's web page:

"The Hall of Fame has stood as the definitive repository of the game's treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete."

I think that this statement in part represents the dilemma of the HOF. How can athletes on one hand be "honored" by an institution that at the same time fuels speculation about that player's dishonorable acts, by displaying an article that is supposedly a "treasure" of the game?

HOF is the not using good judgment here. They should state that they have no intention on displaying that ball to the public unless the implication of the defacement of the ball becomes proven fact.

Until that occurs, the HOF by displaying that ball, would be lowering itself to the level of the National Enquirer by peddling innuendo. That would seem to be contrary to it's stated mission. HOF should just conditionally loan the ball to the Smithsonian and let them put it on display as an article of public interest.

I don't consider a ball that has been defaced by some rich attention seeker to be a treasure of the game. If at some point, history shows the ball to have relevance to proven facts, then the HOF should consider making it a part of its public display.