barry bonds set the new HR record*

double ML · 08-08-2007, 08:18 AM

Bonds is the all-time home run king*

By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports
August 8, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO – The new number is 756*.

The new man is Barry Bonds.

The controversial slugger set the major-league career record for home runs* Tuesday night at AT&T Park, passing Hank Aaron with a fifth-inning home to right-center field.

Thirty-three years after Aaron passed Babe Ruth, Bonds, at 43, cut through broad suspicions of steroid use and a perceived slight from Aaron himself to take ownership of the most revered record in American sports. Aaron later appeared on a taped message of congratulation, played on the center-field video board.

When his short, powerful stroke struck the record-breaker off Washington Nationals left-hander Mike Bacsik, Bonds thrust his arms in the air and the sellout crowd roared. He clapped four times and initiated the ceremonial portion of his 756th home run*, carried by the fans who adore him.

"It was absolutely the best," Bonds said post-game, sitting on a stage that also held his wife, Liz, and three children. "Absolutely the best."

Bonds and his San Francisco Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, urged an acceptance of the record at its face, Bonds deflecting the sobering questions that followed the affectionate celebrations on the field and in the clubhouse.

On speculation and reports the record is tainted, because of his alleged steroids use, Bonds said, "This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period. You guys can say whatever you want."

On the circumstances that led to the imprisonment of his childhood friend and former trainer, Greg Anderson: "Why are we in that conversation? Just another negative question. I'm not going to condone that."

On the likelihood of his returning to San Francisco next season, which he is believed to desire: "We'll see what happens next year."

Bochy said he felt sorry for those who refused to recognize the validity of Bonds' 756 home runs*.

"I think this is a time to celebrate," he said. "You can speculate. … [But] I would hope that everybody who loves this game, has a passion for it, would celebrate. It's time to move on. … The fact of the matter is, that's a lot of home runs."

The Bonds family and entourage wore black caps and T-shirts that commemorated the milestone. The Giants toasted Bonds with champagne. And a ballpark's population first rejoiced, then grappled for the record-breaking ball – Matt Murphy, a 22-year-old from Queens, N.Y., left with it – and then cheered some more.

Bonds matched Aaron's 755 three days before in San Diego, drawing a mixed reaction from a typically leery road crowd.

He said the most difficult part of the process was over and, 10 plate appearances later, he was alone in history.

Not long after Bonds crossed home plate, greeted there by his son Nikolai, who held up his forefinger to signify his father's place on the all-time home run list, Aaron himself appeared on the video board. The image drew a loud cheer.

After months of speculation over his attendance, some of it generated by his apparent disinterest, Aaron congratulated Bonds in a recorded message.

"It is a great accomplishment which requires skill, longevity and determination," Aaron said. "Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."

Bonds appeared touched.

"It meant everything," he said. "It meant absolutely everything."

Bonds' teammates, coaches and family mobbed him near the plate. Nationals players stood at the rail of the dugout, applauding. Catcher Brian Schneider, who'd not caught the fastball Bacsik threw, was on one knee, clapping. Bacsik watched from the Nationals' dugout.

"He's the greatest of all time," Bacsik said. "There's nothing more I can say."

Bonds tipped his cap to the crowd. He hugged his godfather, Willie Mays. And when he thanked his father, Bobby, who passed away almost four years ago, he nearly broke into tears.

"My dad," he shouted into a microphone, "thank you for everything."

In his father's absence, Bonds said, Mays has been most influential.

"To be able to play out my baseball career and have him have the opportunity to see it is one of the greatest gifts I could ever have," he said. "He's been there for me since my dad's been gone."

Amid the trappings of his home park, not far from where he idled his toddler years in the Candlestick Park clubhouse and attended high school in San Mateo, the eldest son of Bobby Bonds was again in a place where his popularity was near unanimous.

Surrounded near the Giants' dugout in the moments after his home run landed several rows into the bleachers, not far from the all-time home-run standings (listing Bonds, Aaron, Ruth and Mays) that have become a part of the ballpark, Bonds accepted a microphone and thanked his family, his teammates and the Nationals.

Bonds looked into the crowd, scanned the tiers that rose above the playing field and said, "I want to thank you all."

To his teammates, he said, "Through all this, you guys have been strong … and I'll never forget you."

After a 10-minute delay, and when the inning concluded, Bonds retook his place in left field, where he was again greeted with cheers. But, his presence was fleeting. After a few minutes, fellow outfielder Dave Roberts jogged to his side. The two embraced and Bonds headed back to the dugout waving his glove, done for the night.

By then, Aaron had spent 12,173 days as the home-run leader, and Bonds had spent 15 minutes as his successor*. Bonds drank it in, as did his fans.

He won five of his seven National League MVP awards in San Francisco, became a legendary home-run hitter in San Francisco and is defended – or forgiven – in San Francisco.

