Barry Bonds

[LorfTVP]

In his pursuit of the all time record, Barry Bonds has three games at Milwaukee followed by a seven game homestand vs. the Braves and Marlins.

 

Since his tainted record is a given, here's to Bonds breaking it after the homestand at Dodger Stadium, where he should get the treatment he deserves. Honestly, why is every single record breaking homerun of Bonds at home?

[Virginia Giant]

It should be at home, where he WILL get the treatment he deserves.

[fringe]

:blah:

[LorfTVP]

I guess I'm just a hater...but if I will hate, I've gotta hate with a passion.

 

Let's see,

#70 Away

#71 Home

#73 Home

#500 Home

#600 Home

#700 Home

#714 Away

#715 Home

 

I mean, I know that they Giants strategically give him off days so that he can hit it at home but honestly, law of averages says that he has to hit either the tying or record breaking HR during an away game.

[Virginia Giant]

Personally, I plan on making a giant sign congradulating him when he breaks the record, and put it in my yard.

[fringe]

Giants are 127 games out of first, and you want to deny them the only reason people will show up for games? Give it a rest, Lorf.

[xxi-xxv]

Personally, I plan on making a giant sign congradulating him when he breaks the record, and put it in my yard.

 

I remember when Sosa hit his 66 in 1998 and many of the people who make up the hispanic neighborhoods of NYC and the surronding suburbs wrote "SOSA 66" in soap on the back windows of their cars. It was quite funny when it would rain and they would not clean it off.

[xxi-xxv]

Giants are 127 games out of first, and you want to deny them the only reason people will show up for games? Give it a rest, Lorf.

 

yeah really LORF how dare you have an opinion

[fringe]

yeah really LORF how dare you have an opinion

yea, that's exactly what i meant.

[LorfTVP]

yeah really LORF how dare you have an opinion

 

Well, I admit that I may be being unfair but I'm one of those people who have grown to hate Bonds not just because of the way "third parties" portray him but because every single facet annoys me. I guess you're right that he's a draw in San Francisco but teams go bad and teams go well, the Giants had their day in the sun and now they're chilling in the sun. You know what, if Bonds retires before 3000, you'll still have Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and a bevy of old starting players who will eventually go out and be replaced by young affordable talent. Sure Bonds creates runs and wins, but it doesn't change all the questions around him.

 

I choose to be bitter, complain, and hope that he realizes in his overgrown head that there's more to the world than his "friends" in San Francisco and all that. He hears the boos, no doubt, we heard about that in the canceled Barry on Barry, but still, he chooses to ignore them and live in his own personal bubble where he's the adored, famed Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.

 

And VG, I respect your respect for Bonds, and I know this is a low blow, but Rangers fans should be used to rooting for guys on steroids.

 

Sorry, man.

[Virginia Giant]

Well, I admit that I may be being unfair but I'm one of those people who have grown to hate Bonds not just because of the way "third parties" portray him but because every single facet annoys me. I guess you're right that he's a draw in San Francisco but teams go bad and teams go well, the Giants had their day in the sun and now they're chilling in the sun. You know what, if Bonds retires before 3000, you'll still have Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and a bevy of old starting players who will eventually go out and be replaced by young affordable talent. Sure Bonds creates runs and wins, but it doesn't change all the questions around him.

 

I choose to be bitter, complain, and hope that he realizes in his overgrown head that there's more to the world than his "friends" in San Francisco and all that. He hears the boos, no doubt, we heard about that in the canceled Barry on Barry, but still, he chooses to ignore them and live in his own personal bubble where he's the adored, famed Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.

 

And VG, I respect your respect for Bonds, and I know this is a low blow, but Rangers fans should be used to rooting for guys on steroids.

 

Sorry, man.

 

 

Lorf, the Rangers didn't have a monopoly on roid use, wasn't it a Mets clubhouse worker that was supposedly dealing to all kinds of players? We did have a few guys do it, but I ain't giving back those 3 division titles if I found out Johnny Oates was on the juice. Steroids just ain't a big deal to me anymore, I don't care if they were being used and wouldn't care if they were used to this day. Shit, if it means a playoff run, i'll hand deliver the next batch to Arlington.

[LorfTVP]

Lorf, the Rangers didn't have a monopoly on roid use, wasn't it a Mets clubhouse worker that was supposedly dealing to all kinds of players? We did have a few guys do it, but I ain't giving back those 3 division titles if I found out Johnny Oates was on the juice. Steroids just ain't a big deal to me anymore, I don't care if they were being used and wouldn't care if they were used to this day. Shit, if it means a playoff run, i'll hand deliver the next batch to Arlington.

 

Not suggesting that you ever had a monopoly, just that some of the biggest names that come to mind are from Texas and Oakland.

