According to this story on ESPN, Barry Bonds wants to play this year and has his agent looking for a team interested in his services.

If MLB wants me to give a shit about baseball 2009, I suggest they stop with the BS collusion and and have a team sign the greatest hitter of all time to a contract.

If Alex Rodriguez is playing in 2009, why can't Barry Bonds? Why is he being singled out like he's the only dude that did steroids? It's ridiculous. It's clear that *most* current major league players have used steroids. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the number was close to 75%. Hell that may be an underestimate.

If I thought no one was going to sign him simply because he's too old, then I could understand that. And he is 44 this year (turning 45 this summer.) But the last time he suited up (in 2007) he was still among the most effective hitters in the league (he lead the majors in OBP) so I think he clearly deserves the chance to show he can still hit.

Labels: Barry Bonds

Since the scapegoating of Barry Bonds first began it has become increasingly obvious that steroids during the 1990s & early 2000s wasn't some rare thing in MLB that only a few home run sluggers like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire were using but instead so prevalent that the question is more "Who was *NOT* taking steroids?" rather than who was.

Because of the obvious prevalence of steroid use among almost all major league baseball players the witch hunt of Barry Bonds has become absolutely absurd to anyone with more than a couple of brain cells to rub together. And yes, to any silly people out there still trying to scapegoat Barry Bonds: Your favorite player did steroids too. Get over it. They still were not as good as Bonds and they never will be. Deal with it.

The ridiculous waste of tax payer money that is the witch hunt of Barry Bonds has now been put on indefinite hold as it's clear that the federal government has greatly overstepped the law in their single minded pursuit of Bonds.

If the federal government wants to go after someone in regards to steroids in baseball they should go after major league baseball itself and the owners of the teams who ignored the issue for years instead of trying to scapegoat Barry Bonds.

Also to the idiot sportswriter (Rick Reilly) at ESPN who wrote this dumb ass story about Albert Pujols taking all of Barry Bonds MVP awards: You are a moron. You have completely missed the point of the Alex Rodriguez thing. The point isn't for you to now go looking for a new mythical "clean" player but instead to admit that steroids use was so prevalent during this time that it's moronic to try to give some players credit for being "clean" while taking away the accomplishment of the so called "dirty" players.

Your self-righteousness makes me ill.

And your memory is lacking. Wasn't it just last year that there was significant suspicious about Pujols himself? Would anyone really be surprised if Pujols did steroids? I would honestly be extremely surprised if he had not.

This is not about finding "saviors" who were "clean" during the steroids era you brain dead fool. This is about accepting the reality of the times. If you want to go after anyone about steroids, go after the owners and MLB itself for not giving a crap that players were on steroids when it was helping the games popularity (and thus helping them make more money.)

Labels: Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, steroids

Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids.

Admit it to yourself: EVERYONE IN BASEBALL DID (AND PROBABLY STILL DOES) STEROIDS. You should all be ashamed of yourself for the way you demonized Barry Bonds. Everyone did steroids, and guess what? Bonds was still better than everyone else. Deal with it. Bonds is the greatest hitter of his generation.

And the federal government needs to stop wasting our tax money on their Bonds witch hunt. Isn't there anything better they could be doing with that money and with that time?

---

Also a little shout out to Jose Canseco. Remember when he said A-Rod did steroids and everyone was like "oh there goes Jose again." Looks like there goes Jose again telling the truth. Everything he's said has turned out to be true. Just fucking deal with it all of you prick ass motherchickens. Seriously, duck you! Bonds is better than you. He is a God amongst mortals. Bonds: The greatest ever.

Labels: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, steroids

According to his agent: Read The Story At ESPN.com

Here's hoping the Mets or Yankees sign him before I leave NYC so I can see the greatest hitter of all time before I leave.

It's absolutely ridiculous to me that no one has signed the man who lead the majors in OBP last season. As his agent says - it's clearly a conspiracy of some kind. Which is such BS, as the whole steroids thing is the leagues fault and the owners fault as much as the players. They are looking for a scapegoat (Bonds) instead of taking responsibility.

Labels: Barry Bonds

#1 Barry Bonds (2002) - 268

While 2001 was the year Bonds hit a record 73 homers, it's the following year that was his most impressive all around season. He hit a career high .370 (which lead the league) and set the record for OBP at .582 (he went on to break that record in 2004.) He also set the single season record for walks with 198 (and again he broke that record in 2004.) Bonds also led the Giants to the World Series where he hit .471 with 4 home runs in 17 at bats (and 13 walks, yes the Angels were slightly afraid of Mr. Bonds) All in all, I think 2002 was Bonds' greatest season.