So it was they fit the green-and-white panel into its place in right-center field, the "6" in 756*, with great ceremony. And Bonds waved and smiled and threw kisses and told them, yes, he loved them back.

And so, while many, including commissioner Bud Selig, have serious misgivings about the validity of Bonds' 756* as compared to Aaron's 755, many Giants fans appear to view him as a victim of media slant, or simply the best of the tainted. Bonds has not tested positive for steroids; Major League Baseball instituted testing with discipline in 2004.

Selig was not in attendance Tuesday night after standing by for most of Bonds' swings over the past two weeks, excluding last weekend's Hall of Fame induction. He sent league officials Jimmie Lee Solomon and Frank Robinson to San Francisco in his place, while he met with Sen. George Mitchell and his team, who are investigating baseball's association with steroids. Selig intended to return Thursday if Bonds had not homered.

Mask2MyFace2 · 08-08-2007, 10:14 AM

great thing....history right before us

pantherdef · 08-08-2007, 11:30 AM

saw it on espn...let the hater fallout begin

abztrakt · 08-08-2007, 12:22 PM

Oh boo hoo Barry probably did steroids. I applaud him for being man enough to risk his personal well being and taking performance enhancing drugs just to give us, the fans, the home runs we want to see. It's a shame more players don't have that kind of dedication to the game and the fans.

Nam Dekan · 08-08-2007, 12:32 PM

Being a baseball fan for as long as I can remember I loved watching him break the record. It was nice to witness such a record being broken in my life time.

I think the talk of the * is bullshit also. They did the same thing to Maris because he played in a longer season

iLL Rich · 08-08-2007, 01:06 PM

okay dont add a * to bonds then

add an * to everyone else denoting "this statistic was acheived without the use of steroids"

Nam Dekan · 08-08-2007, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iLL Rich

okay dont add a * to bonds then

add an * to everyone else denoting "this statistic was acheived without the use of steroids"

If Bonds used before 2002 then he did nothing wrong. He just followed the time honored tradition in baseball of trying to get that edge. Who the hell knows how many people were using at the time..Who knows, so many may have been using it may have been about leveling the playing field..

Selig could've done something earlier but he didn't because of the resurgence in the game after the home run chase.

iLL Rich · 08-08-2007, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nam Dekan

If Bonds used before 2002 then he did nothing wrong.

thats why i say dont give him an *

give 1 2 every1 else

Konscious · 08-08-2007, 02:42 PM

^Exactly... cheating is when you break the rules to gain an advantage. There was no rule in place when Bonds was allegedly using steroids.

Nam Dekan · 08-08-2007, 02:49 PM

Basick got lucky..went from being never remembered as playing baseball and now going down in history

SeeSon · 08-08-2007, 08:08 PM

Barry Bonds is the best baseball player to ever play the game period.

double ML · 08-08-2007, 08:45 PM

best baseball player ever*

K-Skills · 08-08-2007, 08:54 PM

Who gives a shit if he took performance enhancing drugs...The guy is like Jordan he make you want to watch baseball.

double ML · 08-08-2007, 09:11 PM

bonds makes me hate baseball.

iLL Rich · 08-09-2007, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konscious

^Exactly... cheating is when you break the rules to gain an advantage. There was no rule in place when Bonds was allegedly using steroids.

and there's no rule against bringing a gun on the field and shooting everyone so you can make inside the park home runs off bunts either.

chickenwang · 08-09-2007, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iLL Rich

and there's no rule against bringing a gun on the field and shooting everyone so you can make inside the park home runs off bunts either.

did you just say that?

