Barry Bonds opens big mouth again

[B-Man]

good article on espn.com:
Bonds is no Ruth

Barry Bonds thinks he can erase the Babe by passing his homerun total? Please. Barry Bonds, as great and dominating as he has been, hasn't dominated even close to the way the Babe dominated his league. And Ruth didn't need steriods, either [he just needed a lot of hot dogs [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]].

Barry Bonds is an all-time great, but he also has a super-human ego, and I believe he is a cheater (he would have been a Hall of Famer even if he quit before he started taking the juice, so I wont take that away from him, but he never would have hit 73 home runs). He also should know better than to take the Babe's name in vain--a couple of years ago, Pedro pitched a dominating game at Yankee Stadium, and afterward boasted, "Wake up the damn Bambino and get him to face me, maybe I'll drill him in the ass." Pedro went on the DL a week later. Coincidence? Maybe... but I wont shed a tear if Bonds pulls a muscle this week, thats for sure.

[Uston]

Barry Bonds, as great and dominating as he has been, hasn't dominated even close to the way the Babe dominated his league.

Let Bonds compete against only white Americans and I highly doubt that would be the case. I find it sad that Bonds' comments about Babe Ruth are getting more attention than Bonds' comments about Henry Aaron and the Negro Leagues.

[B-Man]

Let Bonds compete against only white Americans and I highly doubt that would be the case.

Oh really? You think Bonds would hit more home runs than most of the other teams in the league? Or that he could be a dominating pitcher? Think again.

I find it sad that Bonds' comments about Babe Ruth are getting more attention than Bonds' comments about Henry Aaron and the Negro Leagues.

Don't be sad. When public figures say stupid things, that is going to get attention. What did Bonds say about Aaron (who hit 755 home runs WITHOUT steroids) and the Negro Leagues?

[adios]

"Oh really? You think Bonds would hit more home runs than most of the other teams in the league? Or that he could be a dominating pitcher? Think again."

It's not about how Bonds does it's about others who in Babe Ruth's era that were denied the same opportunities that Ruth had. How can you categorically state that some player(s) excluded from the game because of the color of their skin couldn't have accomplished more than Ruth accomplished? Or perhaps that pitchers who were excluded from the game because of the color of their skin would not have gotten Ruth out more? Highly skilled black baseball players didn't show up starting in 1948.

[Uston]

Thank you, Tom, for not completely ignoring my point.

[B-Man]

How can you categorically state that some player(s) excluded from the game because of the color of their skin couldn't have accomplished more than Ruth accomplished?

Well, I never said that, but I would agree with it. No player in the history of baseball, whether black, white, yellow, red or purple, has ever dominated the game like Babe Ruth did, just looking at his performance at the plate. Now add to the mix the fact that he would have been a Hall of Fame pitcher had he not switched to the outfield and the debate becomes ludicrous.

I didn't say black players wouldn't have done well in the 20s or 30s; of course Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and some others would have been stars in any league, and that would have added to the competitiveness of MLB in Ruth's era. But it is ridiculous for Barry Bonds to think he will "erase" Babe Ruth if/when he hits 715 home runs, or that he is a better player than Ruth.

When Bonds learns to pitch, I will consider this point open for discussion, but no sooner.

[Clarkmeister]

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.

[andyfox]

That picture of Ruth, happy as can be among all those kids, is one of the great photgraphs of all-time.