#2 Barry Bonds (2004) - 263

2004 was the year he broke his own records for walks (232) and OBP (.609) and I do believe those two records may be the Bonds records that stand the longest. I think his career home run mark will fall in about 5 years (Alex Rodriguez looks likely to break it) and his single season mark will probably not last all that long either (I could be wrong on that one though) but his single season marks for OBP & walks will probably last for a very long time. There are a lot of amazing things about his 2004 numbers among them are these two breakdowns which show just how ridiculously good Barry Bonds was in 2004: 45 home runs vs. 41 strikeouts & 232 walks vs 41 strikeouts.

#3 Barry Bonds (2001) - 259

In 2001 Bonds set the single season mark for home runs with 73 and for slugging percentage with .863. I personally find the slugging percentage mark far more impressive. I think it's quite possible that some dude (like a Ryan Howard type) may break the 73 mark in the coming years but will they do it while getting walked 177 times and hitting .328? Probably not.

YUP

So yes, Barry Bonds holds the three single season OPS+ of all time. Pretty incredible. I think a lot of people don't realize just how incredibly ridiculously awesome Barry Bonds was from 2001 to 2004. There has never been anyone, ever, who was as dominating as Bonds was during those four years.

#4 through #10 below.

#4 Babe Ruth (1920) - 256
#5 Babe Ruth (1921) - 239
#5 Babe Ruth (1923) - 239
#7 Ted Williams (1941) - 235
#8 Ted Williams (1957) - 233
#9 Barry Bonds (2003) - 231 (Yes, he "slumped" a bit in 2003!)
#10 Babe Ruth (1927) - 226

Bonds, Ruth, & Williams

That top ten list should give a pretty good indication of why when people who know the numbers talk about the greatest hitter of all time there's only three names they seriously consider: Bonds, Ruth, & Williams.

Labels: Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams

Billy Beane (A's GM, Failed 5 TOOOOOOL Prospect)

AND

Barry Bonds (A delicate flower)

Middle name "Lamar"

Labels: Barry Bonds, Billy Beane, IHateU, SILLY, Where da Bonds at?

Do not be confused into thinking that George Mitchell's report released yesterday is some sort of all inclusive report that includes every player who has done or is doing HGH/Steroids. It is only a small sampling. It is only the players they were able to catch red handed.

Jose Canseco calls the report a joke and says that among the many more players that should be on the list are Alex Rodriguez.

Yes the same Alex Rodriguez that hypocritical Barry Bonds haters have been hoping will break Bonds career home run record so that an steroids user won't be #1 all time.

The fact is that the Barry Bonds witch hunt of the past five years has been nothing but ridiculous. Everyone that has taken part in that witch hunt should be ashamed of themselves.

It's time for you to admit the following: Your favorite player and your favorite team have all taken steroids/HGH too. And guess what: They were still not as good as Barry Bonds and they never will be. All of this time you've been whining about Barry Bonds you've missed the chance to appreciate the greatest player of all time playing at his peak.

Labels: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds

Does the Federal Government really have nothing better to do? How many of our tax dollars have been spent on this case? Why is Barry Bonds being singled out when it's obvious hundreds of major leaguers have used performance enhancing drugs?

History will frown upon everyone involved in this witch hunt. It's ridiculous.

Labels: Barry Bonds

My last post was going to be about the World Series but ended up mostly being a rant about Coors Field and today I still think ranting about Coors Field is more interesting than this World Series (oh yeah Boston won 13-1 last night.)

I mentioned the insanity that would occur if a truly great hitter ever suits up for the Rockies. For your consideration I have looked at Bonds numbers at Coors Field from 2001-2004 which were his peak seasons when he was absolutely dominating baseball at a pace only rivaled by Babe Ruth and Ted Williams at their peak. As great as his numbers were during this period, how much greater would they have been if he had been a member of the Rockies instead of the Giants?

From '01 to '04 Bonds played 32 games in Colorado and amassed the following numbers: .427 AVG, .566 OBP, .981 SLG, 16 HR, 30 R, 33 RBI, 33 BB, 15 IBB.

As great as his home stats (at AT&T) were during this period (he hit .365 at home from '01 to '04) it's clear that his numbers would have been significantly more ridiculous had he been a member of the Rockies. He would have likely threatened the .400 mark both in 2002 and in 2004.

