Rick Reilly's strong comments on ESPN against Bonds

[Jimcs50]

Thursday's show in review
• Rick Reilly, SI (1:28) Are you rooting for Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. "I'm rooting for him to fall into a crevasse. He is such an unenjoyable person to deal with. I have a number of suspicions about how he got to where he is now."
I hope he does not break Hank's record too.

[tlongII]

I hope he breaks it.

[bigzak25]

he will break it.....but you know what? big deal....


http://www.citrus-juicers.com/Images/250x400/Sunkist_Commercial_Citrus_Juicer.jpg

[exstatic]

He's a fucking cheater. That 73 stands out like a sore thumb in his career stats. His most HRs, otherwise, would be 49. That is an almost 50% jump from his previous best, something a statistician would call a serious anomaly. Lop 24 off of that 73, and he's sitting at 675 at 41 years of age, and people are wondering if he'll break 700, not break Aaron's record of 755.

[Spurminator]

He's hitting homeruns at nearly the same rate this year as he did when he hit 73. He's just been walked many many more times.

(I feel like I've said this before)

[jalbre6]

He's an ass, but an ass that's already been walked over 200 times this season. Barry, at age 40, is still the single most dominant offensive weapon in MLB. In the last five years, Barry has hit 49, 73, 46, 45, and 41 so far this season. Do I personally think he's juicing? Yeah. But until he gets caught, all we can do is bitch about him, unfortunately.

I really hope he falls short of Hank Aaron. It'd be even better if he's forced to hang it up short of the record because MLB finally catches him roidin' up. Who can get behind a guy that even his teammates can't stand?

As far as statistics go, serious anomalies and all, remember when Brady Anderson hit 50 homers? Or Luis Gonzalez hitting 57 the year the D'Backs won the series? Strange shit happens in baseball, but noone really accused those two of anything. I've never heard anyone say that Bonds is 100% clean.

[Spurminator]

He's having his best season ever this year. He has been on base 60% of the times he has come to the plate, and he is slugging .822. He hits a homerun in 13% of his atbats (by comparison, it was 15% when he hit 73... he has simply been walked more times this year).

I had suspicions of Bonds like everyone, but I doubt he would continue to use illegal substances this season with all of the scrutiny he has been under... yet he has shown no signs of a dropoff.


Link (http://p090.ezboard.com/ffullsportpressfrm11.showMessage?topicID=4934.topi c)

[KoriEllis]

I don't get why everyone cares so much that "he's an ass". Do you guys think Babe Ruth was a great person?

Who gives a ****, he's not babysitting your kids or dating your sister, so why care if he's an ass?

What he's doing this season is incredible -- his on-base percentage is off the charts because he's walked so much and he's still putting up great numbers across the board.

Give him props. He's one of the, if not the, greatest baseball players of all-time.

[jalbre6]

I care that he is an ass. Since I wasn't alive during Babe's time, all I know is what I've read. But in this day and age, with 24 hour highlights, trips behind the scenes, yadda-yadda; I know that he shuns fans, his teammates dislike him, and he's under scruntiny for the BALCO scandal. He also wears as much padding as an NFL linebacker.

I agree that with all that aside, he is as great of a baseball player as I may see in my lifetime. But I don't have to like the guy. I didn't say "Barry sucks" or anything like that. I'd rather some warm media friendly superstar that loves the fans and loves his team own a record of that magnitude.

[SequSpur]

Fucking jealous haters.

Memo from Barry Bonds.

Eat Shit.

[jalbre6]

Memo from Barry Bonds. Eat Shit.

That's a pretty accurate statement from such a beloved player.

[SequSpur]

Look in the mirror.

Ask yourself this question,

"Who really gives a shit about me?"

Barry is not on the list, so shut the **** up.

[ducks]

barry needs to take a steriods test:next3

[Jimcs50]

Kori, fans have a right to like or dislike whoever they want to, Barry is one of the most unpopular stars in baseball history( not undeserved). 57% of the baseball fans(ESPN poll) do not want him to break Hank's record. That is an unheard of number of fans that are rooting against a record being broken. Do you remember how many fans wanted McGuire or Sosa to hit 62 HRs or Hank to break Babe's record? It was probably 80-90%. Bonds is an arrogant ass, and most of us could care less if he breaks records...that is a shame, really.....most of us would embrace the chance to be a pro player, especially a superstar, and we would act in the right way.

