He is such a talent, but in my eyes he’s not a Yankee until he starts stirrin’ the drink.

- A-Rod.

Solo stroll up 5th Avenue in the Mid-Fiddies, chillin’.

As far as the media…they see their sons….

Did you see the piece on Willie Mays (ESPN Classic?) about Leo Durocher and the creation of the “Say Hey Kid” (Man-Child) image? The segment which I watched at a bar (closed captions) talked about how the Giants created this Man-Child persona to infantilize Mays and offer a paternalistic Sosa-esque image of a “happy” Negro running around the field of dreams.

As I’ve always said, Barry Bonds would have had to be a COMPLETE fool to have a loving, trusting open relationship with the American media. That same media trafficked in the worst types of imagery in characterizing his own father and god father. In other words, how stupid do the writers really think he is?

Just off the plantation dumb?
Just off the boat dumb?

I’m not a Yankee fan, never have been, but it seems like a perfect move for them to sign Bonds. The NY media would bother him less than a mosquito after all he’s put up with. Not only that, I have a feeling that if he did sign with the Yankees the media would soon be a whole lot less hostile. I’ve thought for a long time that part of their hostility came from being offended that the best player in the game was not on a NY team. If they got the chance to watch him ever day, and see the way he conducts himself, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t finally recognized as the true giant of the game he’s long been. He’s a fine man, with a complete and solid sense of who he is and how he fits in the history of the game. He’s intelligent, charming, and witty when he’s not under attack, and has maintained his dignity and self-respect through decades of assault.

It’s hard to imagine a bigger triumph for him than signing with the Yankees and turning the NY media’s opinion of him on its head. His age and physical limitations would be more than balanced by that short right field porch and potent bats behind him. I’d expect him to put up mind-boggling numbers under those conditions.

Damn right I think comparing Bonds to anyone is ludicrous. Bonds’ numbers in terms of walks are absolutely staggering. Has nothing to do with race.

Chill…

Hitter… yes. you beat me. and i can accept it.

You’re going to lose this one. You should leave it alone now, while you can. The issue is about Bond’s hitting - not his defense, running or anything else. The comment was:

Seriously - which player on a current MLB roster is a more imposing and dangerous hitter than Bonds? For that matter, was there anyone better over the past seven years? Statistically, he’s the lead dog pulling every single sled in the league.

As much as I love Manny and Pujols, it’s not even close. Bonds has played with so many scrubs (as table setters), low average power hitters, and high strikeout RBI men that you’d have to be a true junkie to run down the list. It was during his seasons with Jeff Kent that he put up seasons which rivaled the Sultan of Swat himself.

Manny has been playing with Big Papi and a bunch of studs for years (and he was in the middle of a Bomb Ass Lineup in Cleveland), but he has yet to get Ruthian. (And I think Manny is the 2nd best hitter of this generation. He’s awesome…but he ain’t Barry or even Barry’s milk man or garbage man or mail man.)

Pujols. Just stop. Same factors. Powerful lineup. Favorable stadium numbers in support of hitters vs. SF.

A-Rod - great player - but not a more imposing and dangerous hitter than Bonds. Never has been, never will be. And, he’s had the benefit of solid lineup protection his entire life. His time in NY was his only time in a stadium that wasn’t a launching pad.

Barry Bonds hasn’t been the best all around player in baseball since he lost his wheels. When it comes to hitting, these two players simply reside in different worlds. A-Rod has struck out over 100 times 11 times in his career and will most certainly do it again and again and again and again. Bonds - once.

Ultimate Fear Factor - Career Intentional Walks:
Bonds - 688
Rodriguez - 75

GIDP?
Bonds - 165
Rodriguez - 177

Of course there is a great deal of context to these numbers (lineup, team speed, etc.), but it should be obvious to even a casual observer that Barry Bonds is peerless among the living when it comes to hitting.

Constructive criticism: because sometimes when you do you can come off as dismissive of contrary points of view.

and I happen to believe that A-Rod was a better player than Bonds from 2001-2008. Let’s review this, rationally so no one somehow fools themselves into thinking that I’m making a specious point to hurt the black man.

In the 7 years (2001-2008) A-Rod played shortstop and 3rd Base, much harder defensive positions to play than Left Field.

He also averaged the following numbers over those 7 years: 47 Home Runs, 129 RBI’s, a .590 Slugging Percentage, and a .399 OBP which means he was ops’ing .989 from the single most demanding defensive position on the diamond that isn’t named catcher where he won back-to-back gold gloves.
But hey…. I’m just a bitter white boy. Rite Mizz? Because I can’t se superior skill and have it not be because i’m racist right?

Like Temple said in another thread I think, Barry did not swing at bad pitches…when he did, he hit them out.

People do not fall into the propaganda of the baseball media.

All you hear now is this dude is old.

I’d take him in a second. Could you imagine Bonds in the middle of the lineup with bases loaded late in October?

Come on people. Get real here. Don’t diminish how great a player Barry Bonds IS just because you hear the same bullshit day in and day out from a jealous ass media.

Seriously - which player on a current MLB roster is a more imposing and dangerous hitter than Bonds? For that matter, was there anyone better over the past seven years? Statistically, he’s the lead dog pulling every single sled in the league. Not that we need to do it, but if we controlled statistically for the Scrub Factor on the Giants (ie., substitute Bonds on the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, Rangers, etc.), Bonds would be so far ahead of his “peers” as to make a conversation patently absurd on its face.

The statistical “isolates” (for lack of a better word) that discern the performance of an individual are crystal clear.

He’s far from done - except that he’s done.