Baseball Season so far

[pohibaba]

But saying he is the best ever is the biggest fucking joke ever. There are so many hitters better than him it is not even close:
Ted Williams for one, last guy to hit 400, and won 2 triple crowns in 3 years, give me a break Bonds fanboy.

I didn't say he was the best hitter ever, that would be Pete Rose. I said he was the greatest player ever. Big difference as no one has been as complete of a player as Bonds has over the span of their career.

In his career, Bonds is going to have close to 800 homeruns, 3,000 hits (with only half as many strikeouts), over 500 stolen bases, 2500 walks, a .300 batting average, .600 slugging percentage, 7(?) Gold Gloves, 7 MVPs. There's no one that can compare to that kind of career.

[Fade]

A-Rod will pass Hank Aaron before barry bonds.

[Melena]

the season has definetly been interesting. A-Rod is simply carrying my fantasy baseball team right now. How the fuck do you pitch to him right now? Even though his hitting streak did end today. As for the giants, god they are going to give me an ulcer again this week. Still haven't gotten over the 02 world series choke fest. As for the bonds hating, maybe he juiced, maybe he didn't. We can't prove (funny how innocent till proven guilty goes out the window on anyone famous), and steroids don't make you hit a ball. It can make you hit it harder.

[Akiyama]

My thoughts. Lolyankees, LolRedSox. Seriously, I watch ESPN a lot and I'm SICK of the "Sox/Yankees rivalry, lawllawllawl".. I think they ACTUALLY gave more attention to the Sox/Yankees than Mark Buehrle's no-no. Also, Red Sox nation are so excited about their team, finally sweeping the Yankees in a series then come and lose two straight to the Blue Jays, while the Yankees have now lost 5 straight after falling to the Devil Rays.. again. I mean jesus christ. ESPNNY needs to focus on something else for once. Like good ol Lou in Chicago flipping out every day because his team can't win a game. It's just aggrivating to only hear the majority of stuff about those teams. I even watch PTI and GOD do I hate Tony Kornhasdifa (I can't spell his name for shit.) Fact is, I just can't stand the east-coast bias over there.

ANYWAY! Gah, sorry about that. I get so pissed off is all. Anyway, A-Rod (/sigh) is on a tear from hell. If he keeps this up, he'll obliterate Bonds' single season record. Didn't do so hot tonight going 0/3, but I think he's like.. a combined 0/22 or 0/23 against the pitcher they faced anyway, so who cares really.

I'm a Braves fan here, and being .5 games behind the Mets so far when compared to last years dreadful play has me excited. Their bullpen is actually pitching very well, so it's reassuring. Starting pitching still needs work considering their only two reliable starters are Hudson and Smoltz. Redman is horrible, just horrible. He's made ONE quality start and has over a 10 ERA. Gave up 6 runs in 3 innings tonight while his bullpen saved his ass and shut the Marlins down. Davies is unpredictable and Chuck James is decent, but has had a couple rough outings. I'm not sure why we pay for Hampton considering how many times he's been injured. He's like a couple Cubs/ex-Cubs pitchers I know of. =p

On the Fantasy League note, sadly I have a couple Yankees/Sox on my team. :/ Varitek at catcher, A-Rod at 3rd (I got him in the FIFTH ROUND), Abreu in the OF. Daisuke's one of my starters I keep around, I have Bob Wickman who has played like I expected, and a good bench. It's pretty fun, even though I'm in 2nd place, behind by one point because the other starters I pick up can't win their games. -.- Anyway, /ramble. What about everyone else? >.>

As you can see, I'm way more passionate about baseball, as behind college football.. it is my favorite sport. Go Braves. XD

[blister1]

Thing with the Yankees is they have the wrong Joe managing this team, the one for the job is in the booth sitting (and possibly gouging his eyes out) next to Michael Kay.

Yea, I said it, Torre fucking sucks. Thanks for the 4 rings, but you don't have Paulie, Cone, Wells, Tino, Bernie and crew to make it seems as if you can still manage games.

