Bonds: Will He Get The Respect?

[crimsonnation713]

How will you feel when he breaks Babe's record?


Will Bonds get respect after breaking home run record? | TideSports.com (http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20070701/NEWS/70701003/1004/TL03)

[volimhtown]

No more so than he does now. Record or no record, the guy's a jack-ass who stands for everything wrong with today's competitive sports and specifically today's professional athlete. Whether he finished with 3 career homeruns or 800, he will still be near the top of my list of athlete's that I will use as examples to show my kids how pathetic and truly unsuccessful a "successful" person can be. Like Pete Rose, their on-field accomplishments are second to none...any second of thought or concern regarding people like this outside of those lines is a second too much in my book!!

[WayzUp]

I think maybe he should just quit now. Take his acne covered back and his dilapidated scrotum and his humiliated family and go buy an island somewhere far, far away. He can get some goofball inventor to build a designer melon stand so he can sit comfortably on the beach and finally rest that big fat steroid-injected head of his -- take some of the weight off of his shoulders -- and quietly contemplate how he ruined the sanctity of baseball until it’s his turn to take a few cuts in the ol’ batter’s box in the sky.

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2527/bondsun8.jpg

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/2375/bonds30806xe2.jpg

[Gamecocks4Ever]

I've been watching the Padres/Giants (in SD) game tonight, and do find the crowd reaction a bit amusing. Bonds tied the record in his 1st at bat and has been walked 3 times since. When he comes to bat, the fans are booing him, but when he gets walked, they boo the pitcher. I just find that amusing. My guess is that they must really hate him, but yet they want to say that they were at the game when it happened. Go figure. Of course, I'd have to admit, I'd love to be the one that caught the ball.......sell it, and retire at 30. YAY!!!

[Seppeh]

I love the fact the pitcher he hit 755 off, was also busted for using steroids in the minors a few years back.

Yet Barry is the only one anyone cares about when bashing steroid users.

Hilarious.

[gatorunvrsty]

I love the fact the pitcher he hit 755 off, was also busted for using steroids in the minors a few years back.

Yet Barry is the only one anyone cares about when bashing steroid users.

Hilarious.

Well, he's the only one about to break the biggest record in baseball... and it happens to be held by a TRUE class act. BTW, Bonds isn't REALLY about to break the record by hitting #756. It's been calculated that he's actually about to hit #656, if he'd stayed clean, and giving him the benefit of the doubt about hitting a few more per season because he became a better hitter with experience.:thumpsup:

EDIT: To answer the thread question with another one: Does he deserve respect? An emphatic... NO! He's done more to damage the game of baseball than Rose ever thought about doing.

[Seppeh]

Right because he is the only one ever to use steroids.

Get real. Many MLB sluggers use, yet how come he is the only one with this many home runs.

Oh ya. That thing called skill. Right.

[azamugg]

Right because he is the only one ever to use steroids.

Get real. Many MLB sluggers use, yet how come he is the only one with this many home runs.

Oh ya. That thing called skill. Right.

seppeh.........wake up, has anyone here said he wasnt skilled???? Aaron was skilled and toiled on his way to the record, when they werent making kabillions and catered too, and still took buses to games......Bonds is skilled plus steroids...........the argument is does he deserve the same respect that Aaron has, does he deserve the supreme record in baseball.......it didnt help him seppeh that he's been the biggest crusty prick as far as attitude either

[Seppeh]

it didnt help him seppeh that he's been the biggest crusty prick as far as attitude either

You know, if everyone was all like "Die Barry!" "Rot in hell!" to me, I would have a bad attitude and not care about the fans too.

[Gamecocks4Ever]

Well, at first, I didn't want him to break the record, but at this point, it's inevitable. Then I thought about the fact that I have his rookie card, and thought, what the hell, let him break it. Probably won't do much to the value. He was a rookie after baseball cards hit mainstream status, and the scarcity thing went away. It won't hurt to see though.

