San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds wins record seventh NL MVP award

canada.com ^

[Gucho]

NEW YORK (AP) - Barry Bonds won his record seventh NL MVP award in a walk.

Capping a season filled with suspicion and success, the San Francisco Giants left-fielder became the oldest player to become the MVP of a major North American professional league. The 40-year-old received 24 of 32 first-place votes and 407 points Monday in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to earn the award for the fourth

[Gucho]

"Babe Ruth is a hard guy to hate if you love baseball."

I do love baseball :)

[Freepdonia]

I do love baseball :)

That's not a surprise to me. :-)

[PISANO]

The Babe is still the greatest. Of course in a culture that has SEINFELD as the greatest sitcom of ALL TIME it is no wonder that Barry Bonds is considered the Greatest.

IMHO Willie Mays STILL ranks above his Godson.

[Gucho]

"IMHO Willie Mays STILL ranks above his Godson."

The 50's & 60's - real baseball without the props :)

[CARDINALRULES]

Gee, I thought to win the MVP , you had to lead your team to the playoffs.

Well that was everyone was saying the last 3 seasons anyways.

What a crock.

[Gucho]

"Gee, I thought to win the MVP , you had to lead your team to the playoffs.
Well that was everyone was saying the last 3 seasons anyways.

What a crock."

It's always a changing world :)

[Primetimedonna]

Call me naive, but I agree with you that I don't think he knowingly got into the steroids. I think he realizes he has too much to lose, and he is pretty much a perfectionist when it comes to keeping in shape and training. If there was steroid use, I can't help but wonder if he wasn't told he was taking supplements. I agree that Willie Mays would have his head!

I rooted for the Cards too!! He's a good ballplayer, but I was delighted to see Kent go!

[SCALEMAN]

You are avoiding the question. McGuire wasn't considered because he wasn't on a playoff team. Not even considered. Bonds wasn't on a playoff team.

[SCALEMAN]

"As to McGuire, he admitted to using them, strike his records too"

I'm not a McGuire apologist, and abhor the fact that he did use steroids, but they were over the counter and not illegial.

[CARDINALRULES]

Jeesh, my typing and proof reading was bad today.

Well that was what everyone was saying the last 3 seasons anyways.

Not gonna bother with the horrible grammar.

;-`)

[ChicagoHebrew]

I disagree. Bonds will retire as the greatest HITTER the game has ever known. However, unless he decides to become a pitcher and win 97 games, he won't top Babe Ruth as the greatest PLAYER the game has known.

[ChicagoHebrew]

Wrong. McGwire admitted to using LEGAL products like creatine and andro. He never admitted to using ILLEGAL steroids.

[soundandvision]

Better break out the asterisk...

[smonk]

The REAL ballplayers finished third, fourth and fifth. Pujos, Rolen and Edmonds. Hard-nosed players.

first, the man's name is "Pujols". And second, the next rbi that merely being "hard nosed" knocks in will be it's first.

what have you got against Beltre? He played 3/4 of the year with golf ball sized bone spurs in his ankle, and missed maybe 5 games. He flatly deserved second place. Or does your universe just stop at the edges of Busch Stadium?

[discostu]

I'm not avoiding the question. Bonds performance far outstripped any number McGuire put up with. Bonds walks ALONE gave him a higher on base percentage than anybody else in the league. Sometimes a player is so far above the rest that the "team must make the playoff" guideline should be ignored, this was one of those times.

[SCALEMAN]

""team must make the playoff" guideline should be ignored, this was one of those times."

I am not and never advocated that McGuire should have been MVP, all I am saying is the rules are only used when convenient. If the writers like a player they ingore the rule, and this is the case with Bonds. Besides, when McGuire and Sosa went head to head that year, it brought baseball back.

[discostu]

It's not a rule. It's a belief that most of the voters share, but once in a while somebody stands out enough statistically that they're willing to put that belief aside. It's absurd to say they put it aside because they like Bonds, Bonds and the sports media have never gotten along and they both like it that way.

[rightinthemiddle]

A little sensitive, aren't you? Oh, the election's over, so we need to move on to more important topics.

Many (Cardinal fans) call him, affectionately, Poo-joes, because so many people (especially Cardinal announcer Mike Shannon) had trouble pronouncing his name when he came up with the Cardinals. My minor en la lanqua de espanol didn't fail me.

No, my baseball world ends at the lines I played within. (unfortunately, I tore a rotator cuff after being bird-dogged by the Phillies and Cardinals) However, I am a die-hard Cardinal fan, critical when they stink, but always a fan.

I have nothing against Beltre, but "flatly deserved second place?"

I watched him in the NLDS when the Cardinals beat the Dodgers. Once again, the players on the coasts get most of the media accolades and Sportscenter highlights.

My comment was directed at Bonds. I didn't mention Beltre. The Cardinals pitched to Bonds, other teams did not. I value defense nearly as much as offense in selecting an MVP, Bonds is weak defensively.

Rolen is the best third baseman I've seen and I loved Brooks Robinson. If it was all about stats, I guess Bill James could name the MVP every year, huh?

[smonk]

---A little sensitive, aren't you? Oh, the election's over, so we need to move on to more important topics.---

yeah, more than likely. sorry 'bout that.

Dodgers fans are pretty edgy about bonds in general, and we get even more cranky when it comes to the MVP and beltre.

[rightinthemiddle]

If you get tired of Beltre, we'll take him.

Bonds, I don't like. Never had much of an opinion on him, but the steroids thing looks bad. It will REALLY screw up the record books.

Hope we meet again in the NLDS next year. Nice move by both teams to shake hands after the last game.

No doubt, the Cardinals and the Dodgers are the classiest organizations in baseball...way above the rest.