I'm a 49yr old life-long Dodger fan. I have always and will always hate Bonds. But he is the best pure hitter I've ever seen in my life. As far as PED use is concerned, virtually every significant hitter in that Era was juiced and Bonds was by far the best player. I don't have to like the dude to acknowledge the fact that he was a once in a lifetime talent
Doesn't matter that "everyone else was taking roids". Him, McGwire and Sosa were pure pieces of shit breaking records while cheating. No respect for the game, or the history of the game. He already had way more performance aids than they did and he had to take steroids on top of it. 1500 more AB and a 55 gallon drum of d-bol don't make you better than Babe Ruth. It proves you're vastly inferior to Babe Ruth.
Also worth pointing out how many of the great power pitchers of that era were also using peds. The league was suddenly full of guys throwing high 90s low 100s, and yet, Bonds routinely destroyed the best pitchers of that era at a clip that has never been seen before or since.
I used to skip school to go watch this guy.. Anytime he was in town.. Early, too, 88-89.. The best player I’ve ever seen, or will ever see, bar none.. He was that good..
@@billcephusthat’s not true tho, he won 3mvps without them and stole of 500 bases while winning 8 gold gloves, and he holds the record for the most 30+ homers in consecutive seasons, was a beast and first ballot HOF without them
@@billcephusActually… a more accurate statement would be he didn’t hit 35+ HRs during his tenure with the Pirates. He did reach a .900+ OPS three times tho. From 1993-1998, his first six years with SF, Bonds hit 35+ HRs in five of those seasons. He didn’t reach it just once in that span, hitting 33 in 1995. In total, he bashed 271 bombs in six years without juice. Overall, he hit 447 HRs without steroids. A juiced Giambi has 440 in 20 seasons. A juiced Gaetti hit 360 in that same span. Bonds would’ve gotten to 500, or even 600, without the steroids in 20 season
I worked at Oracle Park (back then it was Pac Bell then AT&T) for his final 3 seasons. I witnessed many of these feats in person. I have never seen anything like a Barry Bonds at bat before or since. You could hear a pin drop when the pitcher began to wind up and after he knocked it out of the park it was the loudest roar I’ve ever heard in my life. It was the single most electric event in sports at the time. Simply unbelievable.
Steroids do a lot more than that... in fact, the strength aspect might be the least significant. It's the recovery time and simply feeling great every day during a long 162-game season. Little-to-no soreness, high energy levels and focus, etc. Yeah, the added muscle is nice, but even the strongest guys get tired and don't perform as well... with steroids, your body and mind basically feel like it's Day 1 of the season every single day.
@tonyjones8425 - First off, there weren't "1,000s of cheaters" who played Major League Baseball. During the Steroid Era, there were 25-man rosters for 30 teams... that's 750 players, with around 350 of them being hitters. Throw in some call-ups over the course of the season (who are guys who would make the 40-man September roster) and you maybe have 450 different hitters appear in a Major League Game in a season. Then consider many of them aren't cheaters. There's no way to put an exact number on it, but it's safe to say the number of cheaters is nowhere near 1,000. Second, it did work for the known cheaters. It's been proven that guys' numbers were significantly better when they cheated. Just because they weren't as talented as Barry Bonds doesn't mean the steroids didn't help them immensely. Look at the video game numbers Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez were putting up and compare it to their younger days when they weren't on the juice. Brady Anderson showed up to camp one year 30 lbs heavier of muscle and dropped 50 home runs... he never hit more than 24 in any other season. Bonds simply was the highest of the high end of Hall-of-Fame talent meets superhuman physical and mental performance.
@@chili015exactly, they didn’t make him hit 700 homers they allowed him to play for longer and heal faster, meaning he could work out more, he would still have 700 homers without roids
He was the greatest player ever before any hint of juice. His absence from the HOF is criminal and the purists need to be removed from voting. They are all hypocrites.
When Barry and Sosa were in the HR chase ('01 or '04. Can't remember), Sammy hit an HR every 11at bats; Barry- every 8 SWINGS. Think of that. Singles, doubles, triples, strikeout swinging, swings and misses and foul balls. He might see 2 hitable pitches in a week and at least one of them is going out. Sounds as fake as can be. If I hadn't seen it myself I doubt the authenticity.
Exactly. In 2001 Bonds had 232 walks and 150 hits. Ichiro broke the hits record with 256 hits. Take away Bonds hits and he still finishes top 5 in on base percentage. 😂 WHaaaaaaT?!?
Your eyes did not deceive you. I used to marvel at how the man could take pitch after pitch of slop, thrown with absolutely no intent of challenging him. He would go sometimes two or three games without seeing a fastball in the strike zone. And then suddenly, someone would either feel brave or foolish enough to come into the zone with some heat and it was shocking how often he was on the pitch. To be able to summon that kind of timing against major league pitching after going multiple at bats without seeing anything hittable was one of the most insane things ever. Greatest hitter I've ever seen, and it's not even close.