[exstatic]

Babe Ruth ate too much, and probably caroused with women, but I seriously doubt that the Bronx Bombers hated his ass the way Barry's "teammates" do and have.

Nothing great about all of those walks. I wouldn't throw that juiced motherfucker anything that he could hit a pop fly for a cheap homerun, either. He can't run anymore, so put his ass on first, and take your chances.

[SequSpur]

exboneheadattic,

Walking Bonds usually leads to a loss. Don't you know anything?

[T Park Num 9]

wtf would you know, you dont watch baseball.


Your high chair cant reach the damn remote.

[SequSpur]

You know, you are right.

I don't watch baseball. I go to mlb.com and it tells me what I need to know.

I watch baseball when the playoffs start, and I don't walk away. I can't keep up with the daily bs in baseball.

I do know one thing though, the Astros always tank so I am usually right about that one.

Go Yankees.

Go Giants.

[tlongII]

It is true that Bonds is an ass, but at least he makes no pretense about being a "nice guy." Fans have little knowledge of Sosa or McGwire and they could be asses too. I've been told by someone that met McGwire that he was an asshole so what does it all really mean?

I watch sports for the games, not the off-field personalities of the players. Bonds is the single most exciting player in the game to watch when he hits. It is terrific theatre. My favorite pitcher is Randy Johnson and he's not exactly a nice guy either.

[jalbre6]

The fans in Chicago love Sammy. The fans in St Louis adopted McGwire as one of their own. When they chased the single season record, it was shown what a loving father McGwire was and how much Sammy loved baseball, Chicago, and the US in general. That, at least to me, made a difference between my liking them as players and just respecting them as athletes. That said, they were good teammates and good ambassadors for the game of baseball. Barry Bonds is neither.

I respect Barry and his athletic accomplishments (provided that he never tests positive), but I don't like him. As far as Big Mac being an asshole to someone, I can believe it. But I think there's a difference between hearing from some person once that some athlete was an ass to them and seeing in all forms of media what an ass some other athlete is to everyone, including the guys that take the field with him.

[Blood Dong]

Jalbre6=these aren't luke warm!!!!!

[tlongII]

What you know about players is what the media presents to you. You have no idea of the true character of people like Sosa, McGwire, or Bonds.

[jalbre6]

BD-

Like your boys on the Little Ticket say, "You can't polish a turd!"

[jalbre6]

I have no idea what President Bush, Gwenyth Paltrow, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Jared Fogle, or Jenna Jameson are like in person either. Or what their "true character" is. So, like many others, I learn from print, radio, internet, and TV media. And I know that I don't like Barry Bonds, due to the extensive scrunity that he's been under for other players not liking him and the BALCO scandal.

[tlongII]

jalbre6, you say you like McGwire and Sosa though. Why? I believe they are every bit as guilty as Bonds for doing steroids. McGwire even admits he did andro which is now a banned substance. I admire Bonds for the ability he displays on the ballfield. I could care less what public persona he presents.

[jalbre6]

tlong,

I dislike Barry Bonds a lot more for being an ass than for roidin' up. As I said earlier, McGwire and Sosa were good ambassadors for baseball and good teammates, while Barry is neither. I can't argue Barry's accomplishments, except for my suspicion of him being a steroid user. Andro wasn't an illegal substance in MLB (only the NCAA, NFL, and the IOC banned its use in 1998link (http://gnc.mondosoft.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=17&EXTRA_ARG=&host_id=42&page_id=12167424&query=Androstenedione&hiword=Androstenedione+)) when McGwire was using it. It just became illegal this season. There's a difference between going to GNC six years ago and purchasing a weightlifting supplement and dialing up the BALCO cronies. I'm not supporting usage of either, but steroids have been off-limits a long time, and andro a matter of months.

As far as some of you folks not caring about Bonds' public persona, that is your business and your right as a fan. I choose not to like the self-centered prick, reasons being for being a crummy teammate, his lack of appreciation for the game, and his possible steroid use.


Edit - I apologize...I had no idea until now that the FDA banned the sale of andro this April 12th. MLB banned the substance opening day this season.