March 22, 2005

"You wanted me to jump off a bridge, I finally did," Bonds said. He's so stupid if he jumped off of a bridge he'd go up. Damn you media, now look what you have done.

posted by chris2sy at 03:09 PM on March 22, 2005

Poor Barry. Poor, poor Barry.

posted by 86 at 03:20 PM on March 22, 2005

If he skips the whole season, I don't think he'll come back.

posted by kirkaracha at 03:35 PM on March 22, 2005

kirk, i'm thinking the same thing. i have a hunch that he'll shut-up, drop out of sight (he's hoping), and in doing so not break his uncle's record(s). So in his mind everything would be cool; he can have his HR record pie (with a side of BALCO), but not eclipse his (supposedly) clean superstar uncle. But I like puck, so what do I know.

posted by garfield at 03:45 PM on March 22, 2005

I'm sure the steroids will help him heal quick. Yes, you can jump off a bridge Bonds. Take that twat McGwire with you too...

posted by Drood at 03:49 PM on March 22, 2005

Damn handy timing this. I read this as: "I'ma lay low 'til this steroids thing blows over. I'll test the waters in 6 mos and see if I am 'ready to play' or need more 'rehab'. As and added bonus I have a built-in excuse for my impending weight loss." Perhaps I am too cynical and reading between too many lines, but the timing is a little too convenient for my liking. I say there is no way he retires without at least catching Ruth, even if he sits the whole year.

posted by pivo at 04:01 PM on March 22, 2005

but not eclipse his (supposedly) clean superstar uncle. hank aaron isn't related to bonds. i think you're thinking of mays, who is his godfather. heard a giants beat writer (i think?) on the radio. he said that most of his peers felt that bonds is more concerned in passing up ruth than breaking aaron's record. he wasn't too clear on why though.

posted by goddam at 04:06 PM on March 22, 2005

he wasn't too clear on why though. But you do know why, right?

posted by pivo at 04:11 PM on March 22, 2005

I love watching Bonds play. It is exciting every time he comes to the plate. If that is steroid induced, and steroid use is rampant, then why is he the only one with all the walks? I am probably alone in thinking that the steroid controversy has been a bit overdone. They weren't cheating. It was legal in baseball. Now, it isn't. So what is the point of trying to make all the stars confess? I would miss Bonds if he doesn't play. Go Bonds!!

posted by bperk at 04:25 PM on March 22, 2005

In that press conference, he sounded like one of my tenants when they can't pay the rent.

posted by rocketman at 04:54 PM on March 22, 2005

i certainly feel that bonds's comments and his "playing" of the whole situation is extremely convenient, to say the least, and if he does return to play and suprass babe ruth's record, that is where he'll stop, with the top 2 record holders NOT being white-this isn't a racist comment on my part, but rather a racial motivation , as i see it, on bonds part...

posted by jamiez67 at 07:13 PM on March 22, 2005

God damn it, I wasted a first-round pick on this bastard! You get your ass back on the field right now and continue slathering your entire body with the cream!!!

posted by wfrazerjr at 08:05 PM on March 22, 2005

TRUST ME, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING </Sledgehammer>

posted by yerfatma at 09:34 PM on March 22, 2005

Even though Barry Bonds is hurt and he's getting older, a big reason why he might not play at all this season is definitely because of the media. He can play through pain, as he has proven numerous times in the past. Every time Bonds was hurt, the media said that the pain was no problem for him. Bonds wanted to live up to the media's expectations, so he always tried as much as he could to play while he was hurt. And when he couldn't play, the media always bothered him and always asked him when he would come back to play. When Barry Bonds started to reach the home run record, the media always had a set number for him to reach by the end of each season. If Barry reached the set number that season, the media had an even higher number set the next season. If he didn't reach the set number, the media would say that there's something wrong with him. It's a "no win" situation. And the reason why Barry Bonds always tried to do what the media wanted him to do, was because the media has such a strong influence on the fans of baseball. And Bonds has always tried to do want the fans would love to see him do.

posted by Pickles84 at 11:33 PM on March 22, 2005

I personally think that Mr. Bonds is going to have more that the media to worry about. I think he may have a little legal problem coming his way. I certainly wont miss his on the ball field. I'd laugh if the Giants ran away with the Division without SIR BARRY!

posted by daddisamm at 12:42 AM on March 23, 2005

i have a hunch that he'll shut-up, drop out of sight I don't think we will be that lucky. I see Bonds publicly whining about how he's been "brought down" by the media until the day he dies.

posted by mayerkyl at 06:49 AM on March 23, 2005

Ummm.... what legal problems could Barry possibly face? if what his ex-mistress testified to is true, he could be investigated for money laundering or tax evasion. plus if it is ever proved that he lied in his grand jury testimony, he could be nailed on perjury. posted by goddam at 7:24 AM CST on March 23 Exactly my point--You know I am tired of people saying he took steroids when they wernt against the rules of MLB. It was and is agaisnt the law to take Steroids w/o a perscription.............