@@DisappearingNightly before the steroid era was a thing, his college teammates said that Bonds talked about how he could focus his vision so he could see the grip on the ball at the release point and know what was coming. Otani hits the same way.
Yeah? Babe Ruth didn't care if they were trying to walk him or not. He would hit bombs a foot off the plate. Pitchers were actually fined for throwing in the strike zone to him and he still hit the ball...Babe Ruth done everything better than Bonds and he didn't need roids to do it......Period.
Bonds went to school in San Mateo around the same time as my dad and was known for breaking car windows because he would hit the ball out of the park even as a teenager.
Bonds was the best that I've ever seen. I fortunately was able to watch May's, McCovery, Cepeda and Aaron play but no one, brought excitement to an at bat like Bonds. Seeing Reggie Jackson with the A's in his prime was an exciting at bat, but he did not have Bonds eye at the plate. As long time SF Giant's fan, he is sadly missed...
@@user-sg8kq7ii3yNo they weren’t. They were slap hitters and high average guys. Great contact, defense, and speed, but they didn’t draw walks and they couldn’t hit homers. Bonds literally could do everything. In Pittsburgh before he was juicing, he could hit for average, power, draw walks, was elite defensively and stole bases. Even after he got old and couldn’t run or field he morphed into the most dominant plate controller of all time.
@@IBangedUrMom69420 Bonds was a roided out bobblehead doll who took so much PEDs that the size of his skull increased. As far as I'm concerned, what Bonds did in his career is IRRELEVANT because he was a JUICE HEAD. Ichiro Suzuki and Tony Gwynn were natural players who played the game cleanly. Also, everyone knows that Ichiro could hit homers if he wanted to. He's proved that many, many times. But he preferred to hit for percentage. Bonds is a PED user and abuser.
I'd use the word "natural" instead of human. And he should be in the HOF. It's not his fault he was just the best among the hundreds of players who cheated.
He was the best before that period as well, only player with a war above junior in the 90s. The media has manufactured everyones mind to their narrative that doesn't stand up to critical thinking.
Barry Bonds is absolutely the best hitter in the history of baseball. His reputation alone saw him get idk...maybe 3 hittable pitches on a good night? Usually close to 1. Nobody will ever be better
@@jamesanthony5681 His 01-04 peak was the best but you could put Teddy, Ruth and probably peak Gehrig into that conversation. Had Lou not gotten sick he'd be remembered as a top 5 all time player imo. I still maintain that peak roided Bonds was the best ever but if you wanna say it was Ted Williams I don't think I'd really argue that.
@@Klocks420 I was just opening up the conversation. All good. Had Williams' career not been interrupted by the 2 wars, he might have had the greatest 10 year stretch of them all. Ted understood the value of a walk, and his lifetime OBP is off the charts. Barry is very close, though, in that stat.
@@jamesanthony5681 The numbers for Williams had he not served would be astronomical. It's very tough to argue anyone other than Teddy Ballgame in terms of just what they did over their entire careers, injuries also held him back a bit too (11 seasons of under 140 games in a 154 game season) but when he was out there he was probably the best pure hitter the game has ever seen. I'm still rocking with Barry but you'll get no arguments from me if you think Ted Williams is the best ever.
You all are speaking major words. If you all were close to Teddy's era, or even a few years later. And you all made it to see Barry as well. That is fucking cool. If not based on what we have heard from the history, Barry is well deserving of being in Mammoth conversations of baseball. To the guy with the first comment. When finally accessible to cable tv or when they would come to dodger stadium, i would literally count the zone-pitches he would get. Its ridiculous what this man used to do with that zone.
Apologies to @EClark, but here is fact #9. I went to ASU in the late 80s and their sport science lab had keyed in on this barely mentioned physical quirk of Bond's. When our eyes are tracking movement, its not the smooth action we perceive it as. Our eyes are rapidly refocusing on the object, and then our brains smooth it out. They had figured out that the more times per second your eyes could refocus, the better chance you had of hitting a baseball. Six times was about normal. Seven or eight you could probably hit college pitching. Nine or ten you might catch up to pro pitching. Bonds shattered their all time testing record at 13 focuses per second. That was his superpower. He could see the ball better than anyone else. That was a God given gift, not an anabolic one. Dan
bonds was already a 3x mvp before the roids came up. He already had a HOF career, and should be in. Also, steroids don't give you incredible plate vision, or the ability to hit the ball!
What a time. Grew up in San Jose, I would be outside playing and my grandpa would yell “BARRY’S ON DECK!” You literally felt like he was hitting one out on every pitch. The only sad part was I’d be back outside within a few seconds most of the time because he was always getting walked. Such a fun time.