If you're wondering what the hell I'm ranting about, here's a list.

-Blowing the pen in April (Bruney pitching with the team trailing doesn't help), Vizcaino is worthless and somehow gets the call to come into key situations EVERY GAME (see, throwing 30 pitches against Cleveland and then being brought out the NEXT day to face Boston and sucking up a storm once again. Proctor and Meyers are headcases.

-Over managing. "So yea we just took a one run lead with 3 innings left to play. Our defense is horrible, so Melky and Malphabet are gonna be brought in to replace Phelps and Damon. Even though they both have a combined 3 hits this season!"

Best pitching prospect in baseball goes to the mound on Thursday, god knows Torre is salivating at the chance to rape another arm. There's more, but I'd rather not write a novel.

In his career, Bonds is going to have close to 800 homeruns, 3,000 hits (with only half as many strikeouts), over 500 stolen bases, 2500 walks, a .300 batting average, .600 slugging percentage, 7(?) Gold Gloves, 7 MVPs. There's no one that can compare to that kind of career.

I think I speak for a lot of baseball fans when I say "Fuck Barry Bonds."

[Akiyama]

YankeesGarbage

I think I speak for a lot of baseball fans when I say "Fuck Barry Bonds."

This is what I found most interesting. No matter how much we hate him, how much we think we know about the steroid issue.. it just drives the man. All of our hate-mail, fan-mail may "scare" him, but it drives him to continue to drive himself torwards the record. I for one do not like Bonds either, but until we have literal proof, as in on paper shown to the world that he in fact did steroids (even though any human with eyes can compare the body difference and know the case), we should treat the breaking of the record as well as we can.

I think Hank Aaron "going fishing" is a bunch of crap. Him and the commish have to suck it up and be at the game. It'd only be right or I guarantee it'll be made all about race. There was an article written about how the guy thinks Hank Aaron is a coward. He wasn't when he broke the record considering he had it much, much worse than Bonds, but he is one now. He just doesn't want to see his record broken. I mean I'm sure Bonds is doing steroids, there's no humanly possible way for a man to grow as much as he did as fast as he did, but again.. without hardcore evidence, our hardcore assumptions don't mean shit, so bleh. If Bonds breaks the record, congrats. If he doesn't, which I'm sure a lot of us hope he does not, then that's too bad, A-Rod will catch him soon enough, then what?

[blister1]

Yea we can't prove he's not roiding it up, but the man comes off as a complete arrogant douche. Sadly I don't think the single season HR record will be broken, guys who have a shot at it will get pitched around on a constant basis.

[Akiyama]

I guess that is why A-Rod is being pitched around. ...Ohwait.

[Byrd]

I think Hank Aaron "going fishing" is a bunch of crap. Him and the commish have to suck it up and be at the game. It'd only be right or I guarantee it'll be made all about race.

First, how would a black man beating a black man's record be about race? If Aaron were white, maybe, but he's not.... The reason people don't want Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's record are very, very different than the reason people didn't want Hank Aaron to break Babe Ruth's record. Which was also very polarizing at the time, although virtually everyone on this board is probably too young to remember it.
Bud Selig should be at the game(s), but Hank Aaron has absolutely no obligation to go if he doesn't want to. Hank Aaron clearly believes that Barry Bonds wouldn't have broken his record without steroids, and plenty of reasonable fans agree (myself included). Barry Bonds was well on the path to being a hall of famer w/o steroids, but he's tainted his legacy.

He will break the record in late May/early June and it will be the most important thing to happen since Aaron broke the record himself.

You're deluding yourself as to its importance. The advent of free agency and the resultant salary escalation, the strike in '94, the wildcard in '95, the McGwire-Sosa chase in '98, and improved steroid testing are all more important to the sport as a whole than Bonds passing Aaron. There are probably other things that I am forgetting, too. Regardless of what you might think of Barry Bonds, most people will view him passing Heny Aaron as a black day in baseball and an important day only in the same way that the Black Sox were banned from baseball was in 1920 or the Dodgers & Giants moving west in 1958. Maybe the passing of time will exonerate Bonds in the court of public opinion (as opinions have softened towards Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson), but it will be a long time coming, if ever.

