[B-Man]

There is little doubt in my mind that Bonds is the Best player to ever play the game. Whether or not he is the Greatest is much more open to debate.

I know what you are saying, but I disagree with him being the "best." His 2001 and 2002 seasons are probably the best back-to-back seasons anyone has ever had--his numbers are outrageous. However, I also think it is blatantly obvious the guy is cheating. In my opinion, he should be ranked based on what he did before he started taking the juice. He would still be a first-ballot Hall of Famer... but I don't think anyone would be discussing him as the best player ever.

Here are the all-time leaders in career OPS+:

1. Babe Ruth 207
2. Ted Williams 190
3. Lou Gehrig 179
4. Barry Bonds 177

Very impressive list. Now consider that the last 2 years, Barry has shattered the single-season record for OPS+, coming in at 262 in 2001 and then 275 in 2002; prior to 2001, he had an OPS+ of over 200 twice, in 1992 and 1993, coming in at 205 and 206. Those were his career years, pre-juice. If you discount the steroid years, he drops way down on the all-time list. Even if you give him full-credit for the steroid years, he is not close to Ruth or Williams, and also behind Gehrig.

I guess what it comes down to is whether or not you believe the guy has been cheating the last few years. If you think he is clean, a case can be made that he is one of the top 5 (or higher, according to some) players in history. If you think he is juicing and look at his lengthy career pre-juice, he is probably a top-20 player. Since he wont take a drug test, we'll probably never know for sure... but I find it hard to believe informed people really think he is clean. Then again, a lot of people think O.J. was innocent, too...