Love Him or Hate Him, Bonds Among Game's Best
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/144/1/Love-Him-or-Hate-Him-Bonds-Among-Games-Best.html
Chris Sokolowski
By Chris Sokolowski
Published on 02/24/2006
Every sports fan seems to have an opinion on whether they want to see Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's home run record or if they would be happier if he fell flat on his face. Our Christopher Sokolowski weighs in on the subject.
Love him or hate him, anyone who considers themselves a fan of baseball has to admit that Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter of his generation.
I've always been a fan of Barry Bonds, the player. Sure, he's cantankerous, temperamental and a high maintenance teammate — just ask Jeff Kent and the players that have had to walk around his La-Z-Boy lounger in the clubhouse. But he's also an extremely dedicated individual, with superior work ethic that any manager would love to have as an example for other players. The home run record would cap off a career that includes seven MVP Awards, eight Gold Gloves and countless All-Star appearances.
Many players sign the big contract and become content. They begin to relax and never live up to the money. When you look at what Bonds has done since he signed a $90 million extension with the Giants, it's hard to argue that he has not been worth every penny.
My dad has been watching baseball a heck of a lot longer than I have. He's seen Mantle, Mays and Aaron. He lives out west, and has seen a lot of Bonds' at-bats. So when he tells me that he has never seen a single player affect each game he plays in like Bonds, I listen.
Can he do it this year? That would be a stretch. He has 708 dingers going into the season and needs 48 more to pass Hank Aaron. Given that his knees are about as stable as Scott Stapp at an open bar, he's likely to play around 110 to 120 games at most. In 1994, Bonds played in 112 games and had 37 HRs in 465 plate appearances, but those trips included only 74 walks.
Using the walk rate from his last full season, if Bonds plays 112 games this year he'll walk around 150 times in 465 plate appearances, leaving only around 315 at-bats. If he continues to hit a homer about every nine at-bats — as he has his past four full seasons — he would end the year with 35 home runs, giving him 743 for his career, only 13 shy of the record. In a best-case scenario, he would need to play in at least 135 games to have a shot at one of the game's most valued records this year.
I would love to see Bonds break the record. In America, you're innocent until proven guilty, unless you're Barry Bonds and the topic is steroids. His past connections to Balco are legitimate reasons to wonder, but I hold out hope that the player I have enjoyed watching since the Killer B days in Pittsburgh is clean.
Breaking the record in the steroid testing era, either this season or next, would, in a way, validate Bonds' past seasons and lend a little credibility to his era. All of the home runs of the last 10 to 15 years have not been the result of steroids. We can't let the Rockies pitching staff off that easily can we?
Rafael Palmeiro has tested positive for steroids, Mark McGwire pulled a Michael Corleone at the Congressional hearing, and Sammy Sosa suddenly lost his thump last year. Meanwhile, Bonds hit nine long-balls in 42 at-bats after a long layoff when he came back late last season.
Barry has indicated that he wants to finish his career in a Giants uniform, in the company of his friends, family and fans, playing the field. Given his age and health he may be able to play this year and one more if his knees cooperate. Will he break the record? Actually, I don't care. Let's just hope he stays healthy this year, makes a run at the record and takes us along for one more ride. Because love him or hate him, a player like Barry Bonds only comes around once in a generation.
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Every sports fan seems to have an opinion on whether they want to see Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's home run record or if they would be happier if he fell flat on his face. Our Christopher Sokolowski weighs in on the subject.
|
Love him or hate him, anyone who considers themselves a fan of baseball has to admit that Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter of his generation.
I've always been a fan of Barry Bonds, the player. Sure, he's cantankerous, temperamental and a high maintenance teammate — just ask Jeff Kent and the players that have had to walk around his La-Z-Boy lounger in the clubhouse. But he's also an extremely dedicated individual, with superior work ethic that any manager would love to have as an example for other players. The home run record would cap off a career that includes seven MVP Awards, eight Gold Gloves and countless All-Star appearances.
Many players sign the big contract and become content. They begin to relax and never live up to the money. When you look at what Bonds has done since he signed a $90 million extension with the Giants, it's hard to argue that he has not been worth every penny.
My dad has been watching baseball a heck of a lot longer than I have. He's seen Mantle, Mays and Aaron. He lives out west, and has seen a lot of Bonds' at-bats. So when he tells me that he has never seen a single player affect each game he plays in like Bonds, I listen.
Can he do it this year? That would be a stretch. He has 708 dingers going into the season and needs 48 more to pass Hank Aaron. Given that his knees are about as stable as Scott Stapp at an open bar, he's likely to play around 110 to 120 games at most. In 1994, Bonds played in 112 games and had 37 HRs in 465 plate appearances, but those trips included only 74 walks.
Using the walk rate from his last full season, if Bonds plays 112 games this year he'll walk around 150 times in 465 plate appearances, leaving only around 315 at-bats. If he continues to hit a homer about every nine at-bats — as he has his past four full seasons — he would end the year with 35 home runs, giving him 743 for his career, only 13 shy of the record. In a best-case scenario, he would need to play in at least 135 games to have a shot at one of the game's most valued records this year.
I would love to see Bonds break the record. In America, you're innocent until proven guilty, unless you're Barry Bonds and the topic is steroids. His past connections to Balco are legitimate reasons to wonder, but I hold out hope that the player I have enjoyed watching since the Killer B days in Pittsburgh is clean.
Breaking the record in the steroid testing era, either this season or next, would, in a way, validate Bonds' past seasons and lend a little credibility to his era. All of the home runs of the last 10 to 15 years have not been the result of steroids. We can't let the Rockies pitching staff off that easily can we?
Rafael Palmeiro has tested positive for steroids, Mark McGwire pulled a Michael Corleone at the Congressional hearing, and Sammy Sosa suddenly lost his thump last year. Meanwhile, Bonds hit nine long-balls in 42 at-bats after a long layoff when he came back late last season.
Barry has indicated that he wants to finish his career in a Giants uniform, in the company of his friends, family and fans, playing the field. Given his age and health he may be able to play this year and one more if his knees cooperate. Will he break the record? Actually, I don't care. Let's just hope he stays healthy this year, makes a run at the record and takes us along for one more ride. Because love him or hate him, a player like Barry Bonds only comes around once in a generation.