Bonds wins sixth NL MVP Award

Major League Baseball ^ | November 18th, 2003 | Chris Shuttlesworth

[discostu]

I could maybe give a nod if the playoff teams all lacked standout players. I'd be really hesitant about record breaking perfomances if they didn't make the playoffs though, far too often in sports players chasing records are weak in other aspects of the game, not every time but often enough I'd put the microscope on him before giving the nod.

[NYCVirago]

True, but what I meant was that the specific times and dates of the tests were random and unannounced. There were also 250 follow-up tests during the season.

Fair enough, although the general time frame for the original tests would still give players time to get off the juice.

That being said, let me get back on topic. Congrats to Bonds for his 6th MVP award (it should be seven, as he was robbed in 1991).

[SpringheelJack]

If you can't be on the field for your team 95% of the time..that's another reason you shouldn't be MVP.

The fact is that Bonds was so dominating in the time that he did play, that he still came out ahead of Albert in the minds of 28 of 32 sportswriters, a group who could hardly be called fans of Bonds personally.

[JDGreen123]

I agree. I grew up as an Aaron fan with the Atlanta Braves. I would hate to his home run record broken by any guy who is a steroid and human-growth hormone freak. Aaron worked for everything he got. These modern guys just cheat. I suspect that Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Giambi, etc are just at tip of the iceberg.

Sports Illustrated had an eye-opening and graphic account of steroid use in baseball in 2002. Totally Juiced

A quote from the article: Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants is often cited as a player who dramatically altered his size and his game, growing from a lithe, 185-pound leadoff hitter into a 230-pound force who is one of the greatest home run hitters of all time.

The article points out that due to the extra bulk from the steroids, players must use human-growth hormone to prevent their joints from collapsing. It is interesting to see that McGwire ended with a terrible knee and that Giambi is now having knee problems. The HGH causes the face to spread out in a ghoulish sort of appearance.

As a fan of 35 years, I plead with the players to stop. I was quite content when a guy like George Foster led the league with 50 home runs. Let's go back to the old days of real baseball and real players.

[BlackRazor]

If he misses 20% of his team's games, he can't possibly be the league's most valuable player.

Even if it could be proven (to your own satisfaction) that that particular player created more runs than any other player in the league -- despite missing those games?

If your answer would still be yes, then what would you suggest as the arbitrary criteria for minimum % of games played to be eligible for the MVP?

[Victoria Delsoul]

The six MVP honors put Bonds far and away in his own class among baseball players, as no other player has won more than three. Bonds is now one of just four athletes in the four major U.S. sports to win an MVP Award six times. The NBA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the NHL's Gordie Howe each won six, while hockey legend Wayne Gretzky captured nine MVP Awards in his sport.

Bond is a good player, but doesn't display the gentleness and good manners of a Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe or even an Abdul-Jabbar.

[Alberta's Child]

If the player was head and shoulders above everyone else, I could see how he'd be the MVP despite missing so many games. In this case, I don't think Bonds was such a clear-cut winner over Pujols.

[Alberta's Child]

Holy cripes -- I couldn't have said it any better than that. Victoria the sports maven!

[Victoria Delsoul]

LOL! You're always nice to me. Thanks for your support, AC.

[Sabertooth]

Bond is a good player, but doesn't display the gentleness and good manners of a Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe or even an Abdul-Jabbar.

Bonds can definitely be a grump. Jabbar was considered "aloof," though, until the end of his career.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Bonds can definitely be a grump.

Sounds familiar.

[Alberta's Child]

Don't mention it!

Notice that two of the three "gentlemen" you mentioned were hockey players . . . ;-)

[Victoria Delsoul]

Sure, Canadian Hockey Players. Now, let see if I'm right... Gretzky was from Edmonton and Howe from Ontario? Not sure about the last one.

[Alberta's Child]

LOL. You were close!

Gretzky played his best years for the Edmonton Oilers, but he was actually from Ontario (either Brantford or Kitchener -- I think it was Brantford). Gordie Howe played most of his career for the Detroit Red Wings, but he was born and raised in a tiny farming town in southern Saskatchewan.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Ooooh, OK thanks, LOL!!!

[Alberta's Child]

I just did some research. Gordie Howe is from a place called Floral, Saskatchewan -- just east of Saskatoon. Looks like a tiny town of no more than a few hundred people -- I've been through this area on the Yellowhead Highway (Route 16), and there isn't much out there but endless fields of grain!

[Chu Gary]

"Barry weighs a little more than 210 pounds."

A little more = 18 pounds according to his bio but we all know those bio's are nearly always fudged. I'd guess he's more like 230 - 240, on a 6'1" frame.

[Chu Gary]

"Barry weighs a little more than 210 pounds."

A little more = 18 pounds according to his bio but we all know those bio's are nearly always fudged. I'd guess he's more like 230 - 240, on a 6'1" frame.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Well, general speaking, that's the norm among good players, isn't it? They come from poor surroundings, and poor families, and their way to success is by becoming good players.

[Chu Gary]

CC,

"Barry Bonds is a fine player but he has never been the equal of his godfather, Willie Mays. I consider the modern homerun totals to be fraudulent: diluted pitching, small ballparks, small strike zones, rules against brushbacks, and performance-enhancing substances all make homeruns much cheaper than they were 40 years ago."

You speak the truth, yeah baby!!