I don't read up a lot but I love baseball go Mariners!

Couldn't agree more. Too bad they made a concerted effort to get worse this offseason. And Ichiro's probably gone after this season ....

[Akiyama]

Ichiro is ftw. =(

Anyway, Byrd you're very right. When I made the race comment, it was more about Selig not wanting to attend, but I do on the other hand feel it's a slap in the face if Aaron doesn't attend the game where his long-standing record was broken, but his choice. That's only what I think. Yes, Barry Bonds was well on his way to becoming a hall of famer and him being an asshat to a lot of people had nothing to do with it. You can be mean as hell as you want, but if your stats are good (before the steroid era), then you'd be in. Bonds has a great statline, but as many have said.. it'll be looked at with an asterisk to the side. Back 20 years ago, if you had the amount of homers McGwire had, you'd be a shoe-in. Now, with the 'roid era upon us, I honestly believe he has no chance in hell to get in. Same standing with Sosa's (I can't speak english well). I don't think he has a chance in hell to get in the HoF.

Blah. Honestly, it's too upsetting sometimes to get on the subject of all the steroid talk. Being completely honest though, the Sosa/McGwire homerun chase brought baseball back to life, even though it's now had a negative long-term effect. As far as a black day in baseball, the Black Sox players being banned for the fix, the Giants/Dodgers moving.. were both very bad. I think another horrible thing was probably the banning of Mays and Mantle in.. 1983? I dunno, I'm not sure, but I think it was torwards the end of Commissioner Kuhn's tenure. I'm not TOO sure as I'm only 21, but I have read a lot. May have to check my facts though. x.x Seriously though, how do you ban two Hall of Famers like Mays and Mantle because they were being greeters or some crap at a casino, lol. Thank goodness it was lifted soon after, but still pretty bad. Not as earth shattering I suppose as the Sox/Dodgers & Giants thing though.

[Havocxx]

Wouldn't it be something if A-Rod broke the single season HR record the same year Bonds breaks the all time?

In the leaked testimony Bonds admitted to using the "Cream" and "Clear" unknowingly. So there's no doubt at all he used them, just wether or not he meant to use them(lol). Hopefully A-Rod breaks the all time and we can be done with Barroids, then after there's the chance Pujols will still be around to contend for A-Rod. No other current player has a shot, Ryan Howard is older than Pujols and his first real season was last year.

Steroids give you the benefit of improved eyesight, a quicker swing, vastly improved longevity. Bonds' bat actually quickened as he got older, which basically goes against common sense. An in depth article using some physics "guessed" Bonds has maybe 70-90 more HR than he would've, not counting the longevity bonus from steroids.

Love the Yanks and baseball in general, would love to see King Felix or Liriano come back strong.

[Melena]

listening to sports radio in the bay area, someone asked if aaron should be there when the record is broken. Guy said no, and sadly I agree with him. It's his choice. The point he raised though and I agree 100% is that Sellig better have his ass parked in a seat in the stadium when it happens. If not, it just proves that Sellig is a fraud

[Akiyama]

Wouldn't it be something if A-Rod broke the single season HR record the same year Bonds breaks the all time?

In the leaked testimony Bonds admitted to using the "Cream" and "Clear" unknowingly. So there's no doubt at all he used them, just wether or not he meant to use them(lol). Hopefully A-Rod breaks the all time and we can be done with Barroids, then after there's the chance Pujols will still be around to contend for A-Rod. No other current player has a shot, Ryan Howard is older than Pujols and his first real season was last year.

Steroids give you the benefit of improved eyesight, a quicker swing, vastly improved longevity. Bonds' bat actually quickened as he got older, which basically goes against common sense. An in depth article using some physics "guessed" Bonds has maybe 70-90 more HR than he would've, not counting the longevity bonus from steroids.

