New Home Run King
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What a great night!
The emotion in the place was amazing! Probably the greatest sports moment I have ever seen!
Then when they camera flashed to the screen I was saying "Hank Arron, Hank Arron, Hank Arron..."
Then he came on and I literally jumped off my bed clapped and shouted "YES!" That was awesome seeing The Hammer personally congratulate and pass the torch to Barry.
Good job Barry!
Now all you need is your ring!
The emotion in the place was amazing! Probably the greatest sports moment I have ever seen!
Then when they camera flashed to the screen I was saying "Hank Arron, Hank Arron, Hank Arron..."
Then he came on and I literally jumped off my bed clapped and shouted "YES!" That was awesome seeing The Hammer personally congratulate and pass the torch to Barry.
Good job Barry!
Now all you need is your ring!
And now the real controversy begins...how will MLB handle this hot potato? No commissioner on hand, no official acknowledgement by MLB at the game (Selig did send qualified congrats later)...sounds like they're withholding recognition until the lawyers get done in the Balco trial. I haven't read the book but on Sports Center they interviewed one of the Chronicle writers (Lance something) who has no doubt Bonds cheated with steroids and HGH and, if so, perhaps they should give Bonds a golden syringe to commemorate the record.
What a lot of people fail to realize is that when and if (since it's never been completely proven) bonds started using performance enhancing drugs ....it was legal in baseball. Did you forget that part? No, there was no rule that said using steroids is legal, but it was not tested for, and there was no rule that said you couldn't, and it wasn't in the banned substance list.
By the time his name got drug into this whole mess was he still using right up until then? Who knows. He was older and his body would have retained most of the weight anyway. If he was using, I'm sure once it became a banned substance it was tought to stop. You've gotten used to having it.
As a person who works out and has studied steroids extensively it's clear to me he was in fact on steroids and HGH. Look at his head size and steroids compared to the start of the '06 season, and look at him last night. There is a significant difference just in his cranium. HGH actually enlarges organs, yes all of them, while you are on them.
All that being said. He's always had a great swing, would he have hit this many without the power? Who knows. Would he have naturally progressed to the size he is right now anyway? Maybe...and that would have still given him the power. You don't need to be huge to hit a home run, it helps, but if you have great mechanics it doesn't matter.
He's been a complete *** to the media for almost 20 years, and that's why he gets the skepticism he gets for this record, and why he's been made the poster boy for a generation of ball players where over 50% of them were using performance enhacing drugs. Everything from speed to steroids. The media didn't like him to begin with.
Congratulations to Barry Bonds. The new home run king. Enjoy it while it lasts. I don't think your record will last for 33 years.
By the time his name got drug into this whole mess was he still using right up until then? Who knows. He was older and his body would have retained most of the weight anyway. If he was using, I'm sure once it became a banned substance it was tought to stop. You've gotten used to having it.
As a person who works out and has studied steroids extensively it's clear to me he was in fact on steroids and HGH. Look at his head size and steroids compared to the start of the '06 season, and look at him last night. There is a significant difference just in his cranium. HGH actually enlarges organs, yes all of them, while you are on them.
All that being said. He's always had a great swing, would he have hit this many without the power? Who knows. Would he have naturally progressed to the size he is right now anyway? Maybe...and that would have still given him the power. You don't need to be huge to hit a home run, it helps, but if you have great mechanics it doesn't matter.
He's been a complete *** to the media for almost 20 years, and that's why he gets the skepticism he gets for this record, and why he's been made the poster boy for a generation of ball players where over 50% of them were using performance enhacing drugs. Everything from speed to steroids. The media didn't like him to begin with.
Congratulations to Barry Bonds. The new home run king. Enjoy it while it lasts. I don't think your record will last for 33 years.
I think the greatest part about last night, was the "passing of the torch" from Hank Aaron. He basically blessed Barry for what he has done, and what he will continue to do. That was a truly special moment. And it showed how wrong the media was over the last month or so about Hank and his feelings. I've gotten word that Henry made that tape over 5 weeks ago. I guess if he had sent a copy to reporters across the nation at that time, then we wouldn't have had to listen to them put words in Hank's mouth. But what a sweet surprise to an otherwise magical night.
I'm a Giants fan, and therefore a de facto Bonds fan. Still, I feel a lot better rooting for him than I ever did rooting for Lawrence Phillips during his brief tenure as a 49er. But I digress.
I do find it a bit amusing that Bonds is so roundly vilified for primarily two things - his prickly, rude behavior, especially to the press and the specter of illegal enhancement drugs that hang over his career.
And yet Lance Armstrong is held up as an American sports hero.
I guess he has much better PR people.
I do find it a bit amusing that Bonds is so roundly vilified for primarily two things - his prickly, rude behavior, especially to the press and the specter of illegal enhancement drugs that hang over his career.
And yet Lance Armstrong is held up as an American sports hero.
