Baseball is a joke: Bonds hits 3 homers.

Does anone else here, besides me, think that the fix is in for Bonds? I think the word is out to help Bonds break the record by milk pitching to him. Baseball is beginning to be cartoon like. And to think at one time I loved the GAME.


Vince

Well Coors Field is a hitters park, but I agree that three in one game is a bit much. However, with the Rockies not being a contender they don't have as much incentive to pitch around him as other teams do.


The tale will be told over the next few weeks. They are up against mostly contenders for playoff spots and even if the "word is out" there would be little incentive for those teams to cooperate.


Chuck

Vince,


The players dont invite Bonds to meditations. Sredni would not ivite Bonds. Even The Great Ferret in the Sky might not invite Bonds. So Sredni doubts "the word" is enough to make multi million dollar pitchers cough up homers.


Sredni has easy speculations that it is not "the word" but "the juice".


Sredni is perhaps naive to the extent of darkness in mankind's hearts.


Sredni Vashtar


<FONT COLOR="ff0000">went forth,

His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.

His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death.

Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful.</FONT>

There's money in the record, so who knows. My dad claimed pitchers were grooving the ball for McGwire in '98. They still have to hit them though.


Bonds seems to be a pretty unpopular guy with this teammates and opponents. Nevertheless, he's one of the 10 greatest players ever, maybe one of the 5 greatest. The year he's having this year probably ranks up there with Ruth's 1920-1921-1923 seasons: simply spectuacular.


Did you see the Cone/Mussina 1-0 game on Sunday night last week? Nothing cartoon-liked about that wonderful battle. Nothing cartoon-like about Ripken, Gwynn, Ichiro or Maddux. For me, it sure beats watching two guys trying to hit each other until one of them drops, or a bunch of 340 pound behemoths trying to push each other backwards, or watching a game that makes heroes out of the likes of Bobby Knight and Latrell Sprewell.

I don't think there is a huge sentiment for Bonds, who many people hate, to break a record held by McGwire, who most people love.


I'd say there is zero chance that the pitchers are in on it. Pitchers get no satisfaction out of helping people to home run records. Their play determines next year's salary. Scott Elarton gave up two home runs to Bonds yesterday. His era was already so high that he might not be able to find a job next year. I'm pretty sure he's not interested in sacrificing a paycheck for next year so that a pompous ass can break a record. The other home run was given up by Todd Belitz, a rookie who was pitching in his first game. Giving up home runs isn't the way to get to the big leagues, so there is zero chance that he was grooving pitches for Bonds. If anything, he would be overzealous in trying to strike him out.


If doubt they're grooving pitchers per managers instructions either. First, they walked Bonds four times in the 3 game series, and didn't give up a Home run to him until the 3rd game. And the manager, Buddy Bell, got ejected in the first inning along with the hitting coach for arguing balls and strikes. That sure doesn't sound like people who would be trying to throw home runs to Bonds.

I am not a big fan of baseball, but I don't think any team would intentionally throw up a duck in extra innings.


Derrick

Personally, I have always HATED baseball. Not the game itself, just the big leagues, with their incredibly slow games, and every other player spitting ten to twenty times each inning. I love watching little league (more watching the fans than the players, damn, little league is vicious!). Anyway, I certainly hope that McGuire's record is NOT broken by this moron. "Pompous Ass" is the description of someone who needs to be darwinized for the betterment of society as a whole. After all that hype we went through with McGuire, at least he was a pleasant guy (at least on TV). Let's let him keep his record, let him remain the one who beat Ruth's record. Besides, if Bonds beats the record, no doubt he will get even richer and more pompous than he is now. And we wound't want THAT.


Dave in Cali

I do not think there is a fix. Bonds is a teriffic hitter and plays in many hitter's parks. The balls are lively; hi tech bats make the ball soar; pitchers provise most o fthe energy by throwing fast balls down the heart of the plate in an attempt to overpower hitters instead of finessing them. The real joke is Roger Clemens 19-1 record. In fact the entire American League pitching. It is easier to pitch when you do not have to worry about hitting or being lifted for a pinch hitter. Clemens is a coward. He would not succeed in the NL. He would be ordinary. enuf said.