How long have they been checking the gloves and hands of major league pitchers after an inning? Don't think for a second that a professional wasn't trying to get any advantage possible. That being said. Barry Bonds is the GOAT. There has never been a more dangerous hitter. EVER.
Some players became great BECAUSE of steroids. Some players were already great and steroids made them superhuman. Bonds was one of the 2nd. A-Rod also. There has to be some kind of “common sense” element to HOF voting.
Ted Williams 41-42-46-47 years are only thing comparable. 2 triple crowns won, another triple crown missed by 5 RBIs, and the 4th year he came in 2nd in all 3 triple crown categories. He batted 406 in a year to boot
I know someone who works for MLB. She says she knows Barry and she knows Jeter. She told me Jeter was an as-hole. She said Bonds was a very nice person. That's just her opinion and maybe its the opposite in others opinions of those who know them personally. We as fans take things too far based on using the word HATE. It's a hemogany involved on how people view humans they have never met alotta times. Journalists, owners, executives etc put out things to create narratives purposely to make it that way. It's really sad. It be nice if we could just watch entertainment and enjoy it instead of having a hater mindset. Don't forget that the Mitchell report has almost 100 names of players who failed a PED test and those names are legally sealed. Who knows, maybe your favorite player is in that report
The journalists controlled the narrative for the sheeple! It was very obvious that Jeter was never happy doing interviews, but yet that automatically made him “a great guy”? Same with Bagwell! Imagine the steroid accusations he would have received if they couldn’t pull his puppet strings?😮
I'd go one further and say no athlete in any sport matches Bond's performance from 2001-2004 except Wilt Chamberlain. The two greatest athletes of all-time are Wilt and Barry.
Everyone in baseball owners and league were aware of what was going on and reaped the financial rewards Then they crapped on the players that made them wealthier and brought baseball back
3:03 Barry Bonds didn't retire from baseball. Baseball owners colluded to agree not to hire him because by that time he had become a steroid embarrassment to baseball.
Steroids might give you power but it sure won’t teach eye coordination. You can teach a player about the square box - but you can’t teach him when to bat. That all comes down to the players timing. Bonds is the greatest hitter of all time.
Yeah but steroids enhanced that ability. I don’t think you know what steroids really are. That’s not the name of them lmao they have all different types and that shit will have you hyper focused like no other
Imagine that Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, and Jim Thome entered an NBA All-Star dunk contest, and Barry gets to have a little round trampoline to leap off of. Now, sit back and listen to the morons call him the greatest leaper of all time.
Asterix on the era, not the individual...Generational talent...Should be in HOF..Sure, include the bad history...Yet, nonetheless a generational talent, Hall of Famer.
CHEATER, that is the one word I have for him. Look at his number. They were very good pre steroids. After steroids they were other worldly. It is not natural for a player to have his best years after 35 yrs old. Great talent no doubt. I will never give him his just due, however, because he cheated. HOF voters have obviously felt the same way and I hope that never changes.
He was a very good player until he started cheating. He was nowhere near the greatest of all time until he started cheating. Why is that so hard for the youngsters to understand? If you defend a cheater, you're no better than the cheater himself.
You have to have contact skills, hand eye coordination to hit a baseball. Pets did not do that. Did not like him but he was still the best ever period. Yes he did pads and was arrogant and selfless but he could hit a baseball. Definitely not a role model for kids of right living.
@@bigbadbootydaddy515 They were stealing records from legendary players that played the right way knowing their ass was cheating to do it. Disgusting individuals. No respect for the game, the history of the game, or the fans. Gave a huge black eye to baseball. Was a few Sammy Sosa hops worth that? I don't think so.
0:10 not true, I hate when people say that it's crazy. 5:00 ok you lost me there war usless and 5:17 no its useless!!!!!!! Wish they removed that b.s and 5:48 we will
It's important to note the OPS players that beat out Bonds played during midevil times, so he is the leader of the recent baseball era's. Players during midevil times had a much higher OPS then players of the modern eras.
Steroids make you bigger. They don’t make you the only member of the 500/500 club along with dozens of other video game number seasons. By your logic Sammy Sosa and Big Mac would’ve crushed Barry’s numbers
Steroid users are like little kids wearing a costume and wanting you to believe it's really them! If you don't go along with it, they throw a tantrum! Stay natural buddy!
I would be a monster to if I took all those steroids the only way this BOY is going in the hall. Let's put it this way barry and all the rest of steroids. Now let's talk pete BARRY GOES IN. PETE GOES IN. SORRY IT AINT GOING TO HAPPEN. SHOELESS JOE JACK ITS BEEN ITS B😂😢
