Bonds hits 73!

Major League Baseball ^ | October 7, 2001 | Unknown

[Sabertooth]

"The analogy will really jell if Bonds were to be robbed of the MVP award for some reason (Williams hit .406 in 1941 and lost the MVP title to Joe DiMaggio, with his 56 game hitting streak.)"

And Luis Gonzales played for a first place team, like DiMaggio... and hit (gulp) 56 homers!

[Sabertooth]

All threads lead to Cheryl Ladd.

[NYCVirago]

And Luis Gonzales played for a first place team, like DiMaggio... and hit (gulp) 56 homers!

The RBIs are comparable (140 for Gonzalez, 136 for Bonds) as is the batting average (.326 for Bonds, .325 for Gonzalez). If Gonzo manages to eke out an MVP award, we can say we predicted it (cue in scary Twilight Zone music.)

[mrustow]

Wade Boggs
Born: June 15, 1958
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Pitching statistics

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CAREER STATISTICS
YEAR	TEAM	LG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA
1982	BOS	A	104	338	51	118	14	1	5	44	35	21	1	0	.349
1983	BOS	A	153	582	100	210	44	7	5	74	92	36	3	3	.361
1984	BOS	A	158	625	109	203	31	4	6	55	89	44	3	2	.325
1985	BOS	A	161	653	107	240	42	3	8	78	96	61	2	1	.368
1986	BOS	A	149	580	107	207	47	2	8	71	105	44	0	4	.357
1987	BOS	A	147	551	108	200	40	6	24	89	105	48	1	3	.363
1988	BOS	A	155	584	128	214	45	6	5	58	125	34	2	3	.366
1989	BOS	A	156	621	113	205	51	7	3	54	107	51	2	6	.330
1990	BOS	A	155	619	89	187	44	5	6	63	87	68	0	0	.302
1991	BOS	A	144	546	93	181	42	2	8	51	89	32	1	2	.332
1992	BOS	A	143	514	62	133	22	4	7	50	74	31	1	3	.259
1993	NY	A	143	560	83	169	26	1	2	59	74	49	0	1	.302
1994	NY	A	97	366	61	125	19	1	11	55	61	29	2	1	.342
1995	NY	A	126	460	76	149	22	4	5	63	74	50	1	1	.324
1996	NY	A	132	501	80	156	29	2	2	41	67	32	1	2	.311
1997	NY	A	103	353	55	103	23	1	4	28	48	38	0	1	.292
1998	TB	A	123	435	51	122	23	4	7	52	46	54	3	2	.280
1999	TB	A	90	292	40	88	14	1	2	29	38	23	1	0	.301
			G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA
18 Seasons			2439	9180	1513	3010	578	61	118	1014	1412	745	24	35	.328
Career Rankings			53	47	53	22	15	474	471	199	21	327	-	-	38

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Baseball has many stars, but only San Diego had this man.

We will sure miss him. God bless Tony Gwynn.

[Sabertooth]

If you're trying to tell me that Boggs had a flukey year for homers in '87, no arguement. '87 is the year the modern power surge started.

And I'm open to real scientific evidence, if you've got it, that the ball is juiced. But I need more than just stats. That was the point I was making about the base stealers.

[mrustow]

Next time you open your wallet, take a look at the twenty-dollar bill. Doesn't Peter Gammons look like good old Andrew Jackson?

Yeah, but everyone knows Gammons is older.

[Sabertooth]

"We will sure miss him. God bless Tony Gwynn."

Amen. I was living in San Diego when Tony broke in. Even went to Opening Day (night, lotta moths) in 1984.

I've still got a really cool "Tiger Busters" shirt from that year.

When All Star time comes around, I always vote for Giants. Every position, with one exception...

Tony Gwynn.

[mrustow]

I wish I had the scientific evidence, but I'm still convinced. Why? The explosion of home runs, ESPECIALLY in National League parks, the fact that guys who have no business hitting them are doing it, and watching the way the ball carries on routine fly balls and relatively soft liners.

The "record-breaking" seasons have all been from National Leaguers, even though the AL is supposedly more of a hitter's league. Even McGwire suddenly increased his production by 20 percent, the moment he switched leagues.

Recently, Donn Clendennon, the old slugging first baseman from the Mets and Pirates, was in the booth during a Mets game, chatting with Seaver. Clendennon was complaining about watching some "145-pounder jacking the ball."