Ah yes, and Todd Helton sucks.

Labels: Barry Bonds, Colorado Rockies, Todd Helton

The Giants have told Barry Bonds they will not be bringing him back for 2008 because they want to move in a younger direction. Bonds had made it clear that he wished to stay with the Giants in 2008.

While some may think Bonds may just want to call it quits, Bonds is not retiring. He wrote "There is more baseball in me and I plan on continuing my career. My quest for a World Series ring continues" on his website.

Bonds could potentially do much better in the AL than the NL because he would be able to DH which would mean much more time to rest and much less wear & tear on his 43 (and 44 next summer) year old body. It seems that Bonds will be able to get significantly more at bats in the AL as a DH than he would as an NL LF.

The Oakland A's could be the perfect fit because Bonds is the ultimate "Moneyball" player. While the A's don't usually spend a lot of money on free agents, I do not think the market for Bonds will match his skill level because of his unpopularity and his age. Oakland is also of course very close to San Diego and the fans there would be more likely to be accepting of him than probably anywhere else.

Of course this is total speculation, but if I had to lay a bet out right now I'd bet on the A's. Then me and IHateU could root for the same team next season.

Labels: Barry Bonds

Continuing my series on the best hitter, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher of each decade I am moving backwards now to the best hitter of the 1990s. Barry Bonds is the selection. Bonds is also the best hitter of the 2000s. I'm pretty sure he'll be the only player to be selected as the "best of" of two decades, but we'll see.

People often mistakenly claim that Ken Griffey was the best hitter of the 90s. That claim is based mostly on the fact that Griffey hit a lot of home runs in '97 and '98 (56 each year) and more so on an ignorance of the importance of not getting out (ie getting on base.) It's also based on the fact that people think Ken Griffey is a jolly good guy while they think Barry Bonds is a big headed jerk (who did steroids/hgh/killed children/whatever.) Hopefully that spurious Ken Griffey BS can be put to rest in this here article. Read on...

Look at some of the stat leaders for the 1990s to start getting an idea why Bonds ranks #1 among all 1990s hitters.

OPS+ Leaders For The 1990s. (min. PA 3000)
1. Barry Bonds 179
2. Mark McGwire 173
3. Frank Thomas 169
4. Jeff Bagwell 160
5. Mike Piazza 157
6. Edgar Martinez 153
7. Ken Griffey 152
8. Albert Belle 149
9. Manny Ramirez 147
10. Jim Thome 146

Home Run Leaders For The 1990s
1. Mark McGwire 405
2. Ken Griffey 382
3. Barry Bonds 361
4. Albert Belle 351
5. Juan Gonzalez 339
6. Sammy Sosa 332
7. Rafael Palmeiro 328
8. Jose Canseco 303
9. Frank Thomas 301
10. Fred McGriff & Matt Williams 300

OBP Leaders For The 1990s
1. Frank Thomas .440
2. Barry Bonds .434
3. Edgar Martinez .430
4. Jeff Bagwell .416
5. Rickey Henderson .412
6. Jim Thome .412
7. Mark McGwire .411
8. John Olerud .406
9. Garry Sheffield .401
10. Manny Ramirez .399
...
29. Ken Griffey .384

SLG Leaders For The 1990s
1. Mark McGwire .615
2. Barry Bonds .602
3. Albert Belle .581
4. Ken Griffey .581
5. Juan Gonzalez .576
6. Manny Ramirez .576
7. Mike Piazza .575
8. Frank Thomas .573
9. Larry Walker .571
10. Jim Thome .547

Along with ranking in the top 3 in all of the above statistics, Barry Bonds also led the 90s in OPS, Runs, Walks, IBB, & Runs Created. He's a very close 3rd in RBI (only 23 behind Belle for first.) 3rd in Extra Base Hits (9 behind Belle.) Bonds also finished 6th in the 90s in stolen bases. Although stealing bases isn't technically part of "hitting" it is included in what I mean by it which is overall offensive production.

Bonds Vs. Griffey: Not Actually Even Close.

If the battle between Bonds and Griffey was really that close (and it's not) then Bonds would easily be pushed ahead anyway by his huge lead in stolen bases (343 to 151.)

The only stats I can find where Griffey greatly outranks Bonds? Strikeouts & Outs. Griffey was 21st in the 90s with 901 strikeouts while Bonds was 53rd with 747. Griffey was 14th in the 90s with 3913 outs. Bonds was 32nd with 3606.