Now.......gotta hurry up and purchase an A-Rod rookie card before it's too late.

[gatorunvrsty]

You know, if everyone was all like "Die Barry!" "Rot in hell!" to me, I would have a bad attitude and not care about the fans too.

How do you think fans got that way about him? You may be too young to realize that he's always been that way. Pompous, self-serving prick. He's always thought that, because of his father, he's had some sort of entitlement. And he's only gotten worse as the years go by. But, what really makes him worthless is that he's a cheater who's about to try and claim the home run record from an honest and classy ball player who battled not only the pitchers, players, and pressure; but also racism, constant death threats to his family, and hate mail and racial epithets at every ballpark he visited. And through it all, he remained a humble, stand-up guy. People shout "Die Barry!" because he's a conceited, POS cheater... they shouted that at Aaron simply because he was black.

You've got it backwards, youngster... this isn't a chicken and the egg conundrum. Barry was a loud-mouthed, selfish a-hole first... so fans started hating him... even fans of his own team. I remember back in the day when those sweatbands for your wrists first came out with pictures of ballplayers on them. Every player in the league wore bands with pictures of other players they liked, respected, or most wanted to emulate. Barry only wore bands with his own picture on them. It made the news on more than one occasion. He's just a jerk... plain and simple. It's no wonder nobody with any self-respect wants to be there when he breaks the record. It's not just the steroids... he's a lousy ambassador or face for baseball. Not the example any responsible parent wants for their kids. People could look up to Aaron, and he was a great idol or hero figure. He had humility and was thankful for his opportunities... something Bonds would have to look up to understand.

EDIT: Oh, and btw, the beginning of this thread asks how people will feel when he breaks Babe's record, but that was broken long ago. He's about to break Aaron's record... that is, if you count all of Bond's home runs. And one more thing: That skill you refer to enabled him to hit 30-43 home runs a year before he started taking steroids. That was my point about him actually only hitting about 656. That's how many he'd have hit had he stayed clean, and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[fernandomike]

The immense focus on Barry Bonds as the villian is a mistake. There are many villians in the steroid era. Bonds was simply more successful because he had more tools than the rest. I don't like him. I don't like seeing him claim the all-time homerun record, but I also don't like the fact that he has taken so much pressure off Palmerio, Sosa, McGwire, and likely hundreds of other major leaguers who did exactly what Bonds did. When this whole mess was uncovered, these guys needed someone like Bonds, an immensely unpopular figure to keep the light from shining on our more popular heroes.

[gatorunvrsty]

The immense focus on Barry Bonds as the villian is a mistake. There are many villians in the steroid era. Bonds was simply more successful because he had more tools than the rest. I don't like him. I don't like seeing him claim the all-time homerun record, but I also don't like the fact that he has taken so much pressure off Palmerio, Sosa, McGwire, and likely hundreds of other major leaguers who did exactly what Bonds did. When this whole mess was uncovered, these guys needed someone like Bonds, an immensely unpopular figure to keep the light from shining on our more popular heroes.

I totally agree with that assessment. The focus is on Bonds because of what he's about to do; but even when McGwire and Sosa were chasing Maris' record, at least they were classy about it, and it was exciting to watch. McGwire even made Maris' family part of the celebration. Barry is getting run in the ground as much by his own attitude as his steroid use.

[Cianne]

When I was out at Arizona State for the Super Regional matchup between the Sun Devils and Ole Miss, many of the Rebel fans asked Sun Devil fans why their stadium was such a dump when they have so many good alumni (Bonds, Paul La Duca, Reggie Jackson, etc).

The first thing that came out of their mouths was utter distaste for Bonds and how he hasn't given one cent back to the school. I find it funny that even the fans at his own alma mater hate him.

[fernandomike]

McGwire is a little more testy than people realize. He annoyed the crap out of me by berating the fan who caught one of his homerun balls, number 61 or 62, for not simply giving it to him. You'd have to be an idiot to give Mcgwire that ball seeing the he makes millions a year and the guy who caught it is trying to figure out how he is going to pay his mortgage on time. You've gotta cash that chip in, whether it pisses off the slugger or not.

