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Bonds Away!
It's said that Ted Williams is "the greatest hitter who ever lived," but, w/ deaf ears to steroid scandals and such, Barry Bonds makes it hard to hear that. Just listen to his numbers. It's only the first month of a long season, but the sullen Giant is achieving impossible excellence w/ a HR in 7 straight games and .514 batting average.
It's not like he gets softballs, either. Hurlers gear up for or pitch around him every single time. Yet it's looking like he'll make a run at .400 and challenge Ruth's place on the all-time HR list by hitting 57; in the same season.
In this modern, stat-driven, Moneyball era, OPS (On-base Plus Slugging percentages) is the true measure of a batter's worth. In these terms, Bonds is unrivaled. Over the past 3 seasons, his OPS was 1.346. In Ruth's best season, 1920, he posted a 1.379 (and had more HR than any other team in the AL). Teddy Ballgame's best? 1.288 in '41 when he hit .406. McGwire had a 1.222 in that magical 70-HR '98 season. Mantle and Mays never even cracked 1.200.
This is a highly offensive era, so comparisons could be construed as apples to oranges, but Bonds' OPS this year is an absurd 2.051. A full 49% better than the Babe's all-time mark. Are the ballparks that much smaller? The pitching that much thinner? If so, Bonds prodiguous success isn't contagious among batters. No one in today's game is even in the same conversation. Certainly not his teammates; an unheralded bunch who ride his coattails into the playoffs every year.
So stay up to watch those San Francisco broadcasts. You'll witness an athlete aloft in the rarefied air of American sport w/ the likes of Jordan and Ali. Or just watch the highlights every morning. A Barry Lamar moon shot goes down w/ bagels better than cream cheese. Next time one lands in the Cove you can even say to yourself, "There goes one from the greatest hitter who ever lived."
Is Bonds the best hitter ever?
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HMMM. Did Babe ever take Steroids??
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If Barry Bonds had taken 5 years off in his PRIME to serve as a Marine Corps fighter pilot in two wars like the Splendid Splinter did I would think about mentioning their names in the same breath. But he didn't. When I think of excellence, and unselfish patriotism, I think of The Kid - and Pat Tillman. Ted Williams is the best hitter ever, hands down, and that comes from A Red Sox hating Yankee fan!
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craig
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YOU MUST REMEMBER WE ONLY HAD 8 TEAMS IN EACH DIVION,NOW DAYS WE HAVE MORE PITCHERS WHO COULD NOT PLAY IN THE EARLY YEARS OF BASEBALL,WE HAVE PLAYERS HITTING 260 AND GETTING 4 M A YEAR.
SOME OF TODAYS PLAYERS COULD NOT PLAY IN ANY LEAGUE IN THE 50,60 AND B 4
5/27/04 1:56 PM
DO I THINK THAT THE PACERS ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.
''NO, I dont think they are in so much in trouble, but I do think that they do need to work together like team work do because I realy do think that if you do that then you guys will beet the other team and maybe someday you might be Indianas allstars in the whole world. Maybe sometime I might come and see you guys in INDIANA. I have so much hope in you guys that I realy do think that you guys can do it. DO IT FOR ME AND I WILL BE SO NPROUD OF YOU GUYS.