Also interesting to note is that while Griffey did have more home runs than Bonds during the '90s that's mostly a product of Griffey's lack of discipline (comparatively) at the plate. Griffey walked a lot less than Bonds and thus got a lot more at bats. Griffey's 90s home run ratio was one home run every 14.1 at bats. Bonds' hit a home run every 13.6 at bats in the 90s.

Another interesting point is that Barry Bonds won three MVP awards in the NL in the 1990s. Griffey only one won MVP in the AL. Meanwhile Juan Gonzalez & Frank Thomas both won two.

So please put it to rest people of the baseball universe. Ken Griffey Jr. was not the best hitter of the 1990s. No. The correct answer is Barry Lamar Bonds.

Mark McGwire & Frank Thomas

I'd also like to point out you can probably make a better argument for Frank Thomas or Mark McGwire than for Griffey. But ultimately the arguments for Thomas and McGwire are pretty weak too.

McGwire was very inconsistent. He started the decade very slowly, hitting only .235 in 1990 and a putrid .201 in 1991. While McGwire put up monster home run numbers and got on base almost as good as anyone, he was never in the same class as Bonds as an all around hitter. He certainly didn't have the same speed on the basepaths. McGwire also never won an MVP award (although he was clearly robbed in 1998.) McGwire missed most of '93 & '94 with injuries.

Thomas is most hurt by the fact that he was just getting started in 1990 (he had 7 home runs in 60 games as a rookie) and he had disappointing numbers in 1998 (hit just .265 with 29 homers) and 1999 (just 15 home runs in 486 at bats.)

Barry Bonds: Far More Consistent Than The Competition

Bonds worst season of the 90s was probably 1999. But the main fault of his '99 was that he was injured. He was actually tearing the cover off the ball when he was playing. He had 34 home runs in 355 at bats that year. To further demonstrate Bonds incredible consistency in the 1990s consider this: His lowest single season OPS+ during the 1990s was his 161 in 1991, a year in which he finished second in the MVP voting (and should have won - See Terry Pendleton.) Consider that for a second: In arguably his worst season of the decade he still finished second in the MVP voting!

A worst OPS+ of the '90s comparison:

Thomas' worst was 125 in 1998.
Griffey's worst was 120 in an injury plagued 1995.
McGwire's worst was 103 in 1991.

Final Proof Of Barry Bonds Absolute Domination Of The 1990s

Pete Palmer's Batter-Fielder wins is a statistic which attempts to show how many wins a player brings to his team above that which an average replacement player would bring. This stat actually takes into consideration fielding abilities too which is beyond the scope of this article but really only makes Bonds dominance of the stat that much more impressive.

Bonds led the NL in Batter-Fielder wins in '90, '92, '93, '95, & '96
Bonds finished second in the NL in Batter-Fielder wins in '91, '94, & '98
Bonds finished third in the NL in Batter-Fielder wins in '97

The only year Bonds didn't finish in the top three? 1999 when he played only 102 games.

In comparison: Ken Griffey finished in the top 3 in the AL five times and led only once. He was 3rd three times. Mark McGwire only finished in the top 3 in his league once, that was when he led the NL in 1998. Frank Thomas finished in the top 3 in the AL three times, he also led the league only once.

Barry Lamar Bonds: Best Hitter Of The 1990s.

Labels: Barry Bonds, Best By Decade, Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey, Mark McGwire

Cinderella story Rick Ankiel & 2002 World Series MVP Troy Glaus are the latest MLB players to be connected with performance enhancing drugs.

Both players have allegedly received PEDs (HGH for Ankiel, Steroids for Glaus) from an Orlando based pharmacy.

Jayson Stark of ESPN wrote a good article about the double standard we are seeing applied to these popular players as compared to the treatment that Barry Bonds has received.

And as you can imagine, that's the angle I'm interested in as well. It's obvious that Glaus & Ankiel are just one of many many many MLB players who have used HGH and/or steroids. Why do you think most players haven't said anything bad about Barry Bonds? They know how hypocritical it would be. MOST PLAYERS IN MLB HAVE USED PED. Get that through your heads people! And for God's sake: GET OFF BARRY BONDS' BACK. You seriously look foolish witch hunting this one man because of why again? Because he broke records? Seriously? You think that makes it make more sense to witch hunt him than every other MLB player who probably used steroids or HGH? I really don't get the logic. It's OK to single out one player because he's better than everyone else? Yeah. Really, that makes a lot of sense.

