Why are blacks rooting for Bonds?

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by DrumNFeather

Coming clean hasn't done Pete Rose any favors...I know I know, it's different, but not really.

One of the most ridiculous media moments I've seen was when Jason Giambi came out an apologized to the fans for "what he had done." Most reasonable people at that point could read between the lines that he was talking about steroids, but the media kept on and on with this..."we have no idea what he apologized for..." Really Peter Gammons? Really Jason Stark? You know he can't talk about things going on in court (at the time)...does he need to come out and say it? Come on now!

If Bonds "came clean" tomorrow, people would be calling for him to retire short of the record...nobody would embrace him...imo.

I'll be interested to see what happens if Bonds name isn't on the big list that this NY Mets trainer supposedly has.

Agreed about Rose - and FWIW, I support that he was banned - but Rose wasn't coming clean to admit that he was wrong for having bet on baseball - he wants to get into the Hall of Fame. That's his only motivation for coming clean.

Rose will be recognized as a guy who got the most hits, but bet on baseball and should be kept out of the Hall of Fame for doing so. Bonds should be recognized as the Home Run king, but should be kept out of the Hall of Fame for cheating. So should Roger Clemens. Cheating is cheating.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by DrumNFeather

Coming clean hasn't done Pete Rose any favors...I know I know, it's different, but not really.

One of the most ridiculous media moments I've seen was when Jason Giambi came out an apologized to the fans for "what he had done." Most reasonable people at that point could read between the lines that he was talking about steroids, but the media kept on and on with this..."we have no idea what he apologized for..." Really Peter Gammons? Really Jason Stark? You know he can't talk about things going on in court (at the time)...does he need to come out and say it? Come on now!

If Bonds "came clean" tomorrow, people would be calling for him to retire short of the record...nobody would embrace him...imo.

I'll be interested to see what happens if Bonds name isn't on the big list that this NY Mets trainer supposedly has.

Could it be in part because Rose "coming clean" has occurred in a 25 part series with each series involving an additional denial of something that he will inevitably admit later on?

[SteelBlue]

I can understand why people don't want to see Bonds pass Aaron. What I can't understand is why Bonds is the only one getting crucified for steroids when I think most of the league was doing them. If we all want to sit back and admire the guy who didn't use and still put up huge numbers, we should all be Ken Griffey Jr. fans.

I think a lot of pitchers were using in the 90's and early 2000's as well. I agree with Noah that Clemens was (recently) using. Look at the change in his physique when he left Boston and started winning Cy Young's again.

[cougjunkie]

Let me weigh in on this with my theory. First of all i saw Barry in person on Friday, i had front row seats down the left field line he was about 15 feet from me the whole game. Fans in San Francisco love the man, standing ovation every time. My guess is the Giants will sit him so that he can break the record at home.

Now the steroid era. After the strike in 1994 baseball was losing fans very quickly. Teams were going bankrupt and their was talks of possible contraction. Over the next 5 years nothing exciting was happening in the sport. It only got worse in 1997 when Florida bought a world series and then dismantled their team the next year.

So the players decided to take it upon themselves to bring fans back to the game and what do fans love the see? Homeruns. They started juicing. It started with just the big sluggers, Mcgwire, Bonds, Sosa. No one would have said anything they could have sailed in to the sunset, broke all sorts of records etc etc if it was only the big name players.

But then players like Bret Boone, Brady Anderson, Steve Finley, Luis Gonzalez start hitting 50 homeruns in a season, this raises some serious suspicion. But baseball lets it continue and turns their back because attendance is climbing, the game is becoming interesting again, then in 1998 we get the Mcgwire vs Sosa homerun race that captures the nations attention and brings baseball completely back.

In 2001 Ken Caminiti who is a former MVP comes out and says that he did steroids and so did plenty of other players. This happens right in the middle of Bonds homerun chase to catch Mcgwire and break 70. This raises some suspicion and a few people start digging deeper. Baseball quickly sweeps it under the rug with all the September 11th festivities and a great World Series between New York and Arizona. No one really brings it up for a few years.

Then you get the whole BALCO bust, Cansecos book and Caminitis death. Everything surfaces and baseball doesnt have a choice but to intervene. So to stay attractive in the public eye they throw the players taht brought baseball back to its glory days under the bus. Mcgwire retires, Palmeiro cant find a team to play for, Sosa is even gone for a few years.

They were hoping by getting rid of these players everything would once again go away. Well Barry Bonds is stubborn and he wouldnt ride off in to the sunset like the rest of them. He realizes what he has the potential to do, and he hangs around. He is now approaching the most sacred record in all of sports. Baseball tried to get him to go away before it happened and he wouldnt so then they tried to ignore him, saying they wont do anything for him when he breaks it, Hank Aaron wont be there eventhough when Mcgwire broke Maris record Rogers kids were there.

My guess is because Bonds wont go away and that it is inevitable Hanks record will fall they will eventually start to embrace the fact that he is the new Homerun King, they will realize that people tune in to Sportscenter just to see if Barry hit another homerun. Whether you like him or not people are following the chase, whether you think he deserves it or not you know exactly how many homeruns he is away from the record.

