Reasons why Bonds should be our DH next year

[El Gordo]

I wrote this in another thread and will ask again:

Do any of the Anti Bonds folks root for the Ravens? If so, do you have any problem cheering for Jamal Lewis (A Convicted drug dealer) or Ray Lewis (Aquitted of murder chrages, however was at the scene and lied to the police). I'm not judging Jamal or Ray, dont get me wrong, but I think it's sort of the same idea. Granted Ray has completely redeemed himself to the rest of the league and is a class act, but his past is his past.

One big diference IMO is neither Ray or Jamal got away with anything. They both went through the judicial process. Ray was aquitted and Jamal did his time. Bonds is openly defying baseball and the law and hasn't paid for it....yet.

[bigloe]

Maybe Bonds would be better off signing with the Nationals. A move to Washington will allow for a future job in politics after baseball. He already has experience lying to Congress.

[giantfan]

One big diference IMO is neither Ray or Jamal got away with anything. They both went through the judicial process. Ray was aquitted and Jamal did his time. Bonds is openly defying baseball and the law and hasn't paid for it....yet.

How do u openly defy baseball? First of all bonds hasnt been charged with anything so dont assume that he ever will.

[ripkenfan]

Fan4Life, I don't know you, and I am not going to pretend to know you, your character traits, morals, or anything esle. You very well may be the exception to this following statement, so again, I am not talking about you here. That said, many, not ALL, of the people on here who are talking about morals, character, ethics, steroids, and everything else that we HATE about Barry Bonds the person, would be cheering their heads off if Barry Bonds the baseball player came here and started bouncing homers off of Eutaw Street on a daily basis. Can you at least agree with that statement?

I know that I would be cheering. I mean, are we looking for a baseball player that can help propel the O's out of 9 losing seasons, or are we looking for a preacher or something? I just don't understand the concept of the character issues. The O's have had many people with character issues (Belle comes to mind) play for them and they will have many more. Its what they do on the field that counts for the O's team.

Plus Bonds still has never been charged with anything or tested positive on a steroids test. Don't you think that as much as he is investigated, that he would have tested positive by now? Yet, he still managed to put up 26 homeruns, 77 rbi, .454 OBP and a.545 SLG when he had to play the field with a banged up knee. He outperformed many of our players and many players in the MLB on one knee basically. Imagine what he can do, when he doesn't have to play the field and can just go up and swing the bat 3 or 4 times a game.

I don't know if Bonds is innocent, I don't know if he is guilty, but I do know one thing. I am tired of the losing and if Bonds can help us turn that around (and he can), then I am all for signing him.

[El Gordo]

How do u openly defy baseball? First of all bonds hasnt been charged with anything so dont assume that he ever will.

Bonds has done what no other player to my knowledge has ever done. He has increased his power numbers significantly from age 38 to 42. This doesn't happen normally. People decline in those years, some faster than others but they all decline. He is either a superhuman anomaly or he is using PED's. Every thing points to his using PED'S; his body changes, head size,etc. and his admission that he unknowingly used PED's. If you want to believe he is a super human anomaly go ahead, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. I prefer to believe he is a cheater. For me as I have alluded to earlier, baseball is a sport not a war to be won at all costs. I don't enjoy watching cheaters break the records of truly great players like Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth. If you want an example of a true super human anomaly check out Ruth's numbers. The man defies understanding at a time when they had no PED's

[Rockbird]

Sorry to tune in late but I had to post when I read this in the original post...

"If you were Jay Gibbons or anyone else and Barry has the locker next to you, how could you NOT try to get some..."

WHO CAN FINISH THE SENTENCE!?

[El Gordo]

Sorry to tune in late but I had to post when I read this in the original post...

"If you were Jay Gibbons or anyone else and Barry has the locker next to you, how could you NOT try to get some..."

WHO CAN FINISH THE SENTENCE!?

Good acne medication. This is a bogus question because nobody has the locker next to his Barryness, I mean nobody.