Also consider these two things:

#1 As I mentioned before the pitcher that Barry Bonds hit #755 off of tested positive for steroids. He wasn't accused of taking steroids, he actually TESTED POSITIVE. Think about that. How many other juiced pitchers has Barry hit home runs off of?

#2 Troy Glaus was the 2002 World Series MVP. You remember who lost that World Series? The San Francisco Giants & Barry Bonds. Are you going to tell me that winning the World Series isn't "making history," are you really? And don't tell me that because the shipments that they've caught happened in 2003 and 2004 that means Glaus wasn't on steroids in 2002. PLEASE. This is just what they've been CAUGHT with.

Give me a break.

It is officially time to get off of Barry Bonds' back and accept the fact that your favorite players are just as "guilty" as he is.

Labels: Barry Bonds, hgh, Rick Ankiel, steroids, Troy Glaus

Alex Rodriguez hit his 47th & 48th home runs of the season in the 7th inning of the Yankees 10 to 2 win over the Mariners in New York tonight.

He became the first Yankee in over 30 years to hit 2 home runs in an inning. The last time it happened was June 30th of 1977 when Cliff Johnson did it in Toronto.

Rodriguez was at the DH spot rather than his usual place at 3B because of a sore right ankle. In fact he was sent to a hospital for tests on the ankle after arriving at Yankee Stadium with a limp.

Rodriguez now has 512 home runs in his career, tying him for 17th place all time with Ernie Banks & Eddie Matthews.

#1 on the all time list of course is Barry Bonds and he also added to his career total tonight. Bonds hit #762 in the first inning of the Giants 5 to 3 win over the Rockies in Colorado. According to San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy the pitch that Bonds hit out was a 99 MPH fast ball. The pitch was thrown by rookie Ubaldo Jimenez who became the 449th pitcher to give up a homer to Bonds.

It was Bond's 28th homer of the year. He's now hitting .277 with a .483 OBP (1st in the majors) and .583 SLG (3rd in the NL.)

Labels: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds

Top Five Major Leaguers For Fewest AB Per HR (Min. 20 HR)

#1 Barry Bonds 11.1
#2 Alex Rodriguez 11.49
#3 Ryan Howard 11.55
#4 Prince Fielder 12.2
#5 Adam Dunn 12.8

(I also want to throw in that #6 is the Brewers rookie Ryan Braun at 13.3)

Yes that's right. A 43 year old man leads the entire major leagues in home run ratio. A-Rod has lead this stat most of the season but his recent 26 at bat homerless streak combined with Bonds recent home run spurt has given Bonds the lead.

This is just more statistical proof (I think the most jaw dropping if you really think about it) of the amazing season Barry Bonds is having at age 43. It's not all about the amazing things Bonds has done over his career (which he has) but it's about how great he still is.

Labels: Barry Bonds

For all of the talk about Barry Bonds breaking the all time home run record there hasn't been enough about how incredibly Barry Bonds is hitting for a 43 year old man. There surely has never been a better 43 year old hitter in the history of the major leagues.

Tonight Bonds hit his 760th career home and he also hit his 26th home run of the year. That's good for 7th in the National League. And of those above him only Ryan Howard has less than 100 more at bats than Bonds. Howard has 92 more at bats and 7 more home runs. Prince Fielder has had 161 more at bats for his 11 additional home runs. With Bonds hitting a home run every 11.1 at bats as he is this season, he'd have 34 home runs if had as many at bats as Howard (1 more than Howard) and 40 home runs if he had as many at bats as Fielder (3 more than Fielder.) Yes if Bonds had as many at bats as Fielder he'd likely be leading the entire major leagues in homers (A. Rod has 39.)

He's also leading the Major Leagues in OBP and OPS. He's #3 in the NL in SLG. Remember he's 43 freaking years old. Sure by Bonds standards of 2001 through 2004 this is a substandard year but it's in many ways one of his most impressive considering his age and the intense pressure he has been under.

Viva La Barry!

Oh yes and the Giants won their 3rd straight tonight to climb to a 53-70 record, 12.5 games behind the Phillies for the Wild Card slot. Basically the Giants will have to go 39-0 to have any real shot at the playoffs. 37-2 or 36-3 might work too, depending of course on how things play out.

The above paragraph is a bit of a joke by the way. I'm working on it, this whole humor thing. LOL?

