Barry Bonds hits 600th home run. (1 Viewer)

[KeithH]

Barry Bonds became the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit his 600th home run last night. He hit it off of Kip Wells of the Pirates. Bonds is fourth on the all-time home-run list behind Willie Mays (660 home runs), Babe Ruth (714), and Hank Aaron (755). Impressively, it took Bonds just 710 at bats to go from 500 home runs to 600. He could very well pass Hammerin' Hank.

 

[Jim_F]

I keep thinking of the story (of questionable origin) that was going around a few years ago.

White Sox management had sought Frank Thomas' input on what free agent to pursue to hit next to him in the lineup. "Just tell us who you want and we'll go get him-Barry Bonds, Albert Belle-you name it." he was reportedly told. "No question," the Big Hurt supposedly replied-"Albert Belle."

Note: Errors in this rumor originated or perpetuated in this post may be due to synaptic deficiencies on the part of its author.

 

[Phil L]

To be fair to Frank Thomas- a few years ago Barry Bonds wasn't, well, Barry Bonds.

 

[walter wagers]

Barry Bonds is exhibit A in "better baseball through chemistry."

JMO, of course.

 

[Mitty]

That's pretty wild that we now live in an era of baseball where a hitter can hit his 500th HR and his 600th in consecutive seasons (as I recall he started last season just 4 or 5 shy of 500).

 

[Joe_C]

Barry Bonds is exhibit A in "better baseball through chemistry."

Well the difference between Bonds and, say, Sosa and some of the other muscle-bound monstrosities, is that Bonds relies SOLELY on bat speed. Just look how much he chokes up on a bat that is tiny compared to what others are using. How many power hitters do you know who don't use a bat the size of a sequioa?

 

[Ashley Seymour]

To be fair to Frank Thomas- a few years ago Barry Bonds wasn't, well, Barry Bonds.

In the Historical Baseball Abstract Bill James compares how several publications rank the great players and placed Barry 16th all time based on his career through 1999. Now Barry is through 2000, 2001 and most of 2002. He has to have cracked the top 10.
To be fair to Frank Thomas, what has he done with a career that started out with a lot of promise? Maybe he picked Albert because next to him, Frank would look good.
Barry may be the first to hit 800. That should drive him for a few years.

 

[Patrick_S]

Well the difference between Bonds and, say, Sosa and some of the other muscle-bound monstrosities, is that Bonds relies SOLELY on bat speed. Just look how much he chokes up on a bat that is tiny compared to what others are using. How many power hitters do you know who don't use a bat the size of a sequioa?

Solely on bat speed? Isn’t it Strange that a player that relies solely on bat speed has increased his bulk (muscle) so much in the past few seasons?

By the way Bond's bats are not that "tiny" compared to other power hitters. There is probably only and once or two difference in weight between Bond's bats and the bats used by say ARod and Sosa.

 

[KeithH]

Bonds is a strong man. No question about it. However, something I found interesting is that Sammy Sosa hit one of the longest home runs at Pac Bell the other day since it opened. The article I read about Sosa's home run mentioned the three or four longest home runs hit at Pac Bell. Bonds' longest home run there was said to be some 40 feet or so shorter than the longest home runs. Obviously, strength doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to distance.

 

[DanaA]

Personally, I hope he doesn't break Hammering Hank's record. I have never been a fan of Barry or his ego. I remember him being on a San Francisco radio show a couple of years back and just being so rude and arrogant to the hosts. He may be a great hitter, but I don't feel he's a great human being. I also wonder how he went from a hitter that never in his career hit 50 homers to one that hit over 70 at an age which would usually be considered past a ball player's prime.

 

[Grant B]

he has mellowed. I think when he was going through his divorce, he was not the most pleasent person (and who is ???)
I saw his 500 , 600 and 72 hrs....he is pretty incredible. He just past the record for most intentional walks. Sammy hit 3 in a day,Bonds will never do that because he's walked 70% of the time.

a hitter that never in his career hit 50 homers to one that hit over 70 at an age which would usually be considered past a ball player's prime

I was there the 1st game he played for the Giants, and I remember his swing looking good, but nothing like today. Last year his slugging % was 863 and at the end he was being walked like crazy....and still hit 73HRs

I am just glad he's a Giant

 

[Joe_C]

By the way Bond's bats are not that "tiny" compared to other power hitters. There is probably only and once or two difference in weight between Bond's bats and the bats used by say ARod and Sosa.

I'm really curious to know if you're ever played baseball past junior high or even high school. Two or three ounces makes all the difference in the world. It may not seem like much (and really, it isn't), but batspeed is greatly affected by those few, small ounces.

And btw, I'm a medical redshirt for UCLA (shattered my foot in a car accident), and will probably never get to play again save the occasional company softball game. Fucking depressing...

 

[Brian Perry]

I'm not sure about the weight of Bonds' bat, but it sure looks short compared to others.

I wish these wuss MLB pitchers would actually pitch to Bonds (as Kerry Wood did the other day). If he gets enough plate appearances, Bonds will break Ted Williams' record for highest on-base percentage for a season. So in the last two years, he will have amassed the home run record, the slugging record, and the OBP record, all during what should be the twilight of his career. Which is not right, in my opinion. It's one thing to set personal bests later in your career, but to set ALL-TIME records when you should be near the end is ridiculous.

I think the lack of fanfare for what should have been an awe-inspiring feat shows that the accomplishment is tainted in a great many fans' eyes.

 

[Denward]

I remember reading a discussion about physics and bat sizes many years ago. If I remember correctly, the kinetic energy of a moving object (i.e. a bat) is 0.5*m*v^2 where m is mass and v is velocity. Since velocity is squared, sacrificing a little m to get more v is the way to hit balls farther.

Since I live in the mecca of baseball bats, I can tell you that the Louisville Slugger Museum displays a few bats that players actually used. The bats are chained down but the chains are long enough that visitors can hold these bats and see how they feel. Old timers like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson used sequoias. They are heavy and have thick handles. Most modern players (I think Griffey's is the one on display) now use light bats with thin handles. This allows them to whip the bat around and generate a lot more v in their swing. The modern design is more prone to breaking, but I suspect that current players aren't as concerned about that as old-timers were. The bats they use now are not any longer or heavier than the average bat at your local sporting goods store. However, they do reserve the best wood for the major leaguers.

I agree 100% with this statement. HRs aren't what they used to be. If MLB settles their labor dispute and implements steroid testing, it will be very interesting to see the fallout in terms of who gets caught and who can't maintain their stats.

 

[Joe_C]

If I remember correctly, the kinetic energy of a moving object (i.e. a bat) is 0.5*m*v^2 where m is mass and v is velocity. Since velocity is squared, sacrificing a little m to get more v is the way to hit balls farther

Yep, that's what I said...minus the variables, of course
What's the latest on Caminiti's all-inclusive roid expose?

 

[Chu Gai]

yeah, Barry mellowed so much he refused to sign anything for fellow all stars...he's not my man to put up to bat in the playoffs.