Bonds 70th, is it that important he not get there? (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Yeah, but if you just type in CNNSI.COM and wait for the redirection, the main article on there is about Bonds and that NASCAR guy is in the normal print listed in the "top stories" Granted I don't follow NASCAR that much either and CNNSI is not the best site for that anyway but I thought that was a bit odd though.
And to preempt a football game on ESPN just to show baseball is odd. If I wanted to watch baseball, I'd simply change the channel to that channel showing that game. Plus, doesn't ESPN have that little ticker down there, they could of easily put something to the effect of "so-and-so" hit #70.
Jay
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[Anthony Hom]

Well, he did it. And without hormone supplements. It was also noted that in the last 34 games of the season, McGwire (a great player) was only intentionally walked once. I think Barry was intentionally walked at least 34 times if not more, and he still got to 70. That says alot.
If anyone saw the highlight, it is true that the pitcher gave him a 95 mph chest high fastball. And he hit it into the upper deck. if that doesn't prove whether he is in the zone or not....
It doesn't matter if he deserves it or not, the fact is he did it. And to everyone complaining about his ego? Time and time again he stressed he did not care about the record, he wants his team to win and people accuse him of being arrogant? He has been flat during the playoffs because what we see now is what they do to him during the postseason, they pitch around him intentionally.
I have seen and listened to almost every Giants game since '93 when Bonds started. Even through the lean years ('96 was a cellar year). If anything has changed he played the game right. He didn't try to hit outside pitches, he just waited for the right ones.
Frankly, the way pitchers threw to MccGwire at the end of 98, I thought they handed him the 70. Bonds had to work for his 70. If there is one different as to why Bonds hit 70 this year is because he became patient. For the last 4 years, he kept hitting so many bad pitches, he popped out so many times, but not this year, very few pop-ups.
I can't call him arrogant because this year he took advice from Mays, Henderson and Gwynn on hitting better. You can't be an arrogant person and not be open to those players advice. He took their advice and each time it paid off.
all these years of watching him with the Giants, I just didn't see any ego or arrogance, he has been giving the Giants fans good baseball. I suppose if playing well means arrogant, then I guess he is arrogant.

 

[Brian Perry]

all these years of watching him with the Giants, I just didn't see any ego or arrogance

Then you've got your eyes closed. Have you read the Rick Reilly article in Sports Illustrated? Have you listened to his own teammates? Yes, Bonds is an awesome player, probably the best overall left fielder ever. But you cannot deny that he has a reputation of being a jerk. (Being a jerk doesn't really bother me, by the way. I just think people shouldn't deny it if it's true.)
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[Samuel Des]

Wow, 34 Intentional Walks. (Great stat ESPN.com!) And he takes a Ball so well. He doesn't seem to even flinch on bad pitches. He probably sees through walls!

What suprised me was how often Houston fans would boo the walks. Strategy or no, If I were a Houston fan, I would have been encouraging the Astros for the division title -- and not rooting for Bonds in a home run race.
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Best, Sam

 

[John Thomas]

First off, let me quote:

a 22 year old kid

up facing the hottest hitter right now. He wasn't a 'specialist'. And it was a gopherball. If you saw the game, that was evident.
The 'fierce competitor mentality' is swallowing your pride and walking the guy.
Agreed about not seeing his ego. You must be a Giants fan, because that's the only way someone couldn't see his arrogance.
...and yes, the Astros fans cheering for Bonds/booing their own team. Hmm, well, I just suppose that tells you why Houston hasn't ever won a championship of any kind and their NFL team leaves then becomes one of the best.
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[Anthony Hom]

I know you guys just don't like Bonds so there is no use discussing the point. All I'm saying is the Giants had tough times just like any other team (except maybe the Yankees and the Braves). But Bonds just did his job. He didn't try to sell shoes, sport drinks.
I will agree, he doesn't seem to have much of a sense of humor, and he doesn't had fun press conferences with reporters, but he did his job, he doesn't pretend to do anything else. I frankly don't care what he does after a game, why should anybody? Why is that some people are looked at and say "Well, that's his personal life not his professional, you can't equate the two" and others like Bonds, who plays better than average, and you throw in his personal life, it's like your running out of reasons to hate him and have to resort to saying "well, your mother wears army boots". Give me one argument about how bad his baseball playing is, and then there will be something tangible.
I suppose it would be better to have a "Great guy, too bad he can't play to save his life."
If you want someone that does a song and dance routine, then maybe people like Albert Bell and John Rocker are preferred, but I would like to watch Bonds play baseball over those guys.
I seem to recall that Will Clark also was a quiet, unapproachable player, too, someone who just wanted to focus on baseball. but he didn't get blasted by the reporters when they didn't get the answers they wanted from him.
Most people seem to think the 70 home run mark doesn' t mean anything anymore, so most people in this forum shouldn't care if Bonds goes past 70, right?
If you don't want Bonds to succeed, the best thing you can do is IGNORE him. remember, in show business, a bad review is just as helpful as a good review, with the right spin. so if you really want Bonds to go away, then don't say anything period. Just like the many people in this forum advocate. If you don't like that show, change the channel.

