I haven't noticed any topics about this yet, and it is becoming more and more fascinating to me. Barry Bonds hit his 38th homerun tonight, being the fastest to that mark of all time (he got there 17 games faster than Ruth during his 60 season). Back before he hit #30, people were talking about him breaking McGwire's record, and I thought it was ridiculous. After McGwire set the record 9 above the previous one, I thought it would never get broken, but Bonds has not slowed down even slightly since the media pressure has turned up. I understand that the media pressure isn't even close to what it will be when he nears 60 and certainly 70, but the guy shows no signs that the added attention bothers him in any way. So I have a two part question for everyone... 1) Will Bonds break McGwire's record? 2) If he does break it, is it conceivable that anyone will ever hit 80, 90, or 100 homeruns in a season? The last question seems a bit unfeasable at first glance, but consider that if Bonds were to break the record this season, the old "unbreakable" record of 61 will have been beaten by 10 homeruns, at least. If this record(61) that would never fall gets clobbered twice in a span of 3 years, it is not inconceivable to me that someone hits 90 homeruns sometime in the next 10 seasons. Players are getting stronger and parks are getting smaller to cater to the yackball spirit. I think it will happen. Thoughts? ------------------ Feeling claustrophobic, like the walls are closing in. Blood stains on my hands, and I don't know where I've been. I'm in trouble for the things I haven't got to yet. I'm chomping at the bit, and my palms are getting wet. Sweating Bullets Runnin', Ravin', Endin', Out. [This message has been edited by RunninRaven (edited June 21, 2001).]
I say he breaks the record, and that he shatters it. He's in a hitter's zone, and he's in a contract year, he'll slow down in the second half of the year, but I say 75+. ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
I think he'll break it too. This guy doesn't give a damn about anything, including media attention. Oddly enough, I've been a Barry Bonds fan since he left the Pirates(despite being a huge Astro homer, I've always kinda liked the Giants for some reason -- their history in the Polo Grounds and Candlestick). I think he'll break it with about 73. I don't think he'll crush the record..but he'll break it. As for who would break that record and someone hitting 90 homers...who knows??? I sure hope not!!! I hope we raise the mound back up, push the fences back, stop winding the ball so tightly, and go back to playing BASEBALL!! Strategy is better than power -- and too many teams (namely, the Astros) are relying too heavily on power...while winning teams (yanks, twins, mariners, cubs) or winning by moving runners over and playing small ball. ------------------
I think he will set a new record, and I also believe someone will hit 80 eventually. I've lived through the breaking of the 4 minute mile, the 7 foot high jump, the 18 and up pole vault, etc. Records will continue to be broken. Yeaaa!! ------------------ "We're having a pretty good time considering one day we're all going to die." Steve Martin, 1976
Anyone else think this is actually bad, in some ways...? Here's a question: If Bonds absolutely obliterates the record-- say he hits 84 homers-- does that cheapen McGwire's accomplishment...? Does it lessen the magic of 1998, for someone to come along and destroy that record only two years after it was set...? I think so. I came of age, regarding sports, in the late 80s/early 90s. In other words, I remember Fred McGriff hitting 35 homers and leading the league. Frankly, I'm sick of home runs. OK, they engineered the record-breaking home run deluge of 1998 and got what they wanted. Fine. Can we please try to get the game back a little closer to what it should be? [This message has been edited by BrianKagy (edited June 21, 2001).]
When guys like Luis Gonzalez are cranking em out of the yard regularly, there is a problem. ------------------
I hope he breaks the record. Hell, I hope he demolishes the record! I've been a Bonds fan since he was playing along side Bobby Bonilla with the Pirates. Bonds has been done wrong by the media because he is a private individual and I would absolutely love to see him overcome their scrutiny. Oh yeah, and I loaded up on his rookie cards late last year in anticipation of him hammering his 500th and eventually breaking Hank Aaron's all-time HR record with over 800 career home runs!! ------------------ Anger is a weed. Hate is a tree.
I personally respect Bonds as a baseball player much more than McGwire, and more than Sosa. I hope he hits 100. ------------------ Can't I just give you some of my sperm? It's really good!