posted by daddisamm at 07:44 AM on March 23, 2005

Bonds is reaping that which he has sewn. The man NEVER did ANYTHING to try to present himself as a likeable human being. He has a personality problem, he's a liar and a cheat. There's no reason to feel any sympathy for Barry. BTW, did anyone notice that Barry's son, sitting next to him at yesterday's interview, was wearing a Barry Sanders jersey? Symbolism for an early Barrry exit? Hmmm.

posted by mayerkyl at 08:36 AM on March 23, 2005

Pickles84>"Even though Barry Bonds is hurt and he's getting older, a big reason why he might not play at all this season is definitely because of the media." What a load of codswallop. "Bonds wanted to live up to the media's expectations, so he always tried as much as he could to play while he was hurt." Horse kak. Bonds has always hated the media. He doesn't care about the media. Bonds played to his own expectations. "And when he couldn't play, the media always bothered him and always asked him when he would come back to play. When Barry Bonds started to reach the home run record, the media always had a set number for him to reach by the end of each season. If Barry reached the set number that season, the media had an even higher number set the next season. If he didn't reach the set number, the media would say that there's something wrong with him. It's a "no win" situation. And the reason why Barry Bonds always tried to do what the media wanted him to do, was because the media has such a strong influence on the fans of baseball. And Bonds has always tried to do want the fans would love to see him do." This is utter nonsense. Bonds played for Bonds. He has never given a damn about media or fans. But that's beside the point. You are trying to put a crowbar in the medias hand and say they knee-capped Barry Bonds. If Bonds is a man, he can take responsibility for his own actions and not require fanboy apologists to invent distortions to protect him. Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali never whined like Bonds, and they had a far tougher ride.

posted by the red terror at 09:37 AM on March 23, 2005

"The steroids issue speaks to Barry working on his own excellence..." Also speaks to cheating.

posted by the red terror at 10:37 AM on March 23, 2005

He knows how to do one thing, and he does it very, very well, maybe better than anyone ever did. Cheat?

posted by rcade at 10:52 AM on March 23, 2005

There are a bunch of quotes out there where Bond's basically says that Ruth was a fluke and wouldnt have held the record if Blacks had been allowed in the MLB. There were indeed some great ball players in the Negro leagues and its a shame that they werent a part of MLB and maye there would have been a challenger to Ruth's record and others. You cant change the past. You can't change the past, but you can add an asterisk to Ruth's records. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants to all the Bonds haters?

posted by dusted at 11:48 AM on March 23, 2005

(Not saying it wasn't ethical, I'm saying it wasn't cheating.)

posted by chicobangs at 12:09 PM on March 23, 2005

Well - this could be it. All the other politiking aside, that's three knee surgeries in the last year and he's 40 year's old. He may never come back at 100%, and I have serious doubts about him being able to play in the NL without the DH if he does. Too bad, if he needs to retire as a Giant then he may have to do it sooner than expected. Remeber, at that age skills don't just gradually diminish - they tend to just disappear. Though this is Bonds we're talking about - he has shown the tendency to do the fantastic both when expected too, and when not.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:15 PM on March 23, 2005

Steroids are illegal in the USA. No written rule banning steroids in MLB. MLB in USA. Case closed.

posted by garfield at 12:43 PM on March 23, 2005

chico, come on ?! The absence of a 'rule' does not make steroid use legal, which is the root of all 'no MLB rule banning steroids' arguments. The law of the land still applies, no matter how badly MLB wish it weren't the case.

posted by garfield at 01:11 PM on March 23, 2005

there's also no specific rule banning marijuana but it's still not allowed in baseball. that's because it's considered an illicit drug (like cocaine, lsd, etc.). and that's what steroids were considered until recently, an illicit drug. they don't test for illicit drugs and mlb only takes action if a player is arrested and convicted, pleads guilty or no contest.

posted by goddam at 01:27 PM on March 23, 2005

(Also, Blue Jays & Expos much, Mr. MLB=USA?)

posted by chicobangs at 02:42 PM on March 23, 2005

chico, I understand the black and white of the situation, but since steroids is a 'grey' issue from the get-go, black and white 'MLB rules vs. tort' distinctions don't really hold water. In other words, I'm not so much mixed up, as willfully blurring the line. Let me illustrate the 'grey' nature of the issue. Baseball's past interests(legacy, stats, etc) lie in not punishing Bonds, McGwire, etc. And yet baseball's future interests (fans know he wasn't playing fair, and 'integrity' is vital to any major sport's marketability) lie in punishing Bonds, McGwire, etc. So baseball is left wanting to punish Bonds with a rule they didn't have on the books to protect players like Bonds. they may get arrested and put in jail, but there's no way to penalize them in baseball (except maybe for conduct detrimental to the team of some such). and yet said player would undoubtedly be suspended, despite there not being a specific rule banning freebasing (great choice, btw). my point being the letter of the law is imperfect (and incomplete), but law enforcement of any denomination will find a way to punish. the professor & mary ann all took them doesn't necessarily mean anything in the context of baseball necessarily, no. but practically, ya darn tootin' it means something. (Also, Blue Jays & Expos much, Mr. MLB=USA?) Expos not so much. Ya caught me. i figured i'd scale my argument to America b/c of certain recent U.S. government action.

