Post by Jimbo Collins on Jun 26, 2010 13:03:04 GMT -5
This is a story I wrote for a newspaper in 2006. I put a lot of research and work into this article. I hope you enjoy it. All stats and facts were current through the 2006 MLB season...
I know it has been a while since anyone really said anything about Barry Bonds. I have been researching the topic of Bonds vs. Ruth for a few months now. Frankly, it sickens me to think that people actually try and compare the two as baseball players.
There is no question that Babe Ruth was the far superior baseball player. If you only factor in Championships, Ruth is by far and away the better man. Okay, now lets factor in statistics….once again, Ruth is THE MAN.
Yes, Bonds has surpassed Ruth on the all-time homerun list. Bonds will eventually be the all-time homerun leader barring a ban (which he deserves) or something else drastic happening. Bonds also needed over 2,000 extra at bats to match Ruth’s homerun total.
Factor in the size of the ball parks when Ruth played and it is even more amazing. One baseball historian actually went back and researched the fly-ball outs that Ruth had and the distance they went. It was estimated that Ruth would have hit over 1,100 homeruns in today’s ballparks. Fences were taller and farther back when Ruth played.
Even with the fences being taller and further back Ruth would have hit far more homeruns if the seasons were as long as they are today. The baseball regular season is 162 games long. Ruth played 22 seasons. He averaged 46 homeruns every 162 games. If he had hit in 162 games per year for 22 years, he would have hit 1,012 homers.
Bonds actually came out and made remarks about Babe Ruth and that shows what kind of person Bonds really is.
"The only number I care about is Babe Ruth's. Because as a left-hand hitter, I wiped him out. ... And in the baseball world, Babe Ruth is everything, right? I got his slugging percentage and I'll take his home runs and that's it. Don't talk about him no more," he said arrogantly.
Bonds hit .328, .370, .341, and .362 from 2001 thru 2004. That truly is amazing batting averages. The Babe hit .376, .389, .315, .393, .378 from 1920 thru 1924 which is even better than the numbers Bonds posted. Ruth hit .342 for his career.
For Bonds to even be considered to be as good a baseball player as Ruth, I would think Bonds would have to also match what Babe did on the mound. He won 18, 23, and 24 games for the RedSox from 1915 to 1917.
Now, so far in this story I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Bonds is a cheater. Yes, everyone knows he cheated and he still denies it. Why should he be any different than Pete Rose? Rose has more hits than anyone in baseball history and he isn’t allowed in a major league ballpark because he bet on baseball. I am not condoning what Rose did, but it is absurd that Bonds is still allowed to play baseball and smash this legendary records by way of cheating.
I wonder if Bonds has prepared his speech for when he breaks the all time homerun record held by Hank Aaron at 755? I wonder if it will include thanks to all the chemist and distributors that made sure he had his steroids?
Barry Bonds used to be one of my favorite players to watch. He still is a great hitter with a beautiful swing and natural talent. He didn’t have to cheat to be a great baseball player. I have heard those who argue the point of “steroids can’t make you hit a 100 mile per hour fast ball.” Well, that is as true as it gets. It is also true that while they cannot make you hit the fastball, they can surely make you hit the fastball 50 feet further. Long fly ball outs are suddenly towering homeruns if the player is on the juice.
Maybe someday there will be some genious scientist that will come up with a way to test the blood of a player to determine whether he EVER took steroids. Ah, it wouldn’t matter if that happened. Bonds would NEVER take the test and Major League Baseball wouldn’t require him to even if it were possible. Bonds cheated and he knows he cheated.
The bottom line is Bonds is jealous of Ruth’s fame in baseball history. Ruth is baseball. He was a flashy American hero who didn’t have to cheat to achieve success. Bonds Vs. Ruth? Ruth wins in every aspect of the argument.
I know it has been a while since anyone really said anything about Barry Bonds. I have been researching the topic of Bonds vs. Ruth for a few months now. Frankly, it sickens me to think that people actually try and compare the two as baseball players.
There is no question that Babe Ruth was the far superior baseball player. If you only factor in Championships, Ruth is by far and away the better man. Okay, now lets factor in statistics….once again, Ruth is THE MAN.
Yes, Bonds has surpassed Ruth on the all-time homerun list. Bonds will eventually be the all-time homerun leader barring a ban (which he deserves) or something else drastic happening. Bonds also needed over 2,000 extra at bats to match Ruth’s homerun total.
Factor in the size of the ball parks when Ruth played and it is even more amazing. One baseball historian actually went back and researched the fly-ball outs that Ruth had and the distance they went. It was estimated that Ruth would have hit over 1,100 homeruns in today’s ballparks. Fences were taller and farther back when Ruth played.
Even with the fences being taller and further back Ruth would have hit far more homeruns if the seasons were as long as they are today. The baseball regular season is 162 games long. Ruth played 22 seasons. He averaged 46 homeruns every 162 games. If he had hit in 162 games per year for 22 years, he would have hit 1,012 homers.
Bonds actually came out and made remarks about Babe Ruth and that shows what kind of person Bonds really is.
"The only number I care about is Babe Ruth's. Because as a left-hand hitter, I wiped him out. ... And in the baseball world, Babe Ruth is everything, right? I got his slugging percentage and I'll take his home runs and that's it. Don't talk about him no more," he said arrogantly.
Bonds hit .328, .370, .341, and .362 from 2001 thru 2004. That truly is amazing batting averages. The Babe hit .376, .389, .315, .393, .378 from 1920 thru 1924 which is even better than the numbers Bonds posted. Ruth hit .342 for his career.
For Bonds to even be considered to be as good a baseball player as Ruth, I would think Bonds would have to also match what Babe did on the mound. He won 18, 23, and 24 games for the RedSox from 1915 to 1917.
Now, so far in this story I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Bonds is a cheater. Yes, everyone knows he cheated and he still denies it. Why should he be any different than Pete Rose? Rose has more hits than anyone in baseball history and he isn’t allowed in a major league ballpark because he bet on baseball. I am not condoning what Rose did, but it is absurd that Bonds is still allowed to play baseball and smash this legendary records by way of cheating.
I wonder if Bonds has prepared his speech for when he breaks the all time homerun record held by Hank Aaron at 755? I wonder if it will include thanks to all the chemist and distributors that made sure he had his steroids?
Barry Bonds used to be one of my favorite players to watch. He still is a great hitter with a beautiful swing and natural talent. He didn’t have to cheat to be a great baseball player. I have heard those who argue the point of “steroids can’t make you hit a 100 mile per hour fast ball.” Well, that is as true as it gets. It is also true that while they cannot make you hit the fastball, they can surely make you hit the fastball 50 feet further. Long fly ball outs are suddenly towering homeruns if the player is on the juice.
Maybe someday there will be some genious scientist that will come up with a way to test the blood of a player to determine whether he EVER took steroids. Ah, it wouldn’t matter if that happened. Bonds would NEVER take the test and Major League Baseball wouldn’t require him to even if it were possible. Bonds cheated and he knows he cheated.
The bottom line is Bonds is jealous of Ruth’s fame in baseball history. Ruth is baseball. He was a flashy American hero who didn’t have to cheat to achieve success. Bonds Vs. Ruth? Ruth wins in every aspect of the argument.
