Barry Bonds
In my very first blog posting, I said that I would weigh in on the Barry Bonds debate and I’m keeping my word…….
When I was a kid, Pete Rose broke the great Ty Cobb’s all-time career hits record of 4,191. I remember listening to the Dodgers on the radio and every time Pete Rose would come to the plate with a chance to tie or break Cobb’s record, they would temporarily give way to the Reds radio feed so we could listen to him break the record. Several years later, I watched with excitement as Orel Hershiser broke a record people thought would never be broken – pitching 59 consecutive scoreless innings to break Don Drysdale’s record by one-third of an inning. I would later experience Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played and the thrilling single-season home-run record chase of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. While there have been many records that have stirred
the interest of fans, no record in baseball is more cherished than the home run record. The record was last broken in 1974 when Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth’s long-standing record of 714 career home runs.
He went on to finish his career with 755 home runs. Thirty-three years later, a player named Barry Bonds is on the verge of breaking Aaron’s record and becoming baseball’s home run king. The number of home runs he will finish his career with will become the new number that will stand as baseball’s home run record for years to come. However, many fans do not like the idea of Barry Bonds having the home run record. This is because Barry Bonds has become the poster child for the steroid debate over recent years. Many people feel that his enormous home run total is due in large part to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. They feel he is cheating his way to the home run record.
Why is the fact that a “cheater” having the home run record such a big deal to fans? Because records are not only big in baseball, they are important. Owning a record in baseball, especially a career record, means that you unofficially become the best player in that aspect of baseball. When Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock’s career record for stolen bases, he said in a speech, “Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing. But today, I’m the greatest of all time.” You might attribute Henderson’s comments to arrogance, but that is how many people in baseball view records. Every year baseball gives the Cy Young Award to the best pitcher in each league. Why do they name the award after Cy Young? It is because he holds the record for career wins with 511. Henry Aaron and Babe Ruth have owned the career home run record for a combined 72 years. Their names have become synonymous with the home run. You might overhear someone say something like, “What do you think, you’re Hank Aaron?” or “That guy’s the Babe Ruth of his league.” Owning a record practically gives a player the right to call themselves the greatest in that aspect of the game. It means something to have a record and Barry Bonds will not only have baseball’s home run record but will unofficially become baseball’s home run king. And many people don’t like it.
However, I believe that baseball fans have perhaps attributed too much importance to records. Sure, they are significant and tell you things about a player, but they don’t tell the whole story. There are many variables in baseball that have an effect on statistics including ballparks, the decade or era played in, injuries, quality of teams played on, and other circumstances. If there were an award for worst pitcher in each league, it could also be named the Cy Young award due to the fact that Young also owns the record for most losses of all time with 316. Young pitched in an era of baseball where starting pitchers pitched much more frequently than their 21st century counterparts. Willie Stargell, one of the most powerful home run hitters of all time, played most of his career in Forbes Field, whose field dimensions were so large that home runs were difficult to come by. He still wound up with 475 home runs in his career but how many more would he have hit had he played in any other stadium? Willie Mays is 4th on the all-time home run list with 660 home runs. What many people do not know is that Mays missed two full seasons early in his career after being drafted into the Army. Had he played those seasons, his home run total would likely be right up there with Hank Aaron’s 755 and Mays might very well own the title of baseball’s home run king. While milestones such as 500 home runs or 300 wins are largely a function of skill and work ethic, records are a product of luck and circumstances mixed with the above.
While hitting 750-plus home runs is the sign of an extraordinary ballplayer, the record itself is merely a statistic. When Barry Bonds slugs his 756th home run, it will simply mean that Bonds has hit more balls over the fence than any other player in history. Does it automatically mean he is the greatest home run hitter of all time? No. The title of home run king exists in the realm of debate. One can make persuasive arguments for several other players having that honor.
As a side-note, I do not believe that an asterix should be placed next to Bonds’ home-run record, literally or hypothetically, in the event he’s found to have used steroids. His home runs were hit at a time when baseball allowed steroids. To put an asterix next to his record would mean that we would have to put an asterix next to Giants’ victories aided by a Barry Bonds home-run, the Giants’ 2002 pennant, and for that matter every victory that was significantly affected by a steroid-using player. You would have to throw out the last decade of Major League Baseball. And are we prepared to apply the same level of scrutiny to those players who will be chasing Bonds’ record in the near future?
Just like Cy Young’s 511 wins tell a story of a long-gone era of baseball, so Barry Bonds’ new record will tell a story of a more recent era of baseball. His record will be a very interesting statistic but nothing more. The good news for Hank Aaron fans is that Aaron will not be relinquishing the title of home-run king when Bonds hits number 756. The bad news is he didn’t necessarily have the title to begin with.
Words From The Park 