posted by garfield at 03:21 PM on March 23, 2005

i hope that he misses the season. he doesn't deserve Babe Ruth's record. i hope that he never comes back. if he wasn't on steriods he would suck. He and other steriod users make the game of Baseball look bad and bud selig is the worst commishiner ever. McGwire was on steriods too. the all time season home run record should still be Roger Maris's. everyone acts like they it isn't odvious that all these people are on steriods. somebody should do something about it. Jose Canseco is doing the right thing for the ame of baseball!

posted by bombersslugger at 04:08 PM on March 23, 2005

he doesn't deserve Babe Ruth's record. and which record would that be? the one that hank aaron already broke?

posted by goddam at 04:41 PM on March 23, 2005

I'm not sure that the drugs that Barry and company were taking were illegal at that time they took them. Not FDA-approved, does _not_ mean illegal! There are tons of "designer" drugs available on the sports medicine market. It's the reason that companies like Balco exist. The perjury thing is also pretty weak. It will be a his word against ex-girl's word type of thing. This is California....and, if Robert Blake can get off, so can Barry! Everyone talks about Barry's breaking the home run record as being the ultimate achievement in his career. I tend to think that what he did last season was _much_ more impressive. Setting single season records for: OBP, OPS, BB, and IBB. Plus, he was the oldest player to ever win a batting title.... and yet, it seemed that people were more interested in Ichiro's accomplishment. See "The Incomparable Barry Bonds" for further details on this statistically amazing season. One for the records, for sure! Noone can convince me that watching Barry swing a bat is anything less than witnessing a work of art. It's not just the power that is impressive, but the timing and speed. Poetry in motion. Regardless of what you think of the man, if you've seen him play, there will not be another like him for some time to come... if ever.

posted by slackerman at 01:28 AM on March 24, 2005

Agreed, watching Barry Bonds swing a bat is a work of art -- in precisely the same way that the Ultimate Warrior's ring entrance was a "work of art," in the same way that Rick Rude's ring introduction was a "work of art," in the same way that Ben Johnson's glowing eyes were "works of art." Barry Bonds was - is - and will hereafter always be known as an anabolic cheat. It is not Bonds-hating to say that. It is simply conventional wisdom.

posted by the red terror at 08:34 AM on March 24, 2005

I wont miss Barry when he is gone--Somebody will fill the void that he will leave!

posted by daddisamm at 09:29 AM on March 24, 2005

BTW-many have said that steroids doesnt help hand -eye -coridnation--well that may be true--human growth hormon (not being tested for) does impove vision to the level of the new surguries------People who use human growth hormone for long periods of time me need "some help" HMMMM Lets see, I wonder if Palmero will let Barry to some Viagra comercial to make up for income loss!

posted by daddisamm at 10:22 AM on March 24, 2005

My guess is that Barry will make out okay. Whatever he did and regardless of the ethics involved, no one will ever accuse Barry Bonds of being stupid or naive, and certainly he's not exactly blowing his paychecks on hookers and blow.

posted by chicobangs at 11:14 AM on March 24, 2005

A mistress is a massive improvement over hookers. With a mistress, provided you fork over the denero, you get the safety from an assumed STD with a hooker. You also benefit from her knowing what you like and how you like it. Blow, well, that's a different animal.

posted by garfield at 02:17 PM on March 24, 2005

Yes. The Bigger Gloves Senate Committee is meeting next week to get to the bottom of that scandal.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:20 PM on March 24, 2005

nobody has any idea what players were or were not using in the 20s I've read in a couple of places that Babe Ruth injected crushed bull testicles.

posted by rocketman at 08:14 AM on March 25, 2005

I would like to know your thoughts on amphetamines, though Well, that was also something that I thought of in regard to Bunning's remarks that day. Considering the use of "greenies" as depicted in the Jim Bouton book Ball Four (other people seem to be thinking along these lines, as demonstrated on the Bouton website's questions of the week of late), there are probably some comparisons, or maybe you can think of that kind of drug use a precursor to other "performance enhancers." The first guy I remember looking at and wondering if he was on steroids was not in the nineties but was Brian Downing of the California Angels, I don't know that he was, but I remember thinking that at the time.

posted by chris2sy at 10:52 AM on March 25, 2005

The other guy just pops a few pills and...voila! and voila what? he's awake? i'm not a fan of "greenies" or some of the other more dubious uppers and would like to see them banned from the game. but to say they are worse in the cheating sense than steroids because you don't have to work out to achieve the desired results of the drug is ridiculous.

posted by goddam at 12:44 AM on March 26, 2005

Oh the deeper we get into this, 'roids, greenies, Sudafed, really strong coffee mixed with coke, different surgeries that make you throw harder, the more some will believe that everyone's a cheater; ergo no one is. So draw the line somewhere, but it's not like these things are all the same.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:46 AM on March 26, 2005