9 Responses to “Video: Barry Bonds Makes History With 756”

1. mw Says:
   August 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pm

   I walked down to the Park and hung out by McCovey Cove for the game last night. It was quite a scene and a lot of fun. You might be able to see me in the last scene of the top video. I was wearing a Red baseball cap. I am a two pixel red dot visible for a fraction of second in that scene with the fireworks.

2. Jeremy Says:
   August 8th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

   I was a SF Giants fan from way back in the day. I went to 2 of the World Series games between the Oakland A’s and the Giants in 1989. Personally, baseball doesn’t do anything for me anymore and I don’t even watch it or follow it. In fact, I don’t watch any sports anymore except for the occasional WMA fight here and there.

   I am not very impressed with Barry Bond’s home run record. The whole situation with steroids imbroglio makes me feel as if this guy didn’t earn what he has been given. Sure, he’s a very good player and he would have hit a lot of home runs without the steriods, but there will always be an air of illegitimacy about his so-called achievement as far as I am concerned. You can’t artificially “enhance” yourself and expect people to think you achieved something like this all on your own, even if you in fact did. Cheating is about the lowest possible thing you can do in a sport. The biggest loser in this has got to be Barry Bonds himself. He knows his record isn’t a valid one considering the man that he has beat didn’t use performance enhancing drugs to attain it.

   Now, Barry Bonds. Try breaking the record without the steroids. The count begins now. Good luck!

3. Jim S Says:
   August 8th, 2007 at 7:41 pm

   Strength is in fact the smallest factor to success in hitting. Steroids aren’t going to give you the eye, reflexes and speed that contribute far more than strength to hitting a home run.

4. Jeremy Says:
   August 8th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

   “Strength is in fact the smallest factor to success in hitting. Steroids aren’t going to give you the eye, reflexes and speed that contribute far more than strength to hitting a home run.”

   Maybe so, that doesn’t change a lot of peoples minds about the situation. If he had broke this record without being on drugs then we’d all be cheering him on. Fact is, it didn’t happen that way. No one made Barry Bonds use steroids. He made that choice. Some people think he broke a record, other believe he hasn’t. No matter, people are entitled to discontent his accomplishment because he made that possible.

   Barry Bonds isn’t a terrible guy, he just made a poor decision and now he’s going to have to deal with the consequences of that decision. In the end, I don’t believe steroids were worth it, now he has this question of legitimacy that is going to haunt his record as long as it stands. All-in-all it is Barry Bonds who got cheated. He cheated himself out of a legitimate claim to a significant accomplishment. That’s only my opinion, many disagree. I understand why they feel that way. But understand why some people question it.

5. mw Says:
   August 9th, 2007 at 12:03 am

   Hanging this steroid albatross around Barry Bonds neck is BS. Was he juiced for some of this record run? Yes. But lets turn the wayback machine to September 8, 1998 shall we? That was date that Mark McGuire broke Roger Maris single season home run record and hit his 62nd home run against my Cubbies in Busch Memorial Stadium (coincidently – I happened to be at that game too – just dumb luck). That was the year that two juiced up power hitters (McGuire and Sosa) were setting the baseball world on fire with their home run race for Maris record. Both broke Maris record. Mcquire hit more than Sosa. When either team showed up at any ballpark, that ballpark was filled. This was the reason and season that baseball recovered from the 1994-95 baseball strike. Wikipedia:
   

   “On Opening Day in 1995, three men, who were each wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the word “Greed”, leaped onto the field at Shea Stadium and tossed more than $150 in $1 bills at players. In Cincinnati, one fan paid for a plane to fly over Riverfront Stadium that dragged a sign reading “Players and Owners — To Hell With You” The meager crowds at the openers often booed at the players for their rusty fundamentals, shoddy defense, and in response to frequent high-scoring contests. Fans in Pittsburgh disrupted Opening Day by throwing sticks on the field, and holding up the action for 17 minutes. Despite just 6,300 fans at the New York Yankees’ pre-opening workout, 50,245 showed up for the opener, the smallest opening crowd at Yankee Stadium since 1990.”

   It is not much of a reach to make the statement that steroids and that steroid fueled homerun record race brought the fans back to the parks and the broadcasts and saved baseball. Everyone who stood to gain from it, the commissioner, the owners, the networks, even broadcast talent like Costas, were at best – complicit and enablers and more likely – actively encouraged anything that helped fans forget that strike. Including and especially a juiced homerun record derby.

   Jeremy – your first comment indicated that you turned your back on baseball. That is completely understandable given the recent history of game. But to single out Bonds for something that was tacitly (if not explicitly) encouraged by the entire baseball eco-system while he was a player – just not right.

   Just to be clear. I enjoy the game, but I am not a Giants or even a Bonds fan (Cubs are my team). I can still appreciate what Bonds has accomplished.

6. Justin Gardner Says:
   August 9th, 2007 at 11:36 am

   Well said mw.

   I don’t think steroids are good for the sport, but McGwire and Sosa did electrify that season. Baseball has benefitted ever since.

7. Jeremy Says:
   August 9th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

   I don’t want to get in a knock down drag out fight over baseball and steroids but I’m not alone with my feelings about steroids. Whether they were used by McGuire or Sosa or Barry Bonds doesn’t matter. What matters is that they [are] being used to [artificially enhance] the performance of these athletes.

   I don’t believe steroids should be used to “restore” baseball to its former glory after the baseball strikes of the 90’s. You want to make baseball a viable sport in this country? Stop spending ludicrously insane amounts of money on these players which have zero allegiance to the ball clubs for which they play. Because “they can sign a better, bigger and more lucrative multi-million dollar contract” with a different club. That’s why I stopped watching baseball. It became apparent to me these people don’t play baseball primarily for the love of the game and the competitive spirit but to draw in the money and increase yet more revenue. Now its all about money, money, money and thus ends up driving players to use drugs so that they “measure up” to themselves and their contracts and perform as they are expected to.

8. Jimmy Says:
   December 8th, 2007 at 9:28 am

   Barry you may hold the records but you’re not a Hero

9. C. Says:
   September 11th, 2008 at 6:17 pm

   Please restore Maris and discredit McGwire, Bonds and Sosa. They all cheated and must be punished. And if Selig won’t do it, then another Commissioner must and restore many of the Babe’s records too. No offense to critics. Then we can strip all 3 men from most records. If we don’t then players will just dope up again in wanting their glory.

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