[Cianne]

Well, to their discredit, McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro are less than popular.

[crimsonnation713]

Right because he is the only one ever to use steroids.

Get real. Many MLB sluggers use, yet how come he is the only one with this many home runs.

Oh ya. That thing called skill. Right.

Seppeh, look at his frickin head. Its HUGE for crying out loud. I bet he went up a size and a half since he started playing.

[Seppeh]

There she goes.. #756

[OmahaBound]

Hank Aaron pre-recorded a nice video message congratulating Bonds which played on the scoreboard after Bonds' homer.

[bigsexxxy]

Pretty classy of Hammerin' Hank. It was neat to watch, but I can't say that I'm elated that Bonds has the record now.

[timNem]

Is it true his shoe size went from 10 to 14 since he has been in MLB?

[GatorHunter]

Is it true his shoe size went from 10 to 14 since he has been in MLB?

Have you seen pics of Bonds when he was with the Pirates? The guy is like 3 times bigger now.....sure he has skills, but adding 50-60 pounds of pure muscle didn't hurt him get where he is.....guys like McGuire were huge before they took roids.....Bonds is a fake and there should be an "*" beside every record he ends with.

[crimsonnation713]

Long live Hammerin' Hank. Hes been done a disservice.

[OmahaBound]

Have you seen pics of Bonds when he was with the Pirates? The guy is like 3 times bigger now.....sure he has skills, but adding 50-60 pounds of pure muscle didn't hurt him get where he is.....guys like McGuire were huge before they took roids.....Bonds is a fake and there should be an "*" beside every record he ends with.

It's not like one season he was 50 lbs heavier and his head size exploded. Over the weekend ESPN did a retrospective of all of Bonds' significant HRs over the years and it was clear he got a little bigger each year. I'm not saying he didn't take roids...it's pretty clear he did. All I'm saying is even without them he would have been a 1st ballot HOFer and the only player to ever hit 500 HRs and steal 500 bases.

Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson are still the greatest HR hitters of all time...with Hank Aaron a close 3rd. Bonds would have made the top 10-15 without ever taking roids which is really the shame of it all.

[TDArkansasOhmy]

Here is his respect. The fat headed jerk brought this on himself. Me Me Me.

http://www.comics.com/editoons/litton/archive/images/litton2007018331803.gif

[fernandomike]

It's not like one season he was 50 lbs heavier and his head size exploded. Over the weekend ESPN did a retrospective of all of Bonds' significant HRs over the years and it was clear he got a little bigger each year. I'm not saying he didn't take roids...it's pretty clear he did. All I'm saying is even without them he would have been a 1st ballot HOFer and the only player to ever hit 500 HRs and steal 500 bases.

Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson are still the greatest HR hitters of all time...with Hank Aaron a close 3rd. Bonds would have made the top 10-15 without ever taking roids which is really the shame of it all.

This is precisely the way I feel. If the lid ever gets blown off the steroid period, then Bonds will have more company than any of us want to realize. Some of them will be nice guys. How will they be treated? Without doubt, Bonds is an incredible player, a cheater, and a colossal jerk and most of the anomosity directed towards him has to do with the later.

[PuddingTime]

Like Pete Rose, their on-field accomplishments are second to none...any second of thought or concern regarding people like this outside of those lines is a second too much in my book!!

Whoa. Pete Rose didn't cheat. He bet on the Reds TO WIN. That's like the ultimate smack talk. Beating on 'em to lose is easy, he throws the game, and cheats his way to $. But to put $ on 'em to win...that's balls. The same jackasses who want to condemn Rose (i.e. Selig) are the same tools who turned their back in the 90's when McGwire and Sosa and Bonds were getting juiced, but didn't care cuz of the $ coming in. Now they wanna act high and mighty about Bonds and his steroid use, yet wanna keep Pete out of the hall. I don't buy it.