There seem to be very few routine fly balls any more. I've been watching major league ball since 1968, and from the sort of swing, the sort of pitcher, and the crack of the bat, I'm conditioned to the ball flying a certain way. So are the older announcers. Most "routine" fly balls, which a few years ago would die in the shallow outfield, keep carrying to the warning track, or out of the park, especially all these soft, opposite-field shots. And in August, I saw Derek Jeter fist a ball into Yankee Stadium's center field stands. Now, I am second-to-none in my admiration for Jeter, and yes, he's a strong guy. But no one's that strong.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

When All Star time comes around, I always vote for Giants. Every position, with one exception...

Tony Gwynn

Yep.........he's one of a kind.

[Sabertooth]

"The "record-breaking" seasons have all been from National Leaguers, even though the AL is supposedly more of a hitter's league. Even McGwire suddenly increased his production by 20 percent, the moment he switched leagues."

McGwire was on the rise when he came over. Griffey went down when he came over.

The National League had more of the big cookie cutter stadiums and more turf in the 60s and 70s. They've gotten rid of a lot of that.

I think there are alot of reasons for the current power binge. But there was a binge between 1920 and 1941, too. Check out these stats. Almost all of the top power seasons for Homers, RBIs, and Slugging fall in either the 1920 to 1941 or the 1987 to 2001 bulges.

And all of the players with 5000 at bats and a lifetime .600 slugging percentage played part of their careers during the 1920 to 1941 period.

Interesting, huh?

[Roberts]

"Who's the ignoramus here? McGwire walked 162 times that season. Who cares how many were official intentional BBs?" Ever play ball? Lots of great hitters expand the strike zone when conditions warrant to drive in more runs in key situations. If such a hitter is walked intentionally (as often occurs in a pennant race), those opportunities aren't as frequent. McGwire wasn't walked intentionally during the final 1/3 of the season because his team wasn't in the race -- which doesn't diminish what Big Mac accomplished, but places Bonds' accomplishment in a different light.

[drew]

That's the problem with you myopic Giants fans. Thomson's home run happened in 51 against the BROOKLYN Dodgers for chrissakes! I'd say our FIVE world titles in LA compared to your ZERO in San Francisco is revenge enough for the long ago miracle at Coogan's Bluff. Besides, the Giants lost to the Yanks in that series, at least the Dodgers eventually beat them in 55. And the Thomson home run was done in true Giants fashion, by cheating (i.e. stealing signals).

And since we're talking great home runs, I give you the greatest home run in Dodger history, one that helped to win a WORLD SERIES and not just a pennant. And best of all, it was against that other Bay Area ballclub!

[Sabertooth]

Something for the kids...

[Sabertooth]

'88...

Hmmm...

That was the last year they won a post-season game, wasn't it?

[drew]

I agree, it couldn't have worked out better than with the Dodgers and Giants facing each other in the last series of the season with a post season berth on the line. As funny as it would have been if the Giants had moved to St. Petersburg, I think the loss of the rivalry would've been bad for baseball. I don't think any other rivalry in baseball compares, except perhaps the Red Sox/Yankees. The only shame is that the players don't seem to be into it as much as they used to. I guess that's the end result of rampant free agency and bloated salaries. The unbalanced schedule is definitely a good thing. Why should the Dodgers play the Phillies or Mets as many times as they play the Giants? I hope they stick with it.

[drew]

Right. Same year they won the Series. When was the last time the Giants won one? Oh yeah, they played the team the Dodgers beat in 88 the next year and got SWEPT. The Giants have won playoff games since, but still no WORLD SERIES. Oh, and I like the "2000 Western Division Champions" banner flying at PacBell. I guess when you have no World Championship banners to hang, you have to settle.

[Sabertooth]

Check this year's Final Standings yet?

Who's that above your team?

Last year's?

The year before?

Before that?

And in '97?

[drew]

OK, fine, but THESE are the only numbers that really matter:

Los Angeles Dodgers, National League Champions 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988
World Champions 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988

San Francisco Giants, National League Champions 1962, 1989
World Champions...still waiting.

And as far as this year is concerned, all that matters is that the Dodgers prevented you from going to the post season. I'll take it.

[mrustow]

I seem to recall once hearing a theory, that the Lords of Baseball juiced the ball, following the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, in order to save the game. If that were true, it still wouldn't diminish the Babe, since although home run hitting did explode, no one consistently gave the Sultan a run for his money. (The closest contenders were Lou Gehrig and later, Jimmie Foxx, but they were far behind the Bambino.)

BTW, fantastic web site! You may be named some day as "respondent," if my 'net widow wife ever files for divorce.