 

But see, I got into the sport late, in about '99 or so, so as much respect as I have for Sosa, McGwire, and the others who helped save the sport, I grew up with a different mindset. I didn't fall in love with these players as prospects as I am now so I have no reason to look past blatant usage of whatever kind.

[fringe]

Don't forget the East German swim team. Poor Shirley Babashoff never had a chance.

[Virginia Giant]

Not suggesting that you ever had a monopoly, just that some of the biggest names that come to mind are from Texas and Oakland.

 

But see, I got into the sport late, in about '99 or so, so as much respect as I have for Sosa, McGwire, and the others who helped save the sport, I grew up with a different mindset. I didn't fall in love with these players as prospects as I am now so I have no reason to look past blatant usage of whatever kind.

Well thats understandable, i guess it is easy to have a little harsher outlook on roid users if you really didn't see them mature. Thats assuming the sport today is relatively clean.

[LorfTVP]

Bonds chase a drain on Giants future

Ken Rosenthal

FOXSports.com, Updated 15 hours ago

 

SAN FRANCISCO - The comment received far too little attention, coming as it did on a day that Barry Bonds hit home runs No. 752 and 753.

 

"I don't know what the goal is here anymore," Giants right-hander Matt Morris said last Thursday after a 9-8 loss to the Cubs. "To win games?"

 

Morris spoke not only for many Giants, but also for other players who grow disenchanted when star teammates pursue records or milestones that overshadow team goals.

 

The issue is less of a problem when a team is winning -- see Sammy Sosa in 1998 or Bonds in 2001. But when the losses mount, the extreme focus on one individual can be grating.

 

Baseball, above all, is a team game.

 

None of the Orioles resented Cal Ripken when he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games record during the team's dismal 1995 season. But Ripken's influence, special treatment and continuation of his streak irritated some of the team's other stars in later years.

 

More recently, the Astros had little choice but to support Craig Biggio as he pursued 3,000 hits; Biggio, like Ripken, had forged a unique place in the franchise's history. But the continued presence of a fading Biggio retarded the progress of the younger Chris Burke and arguably hurt the team.

 

Bonds, as usual, is an entirely different case.

 

He is hardly beloved by his teammates, so it's not surprising that the clubhouse long ago lost patience with the circus atmosphere surrounding his march to the all-time home-run record.

 

Some of the tension is unavoidable. Some of it Bonds creates.

 

Bonds dictates when he plays and when he doesn't. Much of the media attention he receives is for his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. When he's not making outrageous remarks, such as calling the respected Bob Costas "a little midget man" -- he offered that mean-spirited gem to a select group of reporters Wednesday -- he's limiting his availability to the media, forcing teammates to answer for him.

 

The Giants' concession to a star system began years ago, when they allowed Bonds to bring a special lounge chair into the clubhouse, not to mention his personal trainers, who finally were banned in his latest contract. His perks were annoying but tolerable -- when the team was winning.

 

Now, everything has changed.

 

Morris' frustration wasn't directed at Bonds as much as it was at the team's ownership, which is perceived by many Giants -- rightly or wrongly -- to be more concerned with profiting from Bonds' achievements than winning games.

 

It's difficult enough for players to accept Bonds getting standing ovations at home while they're absorbing painful defeats. But several Giants believe that Bonds will remain with the team next season, extending the tired saga for one more year.

 

The players might be the only ones who believe that; it is far more likely that the Giants, after extending the contract of general manager Brian Sabean, finally will cut ties with Bonds and initiate a youth movement.

 

Yet, the players' suspicions are telling.

 

Asked if Bonds will be back for his countdown to 3,000 hits -- he's currently at 2,907 -- one Giants veteran says, "I'll bet my life on it."

 

Ownership, the veteran says, is petrified of losing attendance without Bonds. The Giants tried to replace him last off-season, yet ultimately re-signed him to a one-year, $15.8 million contract that drew criticism from many of the team's fans.

 

This time will be different, one management source vows; owner Peter Magowan finally is more committed to reviving the franchise than he is to Bonds.

 

Magowan did not hide his disappointment when Bonds declined to participate in the Home Run Derby at AT&T Park. What's more, after Bonds hits No. 756, it's difficult to imagine that Giants' fans will be all that excited about his quest for 3,000 hits.

 

The gig is up.

 

Bonds creates excitement, but fans also get excited by young pitchers such as Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. The Giants, competing with the Nationals and Pirates for the worst record in the National League, need to finally get their priorities in order.

 

Records and milestones are part of the game's appeal, part of the game's history. But when a player of Morris' stature says, "I don't know what the goal here is anymore," it's more clear than ever that the Giants have lost their way.

 

The goal is simple, no matter what any one player is trying to accomplish.

 

The goal is to win games.

 

Just some food for thought. Sure the fans love it but I didn't realize how much it affected his teammates who are losing, losing, and losing and see Bonds get loved and adored.

 

Go sign A-rod.

[fringe]