That is an impossible judgment to render about any athlete in any sport. Baseball has had so many great players that to name any one of them as the sport’s greatest is ludicrous. By including a childish statement like that, the author reveals a bias that taints the rest of the piece.

Bonds, one of the 10 best of all-time? Probably, although top 10 is still a slippery area. But no single player can lay claim to the best-ever title.

And save the pseudo-indignence that rises from this ham-handed attempt at humor: “… they would be accused of sprinkling steroids on their cornflakes.” The fact is, baseball players did dope, and they doped at insane levels. Since the steroids issue blew up with McGwire’s (rightful) denial of a HOF induction, and the perjury case against Bonds and the congressional hearings, home runs — the signature stat of the Steroid Era — have dropped dramatically. Last season, home runs were off by roughly 500 from the 2006 season, and this season, batters are on a pace to hit 1,000 fewer home runs than last season. That’s a drop of roughly 1,500 total home runs in just two seasons. Either 1) batters suck now; 2) pitchers, across the board in MLB, got awfully good awfully fast; or 3) players got scared straight and stopped juicing. You decide which of those three things is more likely.

The fact is, as a Yankee fan, I wouldn’t want Bonds anywhere near the Bronx. Any owner who would sign this guy is insane. The longer he sits, the rustier his skills become, and the longer he would need to round his swing into shape…. and let’s all face facts: Human beings over the age of 30 DO NOT NATURALLY IMPROVE AS THEY CONTINUE TO AGE, especially over the age of 40. If Bonds sits out this long, then comes back and hits 20 home runs in 60 games after he’s picked up in August, it would be ludicrous to think he did it without any pharmaceutical enhancements.

If Michael Jordan walked onto an NBA team in October, then started the season by averaging 25 points a game over the first 30 games, people wouldn’t raise an eyebrow or three over that ‘accomplishment?’ That is essentially what Bonds did AFTER AGE 35. His career is a joke!

Bonds, Clemens.. these guys OBVIOUSLY cheated. Why is that so hard for people to wrap their brains around?

Great point about virtue. By the way, when the Bonds indictment came down (the same day that MLB announced it had become a $6B business - up from $1B pre-steroids), I wrote a piece about how the federal government had complicity in this psuedo-scandal precisely because they questioned players about steroid use, but never questioned owners or GMs about their role in hiring, retaining, recruiting (through free agency), OR releasing players known or suspected of using steroids. There are many quotes from GMs like Kevin Kennedy and others outlining what the owners knew and when - yet they avoided questioning even though the question of trafficking (aided and abetted by MLB franchises) was front and center throughout the story. If the feds were unconcerned about trafficking in PED’s, they never should have charged BALCO. Certain franchises facilitated access to PEDs on many levels - that’s the missing link in the indictment of baseball. Bonds’ positioning as arch-villain is par for the course.

Thanks.

Yea, he among thee that is without sin let him cast the first stone…many of Bonds’ accusers are dirtier than they try to make him out to be but that hasn’t stopped them from throwing their rocks which is more the pity.

Jeers to John Saunders too on the Sports Reporters for clowning BB like he did yesterday concerning this subject.

The Simmons quote is nonsense - I’ve had a bunch of those conversations - had one this morning right before I read this, in fact. How could anyone really not notice that Bonds isn’t playing? I reckon Simmons only talks to the rest of the ESPN crew. It’s ESPN and SI that wanted him gone, not the fans or players.

I do have the distinct feeling, though, that Barry is Bud Selig’s biggest nightmare. He’d love to have Bonds dragged away in chains so he could stand up and say that all the game’s problems are over (saved by the grand commissioner, of course!). Instead, his appointed villain refuses to shut up and go away, and the house of cards the commish constructed has been crumbling from a bunch of unexpected angles. Just imagine how Selig would feel if Barry not only came back and continued to put up spectacular numbers, but was found innocent of perjury, and let off the hook for PEDs! The only way to avoid that is by making clear that no team should touch him.

Of course Bud would never do such a thing - he’s just standing there with his hands in his pockets. . . .

Barry Bonds can hit the ball, period. And I believe he would be an effective DH for someone like Detroit. Free up Sheffield if his health holds up to play the field as well. But that is just a theory cause I don’t watch much baseball as it is.

And there has been research into this story as well. ESPN had an article about a week ago in which GMs and current players were spoken too. Some did say the locker room fiasco would be a problem, but others did say that he is still an effective player and would like to have him on the team.

I question the real reason why he is sitting at home. Its ok though, because baseball is a joke to me anyway….

As usual a welcome point of view.

What we do hear from GMS are the distraction excuse and the locker room cancer concerns. However these excuses are patently false and asks too much for us to believe. As Mizzo, MODI and dwill have said, each club can and does control the media herd if it becomes uncontrolable. The locker room cancer bullshit is also a media creation because that was an original quote from an asshole rival back in his Pittsburgh days. I can remember reading quotes from players around the league how much of an aide Barry was in helping them becoming more effective hitters. Team mateswould usually comment on the media circus around him, but who controls that him or the club?

This leaves only one real reason for the big collusion. The pending perjury case. The GMS and owners are using the excuse of the perjury case…a case that wont be held until next year, as an excuse to divest themselves from the scapegoat they collectively created because all these owners are big time criminal minded and like all big time criminals they find the most suitable target to point to as the bag man.

I mean you could be right and somebody will break down and sign him. But his-story is filled with Billionaires willing to lose a few millions to satisfy their egos.

“THe owners have every right not to hire him if they do not want to and their is nothing ethically or morally wrong about it at all. As far as collusion, why throw that out there if you have done no research to prove it, seems to me that Zirin being lazy and taking the easy way out. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Bonds will probably get picked up close to the ASB by a team that feels they need more bats to clinch a title”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again you are re-christened COUSIN RUCKUS!! Yeah! The owners have every right not to hire him. But if somebody else other than you actually connects the dots, the stink smells like collusion.

I don’t even know why I am responding to you, your pale eyes can never see color. Forget it…my bad! ignore the truth! you usually do anyway.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Bonds will probably get picked up close to the ASB by a team that feels they need more bats to clinch a title.