How many good pitchers are there in the Major Leagues? Pedro, Maddux, Johnson, Shilling, Reed, Hampton, Morris, maybe a few others. Most teams have one good pitcher and a bunch of prospects. Throw smaller ballparks into the mix and you have record setting performances. Getting fans to the ballpark is what pays these high salaries. Fans want to see homeruns, not pitching duels. I hope Selig is happy. ------------------ When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.- Albert Einstein
barring injury, this man is out to proove something. I'm with Puedlfor. Does he break the slugging % record, too? Does Suzuki (sp?) break Sisler?
I really hope he breaks it. I have always enjoyed watching Barry Bonds. Id have to say he hits 73 bombs this year. Does anyone have a theory on why it took so damn long to break the home run record of 61?? ------------------ I stole your money and I did your daughter at Texas A&M University
Sasaki. And if the Mariners keep winning, I think he will. ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
toast: much harder to quantify... besides, both Griffey and Bonds are pretty good outfielders, but not fabulous, right? Unless an outfielder's a Vlad Guerrero or Andrew Jones, I don't think it makes much of a difference over 162 games. ------------------ Lacking inspiration at the moment...
I've always read that slugging %age times on-base %age is the best hitting stat (it correlates the best with run-scoring). (SLOB) Bonds is on pace to have the second highest single season SLOB in history, behind only Ruth in 1920. 1920 Babe Ruth - 0.4506 2001 Barry Bonds - 0.4418 From Allen Barra's Salon column: So who has been as good as Barry Bonds has been so far this season? Well, first let's look at who hasn't. Willie Mays, Barry's godfather, was never quite this good. Mays' best SLOB was .2768 in 1954. Mickey Mantle wasn't this good; his best SLOB was .3424 in 1957. Ken Griffey Jr., with whom Bonds was compared so much in the last decade, never got above .2709 in 1994. How about the big boys? Joe DiMaggio's best SLOB was .3015 in 1939. Jimmie Foxx's best mark was .3512 in 1932; Lou Gehrig's was .3626 in 1927. Now for the really big boys. Ted Williams, generally regarded as either the greatest hitter in baseball history or the greatest besides Babe Ruth, topped out with an amazing .4049 in 1941. Babe Ruth, in what many regard as his best season, was .4331 in 1921 -- below where Barry Bonds is right now. The year before, Ruth had an even better SLOB of .4506 (but then, Babe was a bigger slob when he was younger), the only SLOB better than Bonds' current mark, and just barely better at that. Can Barry Bonds continue on this pace? Not a chance. (I think.) Meanwhile, the only thing preventing the public from appreciating the most amazing batting performance in eight decades is an improper understanding of baseball statistics.
I don't think that's necessarily true. I'd much rather watch two dominant pitchers face off against each other in a low-scoring, close game than a 13-12 homerun extravaganza. I love watching good pitchers pitch. There's so much psychology involved. I'd rather see Pedro versus Mussina any day over Colorado-Houston in Coors. ------------------ All hail Fadeaway's Cyberfish -- your 2000-2001 BobFinn* Fantasy Basketball League Champions!
Keep in mind the strike zone got BIGGER this year. He's simply knocking the ball all over the place. Bonds has been doing this his entire career. 70 will be very difficult, but he's got a chance and he's certainly capable. The media isn't even going to bother him. He could give a rats @ss 'bout 'em. He's been in the spotlight his whole life. The pressure will come when every pitcher begins to give their all to stop him. That's when the heat will be on. I think it lessen's what McGwire did, simply because McGwire will be little more than a memory after the fact. However, it does not diminsh what Bonds did. It's unthinkable if he hits 80. That's one every two games. I don't care what league your playing in. That's some good hittin. I can't even do that on PlayStation. The guy will have had the greatest season ever and could very well be called the greatest player ever. I mean, this is just amazing. Will anyone hit 90? Not for a while. I think at some point you begin to get some diminishing returns. I hope he does it. It would be something to remember. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
Phislammajamma: Ahhh... but McGwire broke a 50 year old record (or so), Bonds will have broken a 3 year-old record. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the record isn't going to mean as much again until someone holds it for a while. That'll give it some mystique . ------------------ Lacking inspiration at the moment...
I would agree with you haven, but on the other hand, if Bond's record lasts 50 years then suddenly a record that meant little because of the McGwire thing, suddenly becomes the all mighty record to a whole new generation. Time will distort the images that you remember so clearly now. So if he breaks the record it may not mean much now, but it could mean a whole lot 50 years from now. A time when McGwire will have been long forgotten. And Bond's will be considered the greatest home run hitter in the history of baseball. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
That makes 2 of us ------------------ When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.- Albert Einstein