[giantfan]

Bonds has done what no other player to my knowledge has ever done. He has increased his power numbers significantly from age 38 to 42. This doesn't happen normally. People decline in those years, some faster than others but they all decline. He is either a superhuman anomaly or he is using PED's. Every thing points to his using PED'S; his body changes, head size,etc. and his admission that he unknowingly used PED's. If you want to believe he is a super human anomaly go ahead, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. I prefer to believe he is a cheater. For me as I have alluded to earlier, baseball is a sport not a war to be won at all costs. I don't enjoy watching cheaters break the records of truly great players like Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth. If you want an example of a true super human anomaly check out Ruth's numbers. The man defies understanding at a time when they had no PED's

His hr numbers havent increased in his 40s, hes been injured the past two years. They all decline, tell that to the rocket and ryan. I guess its safe to assume they were doing things not even bonds has been able to.

Dont bring up babe ruth, different era different game.

[El Gordo]

His hr numbers havent increased in his 40s, hes been injured the past two years. They all decline, tell that to the rocket and ryan. I guess its safe to assume they were doing things not even bonds has been able to.

Dont bring up babe ruth, different era different game.

Different era, so what. A base ball is a base ball and a bat is a bat. Babe was smaller and less atheletic than Bonds. But he swung a heavier bat with the same bat speed as Albert Pujols and hit the ball farther and more consistantly so, than anybody else in the history of the game. Different eras have no effect on pure power and distance. Except perhaps, for the fact that the ball was definitely deader then, than now. Here's a qoute fro William Jenkinson's study debunking the myth of the 600 ft. HR.

" In returning the discussion to Babe Ruth, it can be said that he defies rational analysis. Not only did he set distance records in every major league ballpark (including National League stadiums where he played only infrequently), he also set similar standards in hundreds of other fields, where he made exhibition and barnstorming appearances. Amazingly, many of those records remain unequaled, which is to say that Ruth is a true athletic anachronism. In virtually every other field of endeavor in which physical performance can be measured, there are no Ruthian equivalents. In 1921 alone, which was Ruth's best tape measure season, he hit at least one 500 foot home run in all eight American League cities. There should be no doubt about the authentication of these conclusions. Despite the scarcity of film on Ruth, we can still make definitive evaluations of the approximate landing points of all of his 714 career home runs." How many 500 footers has Barry hit?

[giantfan]

Different era, so what. A base ball is a base ball and a bat is a bat. Babe was smaller and less atheletic than Bonds. But he swung a heavier bat with the same bat speed as Albert Pujols and hit the ball farther and more consistantly so, than anybody else in the history of the game. Different eras have no effect on pure power and distance. Except perhaps, for the fact that the ball was definitely deader then, than now. Here's a qoute fro William Jenkinson's study debunking the myth of the 600 ft. HR.

" In returning the discussion to Babe Ruth, it can be said that he defies rational analysis. Not only did he set distance records in every major league ballpark (including National League stadiums where he played only infrequently), he also set similar standards in hundreds of other fields, where he made exhibition and barnstorming appearances. Amazingly, many of those records remain unequaled, which is to say that Ruth is a true athletic anachronism. In virtually every other field of endeavor in which physical performance can be measured, there are no Ruthian equivalents. In 1921 alone, which was Ruth's best tape measure season, he hit at least one 500 foot home run in all eight American League cities. There should be no doubt about the authentication of these conclusions. Despite the scarcity of film on Ruth, we can still make definitive evaluations of the approximate landing points of all of his 714 career home runs." How many 500 footers has Barry hit?

You can use a heavier bat when your facing 80 mph fastballs. Please the athletes of those times cant compete with athletes of today, its physically impossible. Hey ruth did some amazing things but he was facing single a talent. Just like athletes in other sports, none of those guys 80 years ago can compete with todays athletes.

Leave ruth where he belongs, in the past.

[Mark Carver]

You can use a heavier bat when your facing 80 mph fastballs. Please the athletes of those times cant compete with athletes of today, its physically impossible. Hey ruth did some amazing things but he was facing single a talent. Just like athletes in other sports, none of those guys 80 years ago can compete with todays athletes.

Leave ruth where he belongs, in the past.

WOW! Babe Ruth only faced Single A pitchers?

