Posted on 05/28/2006 6:01:06 PM PDT by Pokey78
Take it easy. I was being generous. I left out professional wrestling and golf...
Poll them. Would most Americans rather own a fast car - or a baseball mitt?
Bonds may pass Aaron's record, thanks to better hitting through chemistry, but he will never come anywhere close to having the respect and admiration that real fans have for Hammerin Hank. The difference is, Aaron was and is a true gentleman and a credit to the game, while Bonds is a 1st class jerk and no credit to anything. Besides that, Aaron had more talent in one pinky finger than Bonds has in his entire dope-soaked body. Without steroids Bonds would never have gotten into the same room with the record book.
I'm pretty much just reading this thread, but I do have to dispute your claim that Bonds has charged the mound after being HBP. Didn't happen.
When Bonds was finally hit after five WAY inside pitches, Bonds told the pitcher not to do anything to retaliate or get tossed from the game.
I've got my own beefs with Bonds, but let's be factual.
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/yankee.htm
Ruth's park:
deepest left-center: 500 ft!!(1921-23), 490 ft (1924-36)
center field: 487 ft(1923-36), 461 ft(1937 - post Ruth)
right-center: 429 ft(1923-36)
Bonds has a 400 ft. fence as the furthest point.
Ruth would routinely hit long flyouts that would have home runs by 60 feet today. He easily had 500 flyouts go further than 400 ft. in his career, which would be home runs in Bond's park. Add those 500 to 714= 1214
Perhaps the most astonishing stat is how far Ruth crushed the ball. He hit 235 home runs that went 450 ft. or further. Bonds pre-roids in 15 seasons had just 3. Knowing how far his homeruns went we can assume that of Ruth's 500 doubles and 136 triples, at least 200 of them went 400 ft. Add another 200 = 1414 home runs
Ruth missed his first 5 years, when he was the most dominant left handed pitcher. If he had been hitting, add another 150 HRs = 1564.
Till 1931, if you sliced a homerun down the foul line in fair territory and it later hooked and landed in the bleachers foul, it was called a foul ball. Umpires estimated this cost him at least 100 more. 1664 Home Runs.
Home runs aside, the only way to compare players from different eras is to compare their dominance over their peers.
(see Leaderboards and Awards)
http://baseball-reference.com/r/ruthba01.shtml
http://baseball-reference.com/b/bondsba01.shtml
HR Champs
Ruth 12 out of 14 years
Bonds 2 out of 21 years
Slg Pct.
Ruth 13yrs in a row
bonds 7X
OPS
Ruth 13 yrs. in a row
Bonds 9X in 21 years
RBI
Ruth 6X
Bonds 1X
Runs
Ruth 8 yrs. in a row
Bonds 1X
Total Bases
Ruth 6x
Bonds 1X
Lifetime Avg.
Ruth .342
Bonds .299
Ruth was all-time HR champ at 25, and he hit more hrs. than EVERY TEAM in the American League his first year as a hitter.
By comparison: That's like Bob Gibson quitting pitching after his monster 1968 world series and hitting 300 home runs in 1970.
Ruth Pitching
94w 46 L
2.28era
World Series
2-0 0.87 era
Ruth Set record of 29 consecutive scoreless inning pitched in WS for about 43 years.
Bonds pitching
ooopppsss
WORLD SERIES RINGS (9 trips in 14 yrs)
Ruth 7 rings
Bonds 0
Not really. A player's intentional walks are usually an indication of two things: 1) his offensive talent, and 2) the strength of the hitters behind him.
Item #2 is far more important than some people may realize. Roger Maris, for example, wasn't intentionally walked a single time during the 1961 season in which he broke Babe Ruth's single-season record with 61 home runs -- because Mickey Mantle hit behind him in the lineup.
It's no coincidence that Bonds set a single-season record for walks in 2004 -- a season in which the San Francisco Giants had no other notable offensive talent in their lineup (Bonds' 45 home runs was more than twice as many as anyone else on the team, and he was the only player on the roster with 100+ runs batted in).
Ruth also had the benefit of only day games with better light to see the ball.
In the lights, could Ruth have done the same numbers? Is a good question IMO.
That's a very deceptive statement in that it overlooks a lot of players simply because they started their careers in the middle of a decade. Tony Gwynn (1980s) and Alex Rodriguez (1990s) are two good examples of this.
Right Center is about 420 or so.....
Ironically, all the controversy over Pete Rose's banishment from baseball has overshadowed the fact that he's one of the most overrated players in baseball history. While he'd probably be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the minds of most voters simply because of his reputation, I think you'd have a hard time making the case that he's even one of the 200 best players of all time.
For the life of me I can't figure out why Bond's home run total is so low this year. Must be an off year (as in off the 'roids).
Undetectable, the cream, the clear
Some injectable, right in my rear
Like a shot of stuff for human growth
Do one cheek, then go and do 'em both
Never before
Have steroids been more
Undetectable in every way
Unconnectible, that's how I'll stay
Look at me, see the incredible
Bulk I've gained but not by edible
Means I gained it from some spreadable goo
Unregrettable, well worth the risk
Record-settable, no asterisk
Chasing Aaron, catching up to Ruth
Couldn't care less if I tell the truth
What matters more
Is home runs galore
Undetectable each time I pee
Random-testable, you won't catch me
As for me, it's incontestable
What this does is so incredible:
Swells my head and shrinks my testicles too
A-Rod's career post-season numbers aren't much different than his regular season numbers. Through 2005, his career batting average was only two points lower in the post-season than in the regular season (.305 vs. .307). Sure, his power numbers are somewhat lower . . . but remember that most players don't put up huge offensive numbers in the post-season, since they are facing very good pitchers for the most part.
The Giants played in Manhattan [accross the river from the Stadium] at the Polo Grounds. The Dodgers left Brooklyn [Ebbetts Field]
I wonder how the league would have fared against Josh Gibson! :-)
Jones has "lost a step" because he's noticeably bulked up over the last couple of years. It's not easy to be a Gold Glove centerfielder and hit 50+ home runs simultaneously.
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