Baseball will once again capitalize on this, Barry will ride off in to the sunset after this year as the new homerun king. The steroid investigation will miracalously go away and the league will start embracing A-rod, Pujols and Howard as its next trio of superstars.

[DrumNFeather]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Could it be in part because Rose "coming clean" has occurred in a 25 part series with each series involving an additional denial of something that he will inevitably admit later on?

There's no question that the way he has provided the information (to sell a book, to get in the hall of fame, to get back in baseball etc...) plays a role in the lack of forgiveness we're seeing, but even so, nothing would've been enough IMO, for the baseball writers because they are "purists" and wouldn't let Rose taint the "good name" of baseball.

It's the same way with this steroids thing. Canseco thought that by writing a book, he would get back in baseball's good graces. Didn't happen. There is no benefit to coming clean for these guys if the assumption is that they are guilty anyway.

If Baseball writers are going to keep McGuire and Bonds out of the HOF without any proof (hard evidence, their names being linked by credible sources etc...) then what benefit does an admission have for any of these guys?

My guess is that guys like Pete Rose will be put in the Hall of Fame long after he, and all the "purist" writers that are keeping him out are dead.

The steroid era ball players may be going down that same road.

[Archaea]

Baseball should be banned. It's not a sport, it's a parlor game. I compare it to bowling and pool. A good game of poker requires more endurance.

[il Padrino Ute]

Them's is fightin' words, Archaea.

Baseball will always hold the title of "America's pastime." It's in our blood whether we want to admit it or not.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. If you hate baseball, you're probably rooting for the terrorists.

[RockyBalboa]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Baseball should be banned. It's not a sport, it's a parlor game. I compare it to bowling and pool. A good game of poker requires more endurance.

I'm not a huge baseball fan, but here's betting that most baseball players could do what you do, but that you couldn't hit a baseball coming in at 95 MPH even if you had suspended animation powers.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by RockyBalboa

I'm not a huge baseball fan, but here's betting that most baseball players could do what you do, but that you couldn't hit a baseball coming in at 95 MPH even if you had suspended animation powers.

Baseball players are too lazy to do what I do through work.

Hitting a curveball is not the result solely of work, but a kinesthetic ability which I cannot acquire and have no desire to acquire.

I much prefer the hand eye coordination of tennis players or hockey players who incorporate both hand eye coordination and fitness.

I detest the lack of fitness in baseball. Any sport that could have Fernando Valenzuela as a star is no sport.

Sprinters are fun to watch but not much to admire. They don't have to work, as I mostly admire people who must work for what they have, but not those who only rely upon God's gift to them.

Now, Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens have long careers because they work hard. That does not represent the bulk of baseball players.

Just because God gave you unnatural hand-eye coordination, I'm supposed to be impressed.

Look at a tennis player, they have incredible moving hand eye coordination but have to be able to move. Or a hockey player also needs fitness and physical toughness.

Baseball players who employ fitness routines will go further because so many rely simply upon natural abilities and don't have to work hard. So a sport that rewards loafers is not my cup of tea.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Baseball players are too lazy to do what I do through work.

Hitting a curveball is not the result solely of work, but a kinesthetic ability which I cannot acquire and have no desire to acquire.

I much prefer the hand eye coordination of tennis players or hockey players who incorporate both hand eye coordination and fitness.

I detest the lack of fitness in baseball. Any sport that could have Fernando Valenzuela as a star is no sport.

Sprinters are fun to watch but not much to admire. They don't have to work, as I mostly admire people who must work for what they have, but not those who only rely upon God's gift to them.

Now, Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens have long careers because they work hard. That does not represent the bulk of baseball players.

Just because God gave you unnatural hand-eye coordination, I'm supposed to be impressed.

Look at a tennis player, they have incredible moving hand eye coordination but have to be able to move. Or a hockey player also needs fitness and physical toughness.

Baseball players who employ fitness routines will go further because so many rely simply upon natural abilities and don't have to work hard. So a sport that rewards loafers is not my cup of tea.

Archaea, Archaea, Archaea.....

You have no idea how hard baseball players work to get where they are. If they don't spend hours and hours and hours in a batting cage to hit; if they don't spend hours and hours and hours fielding balls; if they don't spend hours and hours and hours in the weight room; (all this is done during the off season) they will not be in the major leagues, because there is someone waiting in the wings to take their place.

As for tennis players and eye-hand coordination, I like to see them swing at the tennis ball with a round bat that has about the same circumference as the baseball, rather than a flat surface that is several times larger than a tennis ball.

Yes, there are a lot of baseball players who look out of shape, but they still do what it takes to get to and remain at the top level.

As for fat guys, using your thoughts, how can anyone possibly respect or admire the fat-asses that play on the offensive line in the NFL? They get rewarded for being lazy as well, don't they?

It's ok to not like baseball, but don't disparage what they do until you try it and do better.