Labels: Barry Bonds

As I've mentioned previously, for some reason Barry Bonds seems to play his best baseball each year in the month of August. This year looks to be no exception thus far.

Barry Bonds August '07 #s:

.323 Batting Average
.511 OBP
.839 Slugging Percentage
5 Homers in 31 At Bats.
5 HR/3 SO

His 1.350 August OPS thus far is tied with his OPS for April for his best month this year.

This month is continuing his strange fluctuations up and down with each month this year.

Bonds' monthly batting averages:

April: .356
May: .194
June: .364
July: .186
August: .323

Barry Bonds' Augusts of summers past:

In 2006 he hit .333 in August despite not reaching .300 in any other month that year.

In 2005 he did not play in August due to injury.

In 2004 he hit .414 with 11 home runs (in 70 at bats) and a 1.000 SLG in August.

In 2003 he hit .452 with 7 home runs (in just 42 at bats) and a 1.024 SLG in August.

In 2002 he hit .447 with 11 home runs (in 76 at bats) and a .961 SLG in August.

In 2001 he hit .350 with 12 home runs (in 80 at bats) and a .888 SLG in August. In 2001 both May and September/Oct. were actually more impressive months.

Looking at his career splits Bonds indeed does have his highest career OPS (1.086) in August. He's also hit more home runs (146), had more RBI (374), had more Runs (406), had more Hits (516), had more walks (463), than in any other month. His career BA (.306) and OBP (.453) in August are also the highest of any month. His .633 SLG in August is tied with April for his highest.

Unrelated but awesome Barry Bonds trivia

In an unrelated but cool split, Barry Bonds career numbers vs the New York Yankees:

6 Games
.533 Batting Average
.741 On Base Percentage
.933 Slugging Percentage

Labels: Barry Bonds

Hello there. As you may have noticed I didn't cover Barry Bonds historic #756 after having covered pretty much every home run he's hit leading up to it. Why? I was on a week long road trip, I just got back home last night.

I was actually in Atlanta watching the Giants game in an Atlanta bar when Barry smacked #756. I had a real feeling that he may do it in that at bat after the way he solidly smacked the first 2 hits of the night. What was the reaction in Atlanta? Not as negative as you would imagine. Possibly because the bar we were at was in sort of touristy section of Atlanta. There were a couple of people screaming out anti-Bonds stuff but for the most part people were cheering. They even turned up the sound (they normally have the sound off on the TVs in the bar there) to listen to Barry's speech.

At first I was feeling a bit bad I didn't get to do a writeup here at Big Show Baseball for #756 but the amount of coverage it received EVERYWHERE else makes it seem not too necessary.

Somehow all of this madness leads me to start thinking about Bonds next season. Perhaps that's because of the fact that the Giants season is essentially over.

Bonds has given the impression recently that he will indeed play next season. The question is more now where will he play next season? Obviously he will not be as loved anywhere else as he is in San Francisco but the fact is he's not a very good fit for San Fran at this point. The Giants have to be going into a rebuilding stage as they are going nowhere fast. Bonds should also move to the AL so he can DH. Below I will look at some of the AL teams it seems he could end up hitting #800 for next season:

Oakland A's

The perfect fit would probably be IHateU's A's except for the fact that they don't seem to have much in the way of money and Barry seems to appreciate money quite a bit. But Bonds is an OBP machine, exactly the type of player that the A's love. Oakland is also very close to San Francisco which makes it the perfect location for him to play in the AL. The A's are also a better team than the Giants (although they are struggling this year as well.) If (and that's a big if) the A's are able to pay him the kind of money he will want they seem to be a decent fit.

LA Angels

I get the feeling that Bonds would want to stay on the west coast. The Angels are a half game off the best record in the majors right now so obviously they are the kind of team that would give Bonds the chance to win the World Series he has yet to win. They are also the kind of team that could really benefit from the production of Bonds. Imagine Vladimir Guerrero being protected by Barry Bonds?

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners could be a good fit. They are a good team, currently tied with the Yankees for the AL wild card, that could get a real boost from Bonds' bat. Somehow I don't think Bonds will want to play in Seattle, but maybe I am wrong.

New York Yankees

This seems like a real long shot but if the Yankees lose A-Rod they will need to replace that pop in their lineup (ARod is hitting a home run every 10.9 at bats this season, Bonds is right behind that at a home run every 11.4 at bats.) The Yankees in general seem to have no problem signing (and paying big money) to aging stars, so in that way Bonds is a perfect fit in NY. On the field I am sure he would shine with the Yankees, it's the off the field stuff that could become a concern. Bonds is used to being cheered at home and it's hard to see him getting cheered by Yankees fans, unless perhaps he wins the World Series with a walk off home run... ...