Hey I'm not prolific in past ballplayers from that era and I'll leave others to dispute this, but I would think Lefty Grove and Walter Johnson could probably excel in todays game and I doubt they would be classified as Single A talent. Walter Johnson is 3rd in single season WHIP. He's also 5th in single season ERA+.

This ought to brighten this thread up a tad-bit...

I wonder what DH's repsonse would be to this...

[Moose Milligan]

WOW! Babe Ruth only faced Single A pitchers?

Hey I'm not prolific in past ballplayers from that era and I'll leave others to dispute this, but I would think Lefty Grove and Walter Johnson could probably excel in todays game and I doubt they would be classified as Single A talent. Walter Johnson is 3rd in single season WHIP. He's also 5th in single season ERA+.

This ought to brighten this thread up a tad-bit...

I wonder what DH's repsonse would be to this...

The claim that Babe Ruth faced Single A talent is the cherry on top to this hysterical thread of hysterics.

There are probably 7 or so other teams in the AL Bonds would go to before coming here.

Other than severely overpaying, there isn't a reason why a bonafide superstar let alone an all time great player would want to come to Baltimore.

[Dipper9]

I know that I would be cheering. I mean, are we looking for a baseball player that can help propel the O's out of 9 losing seasons, or are we looking for a preacher or something? I just don't understand the concept of the character issues. The O's have had many people with character issues (Belle comes to mind) play for them and they will have many more. Its what they do on the field that counts for the O's team.

Plus Bonds still has never been charged with anything or tested positive on a steroids test. Don't you think that as much as he is investigated, that he would have tested positive by now? Yet, he still managed to put up 26 homeruns, 77 rbi, .454 OBP and a.545 SLG when he had to play the field with a banged up knee. He outperformed many of our players and many players in the MLB on one knee basically. Imagine what he can do, when he doesn't have to play the field and can just go up and swing the bat 3 or 4 times a game.

I don't know if Bonds is innocent, I don't know if he is guilty, but I do know one thing. I am tired of the losing and if Bonds can help us turn that around (and he can), then I am all for signing him.

AMEN! I agree 100%

[Mark Carver]

AMEN! I agree 100%

Have you read Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports?

From Amazon.com -

For years, in the shadowy reaches of the world of sport, there were rumors that some of our nation’s greatest athletes were using steroids, human growth hormone, and other drugs to run faster, jump higher, and hit harder. But as track stars like Marion Jones blazed their way to Olympic medals and sluggers such as Mark McGwire brought fans back to baseball with stratospheric home runs, sports officials, the media, and fans looked past the rumors and cheered on the stars to ever-higher levels of performance. Then, in December 2004, after more than fifteen months of relentless reporting, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams broke the story of the Bay Area Lab Co-operative, a tiny nutritional supplement company that according to sworn testimony was supplying elite athletes, including baseball MVP Jason Giambi, with banned drugs. The stories, exposing rampant cheating at the highest levels of athletics, shocked the nation as sports heroes were brought low and their records were tainted. The exposes led to Congressional hearings on baseball’s drug problems, and a revived effort to purge the U.S. Olympic movement of drug cheats.

Now, in Game of Shadows, Fainaru-Wada and Williams tell the complete story of BALCO and the investigation that has shaken the foundations of the sporting world. They reveal how an obscure, self-proclaimed nutritionist, Victor Conte, became a steroid svengali to multi-millionaire athletes desperate for a competitive edge, and how he created superstars with his potent cocktails of miracle drugs. They expose the international web of coaches and trainers who funneled athletes to BALCO, and how the drug cheats stayed a step ahead of the testing agencies and the law. They detail how an aggressive IRS investigator doggedly gathered evidence until Conte and his co-conspirators were brought to justice. And at the center of the story is the biggest star of them all, Barry Bonds, the muscle-bound MVP outfielder of the San Francisco Giants whose suspicious late-career renaissance has him threatening Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record.

Shocking, revelatory, and page-turning, Game of Shadows casts light into the shadows of American sport to reveal the dark truths at the heart of the game today.

[corsair]

lol, bonds won't be playing for us next year.