Love the Yanks and baseball in general, would love to see King Felix or Liriano come back strong.

QFT not about liking the Yankees, because honestly ESPN has caused me to dislike the Red Sox/Yankees a lot lately. I didn't hate them in the past when they won those World Series.. but yeah, I'd love to see King Felix come back strong or Liriano to blank A-Rod and what not. That'd be great. Also, Daisuke is pitching @NYY in a couple days. How do you guys think that will go?

[blister1]

I guess that is why A-Rod is being pitched around. ...Ohwait.

Yea..or it could be the fact they'd rather not face a red hot Jason Giambi?

I laughed at the Sox series, Schilling/Beckett/Mats all were roughed up, if Torre wasn't a tool and our pen didn't blow you're looking at a Yankee sweep, but that's baseball.

All I know is you'll most likely see this rotation come August

Wang
Pettitte
Moose
Hughes (Pavano will be in prison for highway robbery)
Clemens

[Akiyama]

I hope Clemens doesn't come back to pitch for the Yankees. I'd rather him come back to pitch for the Astros if they are still in it, or the Red Sox if they manage to hold onto an AL East win, but I'm not sure yet. The Yankees starting rotation may be fucked, but they are getting a couple good pitchers back. Also, the Yankees and Red Sox better not suck for long, or the Blue Jays are gonna creep up on them and take the division. I'd laugh if that's the case as it is very possible if BJ Ryan gets better at his job when he comes back.

Also.. LOL at not wanting to face a red hot Giambi? HELLO?! If Giambi is redhot, then what the hell is A-Rod?

[blister1]

Also.. LOL at not wanting to face a red hot Giambi? HELLO?! If Giambi is redhot, then what the hell is A-Rod?

What? it's common baseball knowledge. If you have a guy who is on fire, you don't pitch to him. To combat this, you give him protection (Giambi) if Giambi is doing horribly, you walk ARod every chance you get because Giambi is an easier out.

It's doubtful Clemens would go back to Houston. Their offense is downright depressing when compared to the Yanks, Pettitte is here along with Jeter/Torre/Posada. But it is Roger Clemens so he'll go wherever the cash does.

[Havocxx]

Also.. LOL at not wanting to face a red hot Giambi? HELLO?! If Giambi is redhot, then what the hell is A-Rod?

Seems more like A-God at this point.

Matsuzaka gave up 6 over 7 wen he faced the Yankees last time, it looks like he can't pitch as well from the stretch. He did the best against A-Rod of the Sox starters (lol @ the one Fox commentator who said Beckett holding A-Rod to a double in that at bat was a success in a sense)

The Yankees will probably have Pettitte, Wang, Clemens, Mussina, and a pick one out of Igawa/lolPavano/Karstens/Hughes by mid June, and their schedule right after the All Star game is really soft (7 vs TB, 4 vs KC, 4 vs Bal), so I think they'll be fine. All of their losses have been by 2 runs or less aside from one against the Twins, which was 1-1 till the 8th and Kyle "Far and Gone"sworth worked some magic. You have to figure that'll change.

A-Rod only has 6 walks, I can't fathom why they don't risk facing Giambi over A-Rod. It is a deep lineup with Matsui, Posada and Cano after, but still A-Rod has more HR than 9 freaking MLB teams do. (10 if you count the rest of the Yankees without A-Rod)

[Akiyama]

Also.. LOL at not wanting to face a red hot Giambi? HELLO?! If Giambi is redhot, then what the hell is A-Rod?

Seems more like A-God at this point.

Matsuzaka gave up 6 over 7 wen he faced the Yankees last time, it looks like he can't pitch as well from the stretch. He did the best against A-Rod of the Sox starters (lol @ the one Fox commentator who said Beckett holding A-Rod to a double in that at bat was a success in a sense)

The Yankees will probably have Pettitte, Wang, Clemens, Mussina, and a pick one out of Igawa/lolPavano/Karstens/Hughes by mid June, and their schedule right after the All Star game is really soft (7 vs TB, 4 vs KC, 4 vs Bal), so I think they'll be fine. All of their losses have been by 2 runs or less aside from one against the Twins, which was 1-1 till the 8th and Kyle "Far and Gone"sworth worked some magic. You have to figure that'll change.