What would Bonds do as a DH in the AL?

Playing on a team like the Yankees it would be very interesting to see how Bonds would perform in a situation where he can no longer be pitched around and where he doesn't have to worry about playing defense. Bonds would most likely see more plate appearances and more at bats. I think it's entirely possible that a healthy Barry Bonds hitting in the middle of the NY Yankees 2008 lineup could hit 50 home runs.

Bonds is Great

With all of the hoopla over #756, people are forgetting that despite some cold slumps Bonds is having a really really great season at age 43. Consider these facts:

- Bonds is leading the entire major leagues in OPS right now (1.086)
- Bonds has 118 walks to just 46 strikeouts.
- Bonds is leading the majors in walks and intentional walks.
- Bonds leads the majors in pretty much every Sabermetric statistic invented.
- Despite having 150 less at bats than most of the people in the top 10 (including A-Rod and Prince Fielder), Bonds is 9th in the entire majors in home runs with 24.

If one were to look just at Bonds statistics this season and forget all of the other nonsense he would be a huge free agent pickup this off season for an AL team looking for a big addition to their lineup.

Maybe Barry will stay in San Francisco?

All indications seem to be that the Giants want to move forward with a youth movement next season but the facts are that Bonds continues to fill the stands in San Fran. Bonds is still easily their best player. They are unlikely to challenge for a World Series next year regardless of what they do in the off season so maybe they will stick with Bonds in LF another year?

Labels: Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron for the career home run record last night in San Diego with his 755th career home run. It was a solo shot leading off the 2nd inning. Bonds was then walked the next three times he came up before being removed for a pinch runner.

The Padres went on to win the game 3 to 2 in the 12th inning.

Notes on this historic home run:

- The pitcher that gave up the home run, Clay Hensley, became the 445th pitcher to give up a home run to Bonds. This a record that Bonds has been continually adding to over the last few seasons.

- Clay Hensley tested positive for steroids while in the minor leagues in 2005. How perfect. Why is this only being barely mentioned? It's another example of hw you cannot tell who does steroids by a player's performance, position, or physical appearance. Please note that the player most vilified in this steroids witch hunt has never tested positive for steroids. Please again note that he hit #755 off a pitcher who has tested positive. Think about that. Seriously, think about it. No, I don't think you've thought about it long enough, get back to me on this one. Also note this article on how over 100 players in the big leagues tested positive in 2003. Do you understand how completely ridiculous and hypocritical the Barry Bonds steroids witch hunt is yet? Again I am not claiming to know that Bonds has NOT done steroids. My point is the way he's been singled out is asinine.

- How many home runs has Barry Bonds hit off of "juiced" pitchers? I don't think the actual answer matters really, but I guarantee you it's more than one. It's just head shaking how stupid the "asterisk" crowd is. If you think Barry Bonds' records should have an asterisk you are probably also the kind of fella that thinks that Intelligent Design is really solid science. It's just remarkably stupid to single out one player who has never even tested positive while not doing the same with other players' records. And really it all comes down to the fact that baseball stats are not set in a vacuum. Do you want to adjust pitchers ERAs who have given up home runs to Bonds? Hmm... How about adjusting batting averages of players who hit against pitchers that have tested positive? As I've mentioned before many of the players who have tested positive for steroids have been pitchers.

- Many said Bonds would not play on the road for fear of tying/breaking the record on the road. This has not been the case at all. Bonds has been playing throughout the Giants road trip (He does plan to sit out today's final game of the road trip but do not read into that as he almost always sits out day games after night games.) He also stayed in the game last night and tried to hit #756 in San Diego. I would also not be surprised at all if he ends up pinch hitting today as he often does in games he sits out.

- Many said that the reaction to a milestone Bonds home run anywhere but in San Francisco would be unsightly. Not the case in San Diego last night. Bonds received a very warm reaction all things considered.

- It was his 72nd home run since turning 40. This ties the record set by Carlton Fisk.

Video of the home run (with the call by the Giants announcers)

Labels: Barry Bonds

A new feature here at BigShowBaseball.com is going to be a look at the best hitters and pitchers of each decade. I'm going to start in the present and make my way back.

The first period is 2000 to 2007 (through yesterday's games.) Of course there are 2+ seasons left in this decade so we'll have to come back to take another look at the end of 2009.