 

[Mitty]

And it was a gopherball. If you saw the game, that was evident.

I DID see it. The guy wasn't serving up a grapefruit for him; he was trying to get him out. The expression "gopherball" implies the pitcher was tossing him an easy one so he could hammer it. Now, if you're implying it was a bad pitch, sure, that's fine, but that doesn't diminish the accomplishment at all. Good hitters capitalize on pitchers' mistakes. After all, that's what good hitting is.
You also can't deny that, while he wasn't a "specialist," he was brought in to face bonds because he was a lefty.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I suppose it would be better to have a "Great guy, too bad he can't play to save his life."
If you want someone that does a song and dance routine, then maybe people like Albert Bell and John Rocker are preferred...

Since when do the words "John Rocker" and "great guy" go together?
Regards,
Joe

 

[Patrick Sun]

Well, Barry just hit homer #71! in the 1st inning of the game vs. the Dodgers (who are now up 5-1).

 

[John Thomas]

You also can't deny that, while he wasn't a "specialist," he was brought in to face bonds because he was a lefty.

Actually, I can. Billy Wagner is a lefty and their premier closer pitcher. If they were so intent on getting him out, looking for specialists, then he would have gottne the call; after all, he did pitch to Bonds in the game on the 2nd and got him out.
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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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[Carl Johnson]

A bit of arogance doesn't equal the need for an attitude adjustment in my book. If you're looking to bash character why not focus on the numerous players who spent their time off the field messing with domestic violence, drugs, and fathering children out of wedlock? Bonds strikes me as a working mans kind of player who's into baseball to feed his family. He will put in 110% effort into playing but when the game is over he doesn't want to be bothered.

 

[Mitty]

Billy Wagner is a lefty and their premier closer pitcher. If they were so intent on getting him out, looking for specialists, then he would have gottne the call...

What did I say? I said, "...while he wasn't a "specialist," he was brought in to face bonds because he was a lefty."
I don't see how what you've said invalidates that. They brought in a new pitcher to start the inning, who happened to be a lefty. Why, if you're trying to serve up a grapefruit to him, would you intentionally create that lefty/lefty matchup? I still don't buy that it was a "gopherball," just a mistake that Bonds took advantage of.

 

[John Thomas]

Billy Wagner is a lefty. He is their best one inning left-handed pitcher. If Houston was concerned about getting him out, they would've brought in Wagner, not some 22 year old kid. Like I said, by observing the progression of the game, it seemed to be a move to appease the fans.
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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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[Jeff_A]

I am completely with Anthony on this one and I am NOT a Giant or Barry Bonds fan. The issue of Barry's supposed personality flaws is getting very old. The bottom line is this.
Everything about his achievement was superior to the McGwire-version a few short years ago. Please review all of the key statistics (AB, BB, BA, etc...). The fact that his team is in the heat of a true pennant race. Let alone that he has been the SUPERIOR player in virtually every other measure during his entire career. Deserving? No shit. Way to go, Barry!

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[David Lambert]

What's the old saying? Something about "It's not bragging if you can actually do it"?
He actually did it.
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[Scott_J]

Billy Wagner is a lefty. He is their best one inning left-handed pitcher.

.
He's also their closer. Why would they waster their closer when they're down 8-1 in the 9th, when, as it turns out, they needed him Friday and will probably need him again this weekend? That makes no sense. I'm sure they really didn't care if he hit one at that point.

 

[John Thomas]

Once again, I must reiterate myself and state that it's not a discussion of whether or not he's a good 'ballplayer'; rather, it's his arrogance and jerk-ish behavior. A point I raised - Jordan. He's a great player -and- person. That's why people like to see him succeed. The reason some people don't like to see Bonds succeed is that he IS a jerk.
As far as the Bily Wagner question, someone brought up the fact that HOuston brought in their specialist for the specific reason to get him out. This 'specialist' was a 22 year old kid who had no real experience. I brought up the point if Houston was so intent on getting him out with their best pitcher, they would've brought in Wagner. The move to bring in the kid was to appeaser the crowd, who was booing their own team.
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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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