A-Rod only has 6 walks, I can't fathom why they don't risk facing Giambi over A-Rod. It is a deep lineup with Matsui, Posada and Cano after, but still A-Rod has more HR than 9 freaking MLB teams do. (10 if you count the rest of the Yankees without A-Rod)

Haha, A-God. Nice. I've never heard that one actually, surprisingly enough and yeah, I'd think holding him to a double is a success. Also yes, he has 14 homeruns while the rest of the Yankees have 13. That's pretty impressive. God, if he were with the Braves or something with the amount of homeruns they get every year, it'd be awesome. =p

I agree about the Yankees schedule. After the all-star break, it's always very soft which is why they pass the Red Sox. That and the Sox always flounder torwards the end. (Other than the year where they came back from 3-0 down to the Yankees. The Yankees actually gave that one away.) Personally Giami is scary too, but I'd rather pitch to him than A-Rod. A-Rod just punishes most things coming within his range.

This 5 game losing streak has been rough on them without any pitching. It's great as a Braves fan to see the Yankees struggle due to pitching. We had our thousand kajillion woes last year with our bullpen, so yay for another team suffering. Ah well, I may hate the Yanks, but I'm pulling for A-Rod.

Also, blister1, I was referring to your post "Yea..orit could be the fact they'd rather not face a red hot Jason Giambi?" -- It sounded like you were saying they'd rather face A-God instead of Giambi, which would be funny.

[Weeks]

Everyone's going to be surprised at how well the Giants are going to do this year (assuming they can start hitting consistently). I think they have the most underrated rotation in all of baseball. Zito, Cain, and Morris are all studs and can win 15+ each and Lowry and Ortiz are nothing to scoff at either.

Are you employed in the Giants' PR department, or do you actually believe the shit they push at you? Matt Cain is a very good young pitcher who could be a stud if his control improves significantly. Matt Morris is a broken-down junkballer with a deceptively good ERA in a handful of starts despite horrific peripheral stats (And he used to be my favorite pitcher). Zito is a vastly-overrated innings eater who got lucky to be drafted by a GM brilliant at assembling terrific defensive teams, who stumbled into a monumental payday that will soon make the Giants the laughingstock of pro sports.

It's too early to say whether Lowrey has really rebounded from his poor '06 to become the solid #2-3 guy he was previously, but his horrid K/IP and K/BB ratios are indicators he hasn't. He's not going to keep up a .218 batting average on balls in play. Russ Ortiz is most definitely something to scoff at--he won't even stay in the majors all season long--as is the entire Giants' offense excluding Bonds. That team is an expensive 4th place disaster in the making that absolutely will not win 80 games this year.

[Weeks]

I didn't say he was the best hitter ever, that would be Pete Rose. I said he was the greatest player ever. Big difference as no one has been as complete of a player as Bonds has over the span of their career.

Whoops, I missed a retarded comment.

Pete Rose has the same career OPS+ (On-base plus slugging normalized for offensive era and home park) as Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins. This comparison is not fair to Rose for a number of reasons, but it's just to illustrate how mundane the average Pete Rose season was (Largely due to him sticking around to break records long after he ceased contributing enough to be an everyday player). Point is, saying he's the best hitter ever because he holds the hit record is like saying John Holmes was the best actor ever because he appeared in the most movies.

Bonds probably is the best player ever. Guys like Ruth, Cobb, and Wagner have an edge on him in wins above replacement, but this is probably more than made up for by the difference in league quality between then and now. Prior to turning to PEDs, he was on pace to be an inner circle Hall of Famer, but an afterthought in the greatest player of all time discussions. I'm not a steroid moralizer and it doesn't really effect the way I look at his accomplishments, but you have to realize that those who do dock him for cheating are not going to accept the new pace he set for himself after 1998.