So then, who is the best hitter of the 2000s? The answer should be no surprise. Barry Bonds. Bonds won 4 consecutive NL MVP awards from 2001 to 2004 and should have won the award in 2000 as well. The 5 years by Bonds from 2000 to 2004 is arguably the greatest 5 year span in the history of baseball by any hitter, thus Bonds is the easy choice for the best hitter of this decade despite missing most of 2005 with injury and being far less successful in 2006 and thus far in 2007.

The OPS+ leaders for this period leave no doubt about Bonds complete dominance during this decade.

OPS+ leaders for 2000 to 2007 (2000 PA MIN.)

1. Barry Bonds 224
2. Albert Pujols 169
3. Jason Giambi 163
4. Manny Ramirez 163
5. Alex Rodriguez 155

Considering the above numbers it's no surprise that Bonds also dominates the slugging percentage leaders for the decade (Bonds is at .726, Pujols is second at .622) and OBP leaders (Bonds is at a Godlike .519.)

How about Home Runs? Alex Rodriguez does lead in home runs during this period with 351 but Bonds is second at 309 despite missing almost all of 2005 and having nearly 1500 less at bats than A-Rod.

Batting Average? Discounting Todd Helton (which one should always do any player with inflated Colorado numbers) Bonds is 4th in batting average during this period despite his .270 average last year and .269 thus far this year. His overall batting average from '00-'07 is .323 which is behind only Suzuki 's .333, Pujols' .330, & Guerrero's .329 batting average.

One of the most revealing stats (both of Bonds dominance and the lack of protection Bonds receives in the Giants weak lineup) is the fact that during the 2000s thus far Bonds has more than double the amount of IBB of any other player. Bonds has been intentionally walked 381 times this decade. Vladimir Guerrero is second with 186.

The real question is not who is #1 as that is obviously Bonds but who is #2? It looks to be close between Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez. I would give Rodriguez the advantage because it is so close and Rodriguez has the benefit of playing (and playing great) in 2000 when Pujols did not enter the Majors until 2001.

Labels: Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Best By Decade

Tonight had a chance to be one of the most historic nights in the history of baseball with Tom Glavine going for his 300th win, Alex Rodriguez going for his 500th home run, and Barry Bonds going for a all time home run record tying 755th homer.

Unfortunately for these three, none of them could get the job done tonight.

Glavine came the closest as he pitched a great 6 innings for the Mets in Milwaukee tonight. He allowed just 2 hits and 1 run (although he also had 5 walks) in 6 innings tonight. He left the game with a 2-1 lead but he lost his 300th win when the game was tied in the 8th. The Brewers went on to win the game in the 13th inning by a final score of 4-2.

Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 5 for the Yankees as he one of the few Yankee hitters not to have a big game. The Yanks beat the White Sox in New York by a score of 16 to 3, behind a franchise record tying 8 home runs.

Perhaps A-Rod is pressing due to what Jose Canseco said? If you haven't caught it yet Canseco said he "has stuff" on A-Rod and when asked if he A-Rod ever did steroids he said "wait and see" (for his new book.) Clearly this could be seen as a publicity stunt by Canseco. But I don't see how you can just dismiss what he says considering that it looks like most of what he said in his last book was true. A lot of people dismissed what he said about Rafael Palmeiro and look how that turned out.

Bonds went 0 for 2 with 2 walks to finish off his awful July (save July 19th, that was a good day for him.) Bonds hit just .186 in July. He's had an up and down season this year.

April - .356
May - .194
June - .364
July - .186

Bonds has historically been amazing in August so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep up that trend. Even last year when Bonds was cold most of the season he hit .333 in August. 2004? He hit .414 in August that year. Although the .472 he hit in April that year was what really stands out. He also had an absolutely ridiculous .696 OBP in April of '04. I'm actually wondering if that's the greatest month of any hitter ever. An OPS of 1.828 for a full month has to be among the best if it's not the record.

As far as this magical trifecta of baseball history, I suppose if A-Rod and Bonds remain stuck there's a possibility for it to happen again on Glavine's next start.

It doesn't seem that unlikely that they'll remain stuck because of the way Bonds and Rodriguez have been hitting recently. Bonds has been in an awful month long slump other than his 2 home run game on July 19th. And Rodriguez has now gone 17 straight at bats without a hit as his batting average has dropped under .300 (he's now at .298)

Labels: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Tom Glavine