I guess he has much better PR people.
I think there are two big reasons for that. First, Armstrong is held up as a hero because he overcame cancer to dominate his sport. Bonds overcoming cancer could have made him a hero, too. The second reason is that there is no overwhelming circumstantial evidence saying that Armstrong doped, so it is harder for the media to report assuming that it is fact.
That said, I think a lot of sports fans are skeptical of Armstrong in the same way they were of Bonds a few years ago before most of the "evidence" came out.
By the way, I thought Tim Kurkjian wrote a good column about the importance of this record: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=2950721
That said, I think a lot of sports fans are skeptical of Armstrong in the same way they were of Bonds a few years ago before most of the "evidence" came out.
By the way, I thought Tim Kurkjian wrote a good column about the importance of this record: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=2950721
Congratulations to Barry and to all the fans of baseball who relished the moment for what it was. My personal feelings about Bonds aside, this was one of the crown jewel records in this sport and ultimately to me that was what last night was about.
I will absolutely second the sentiment about the feelings when Hank Aaron’s message appeared on screen. I missed seeing the crack of the bat, by the time I caught the moment, Bonds was reaching first base. I finished up what I was doing and caught glimpses of the screen as the various things were happening after he circled the bases – I was VERY glad though to have caught the moment Barry looked up and Aaron appeared on the big screen. THAT, more so than anything else that happened last night was what I will always remember. His simple and eloquent message was extraordinary. Hank may have stepped aside, but he still reigns. I could sit and watch that on a constant loop and still probably be as moved as I was the first time.
And yeah, Barry ain’t going to hold it for long, he’s keeping it warm for A-Rod.
I will absolutely second the sentiment about the feelings when Hank Aaron’s message appeared on screen. I missed seeing the crack of the bat, by the time I caught the moment, Bonds was reaching first base. I finished up what I was doing and caught glimpses of the screen as the various things were happening after he circled the bases – I was VERY glad though to have caught the moment Barry looked up and Aaron appeared on the big screen. THAT, more so than anything else that happened last night was what I will always remember. His simple and eloquent message was extraordinary. Hank may have stepped aside, but he still reigns. I could sit and watch that on a constant loop and still probably be as moved as I was the first time.
And yeah, Barry ain’t going to hold it for long, he’s keeping it warm for A-Rod.
And this is where Major League Baseball f***ed up royally, and opened the door for this crisis they have on their hands now.
I don't like Barry Bonds * at all *, but it's not fair to criticize him for using illegal performance enhancing substances (which is the key, whether it was against MLB rules or not), and turn our heads at the other tainted numbers in the game. And there have undoubtedly been plenty in the past 20 years.
That having been said, I know that steroids didn't help Hank Aaron or Willie Mays or Babe Ruth hit 755 or 714 or 660. I can't say the same about Bonds.
And it's MLB's fault for not jumping all over this from the beginning. No one is ever going to claim that the NFL's all time numbers are tainted; Peyton Manning isn't looked at sideways for throwing 49 touchdowns in a season. That's because the NFL set a standard 20 years ago, making it clear that they would not tolerate substance abusers in their game. They have been far from perfect, but they haven't allowed it to overshadow the entire sport. And when a reliable method of testing for HGH is formulated, the NFL will be right there, implementing it in their program. Is anyone that confident about MLB?
Had MLB come out right away and cracked down on this (really, how absurd is it to NOT have a rule against illegal performance enhancing drugs?), then Jose Canseco wouldn't be consider the most in touch person associated with baseball, an authority. These records, including the McGwire/Sosa home run chase ten years ago, wouldn't have suspicion cast over them. There would be no asterisks.
I don't like Barry Bonds * at all *, but it's not fair to criticize him for using illegal performance enhancing substances (which is the key, whether it was against MLB rules or not), and turn our heads at the other tainted numbers in the game. And there have undoubtedly been plenty in the past 20 years.
That having been said, I know that steroids didn't help Hank Aaron or Willie Mays or Babe Ruth hit 755 or 714 or 660. I can't say the same about Bonds.
And it's MLB's fault for not jumping all over this from the beginning. No one is ever going to claim that the NFL's all time numbers are tainted; Peyton Manning isn't looked at sideways for throwing 49 touchdowns in a season. That's because the NFL set a standard 20 years ago, making it clear that they would not tolerate substance abusers in their game. They have been far from perfect, but they haven't allowed it to overshadow the entire sport. And when a reliable method of testing for HGH is formulated, the NFL will be right there, implementing it in their program. Is anyone that confident about MLB?
Had MLB come out right away and cracked down on this (really, how absurd is it to NOT have a rule against illegal performance enhancing drugs?), then Jose Canseco wouldn't be consider the most in touch person associated with baseball, an authority. These records, including the McGwire/Sosa home run chase ten years ago, wouldn't have suspicion cast over them. There would be no asterisks.