*awkward silence*

08-08-2007, 08:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
double ML the most honorable Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: at the crib laughin' my ass off at tom brady's injury Posts: 56,847	barry bonds set the new HR record* Bonds is the all-time home run king* By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports August 8, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO – The new number is 756. The new man is Barry Bonds. The controversial slugger set the major-league career record for home runs Tuesday night at AT&T Park, passing Hank Aaron with a fifth-inning home to right-center field. Thirty-three years after Aaron passed Babe Ruth, Bonds, at 43, cut through broad suspicions of steroid use and a perceived slight from Aaron himself to take ownership of the most revered record in American sports. Aaron later appeared on a taped message of congratulation, played on the center-field video board. When his short, powerful stroke struck the record-breaker off Washington Nationals left-hander Mike Bacsik, Bonds thrust his arms in the air and the sellout crowd roared. He clapped four times and initiated the ceremonial portion of his 756th home run, carried by the fans who adore him. "It was absolutely the best," Bonds said post-game, sitting on a stage that also held his wife, Liz, and three children. "Absolutely the best." Bonds and his San Francisco Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, urged an acceptance of the record at its face, Bonds deflecting the sobering questions that followed the affectionate celebrations on the field and in the clubhouse. On speculation and reports the record is tainted, because of his alleged steroids use, Bonds said, "This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period. You guys can say whatever you want." On the circumstances that led to the imprisonment of his childhood friend and former trainer, Greg Anderson: "Why are we in that conversation? Just another negative question. I'm not going to condone that." On the likelihood of his returning to San Francisco next season, which he is believed to desire: "We'll see what happens next year." Bochy said he felt sorry for those who refused to recognize the validity of Bonds' 756 home runs. "I think this is a time to celebrate," he said. "You can speculate. … [But] I would hope that everybody who loves this game, has a passion for it, would celebrate. It's time to move on. … The fact of the matter is, that's a lot of home runs." The Bonds family and entourage wore black caps and T-shirts that commemorated the milestone. The Giants toasted Bonds with champagne. And a ballpark's population first rejoiced, then grappled for the record-breaking ball – Matt Murphy, a 22-year-old from Queens, N.Y., left with it – and then cheered some more. Bonds matched Aaron's 755 three days before in San Diego, drawing a mixed reaction from a typically leery road crowd. He said the most difficult part of the process was over and, 10 plate appearances later, he was alone in history. Not long after Bonds crossed home plate, greeted there by his son Nikolai, who held up his forefinger to signify his father's place on the all-time home run list, Aaron himself appeared on the video board. The image drew a loud cheer. After months of speculation over his attendance, some of it generated by his apparent disinterest, Aaron congratulated Bonds in a recorded message. "It is a great accomplishment which requires skill, longevity and determination," Aaron said. "Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams." Bonds appeared touched. "It meant everything," he said. "It meant absolutely everything." Bonds' teammates, coaches and family mobbed him near the plate. Nationals players stood at the rail of the dugout, applauding. Catcher Brian Schneider, who'd not caught the fastball Bacsik threw, was on one knee, clapping. Bacsik watched from the Nationals' dugout. "He's the greatest of all time," Bacsik said. "There's nothing more I can say." Bonds tipped his cap to the crowd. He hugged his godfather, Willie Mays. And when he thanked his father, Bobby, who passed away almost four years ago, he nearly broke into tears. "My dad," he shouted into a microphone, "thank you for everything." In his father's absence, Bonds said, Mays has been most influential. "To be able to play out my baseball career and have him have the opportunity to see it is one of the greatest gifts I could ever have," he said. "He's been there for me since my dad's been gone." Amid the trappings of his home park, not far from where he idled his toddler years in the Candlestick Park clubhouse and attended high school in San Mateo, the eldest son of Bobby Bonds was again in a place where his popularity was near unanimous. Surrounded near the Giants' dugout in the moments after his home run landed several rows into the bleachers, not far from the all-time home-run standings (listing Bonds, Aaron, Ruth and Mays) that have become a part of the ballpark, Bonds accepted a microphone and thanked his family, his teammates and the Nationals. Bonds looked into the crowd, scanned the tiers that rose above the playing field and said, "I want to thank you all." To his teammates, he said, "Through all this, you guys have been strong … and I'll never forget you." After a 10-minute delay, and when the inning concluded, Bonds retook his place in left field, where he was again greeted with cheers. But, his presence was fleeting. After a few minutes, fellow outfielder Dave Roberts jogged to his side. The two embraced and Bonds headed back to the dugout waving his glove, done for the night. By then, Aaron had spent 12,173 days as the home-run leader, and Bonds had spent 15 minutes as his successor. Bonds drank it in, as did his fans. He won five of his seven National League MVP awards in San Francisco, became a legendary home-run hitter in San Francisco and is defended – or forgiven – in San Francisco. So it was they fit the green-and-white panel into its place in right-center field, the "6" in 756, with great ceremony. And Bonds waved and smiled and threw kisses and told them, yes, he loved them back. And so, while many, including commissioner Bud Selig, have serious misgivings about the validity of Bonds' 756* as compared to Aaron's 755, many Giants fans appear to view him as a victim of media slant, or simply the best of the tainted. Bonds has not tested positive for steroids; Major League Baseball instituted testing with discipline in 2004. Selig was not in attendance Tuesday night after standing by for most of Bonds' swings over the past two weeks, excluding last weekend's Hall of Fame induction. He sent league officials Jimmie Lee Solomon and Frank Robinson to San Francisco in his place, while he met with Sen. George Mitchell and his team, who are investigating baseball's association with steroids. Selig intended to return Thursday if Bonds had not homered. __________________ dope quote of the moment: "as soon as Double comes into the picture ya'll niggas turn into the lamest niggas on the site..."- Fantom(exposin' the creepy obsession of the double groupies that infest rm.c by the thousands) idiot quote of the moment: "Canadians shouldnt talk about basketball EVER"- As Seen On Tv(not realizin' that basketball was invented by a canadian) Last edited by double ML; 08-08-2007 at 06:07 PM.

08-08-2007, 10:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mask2MyFace2 Controversial Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: I Dont See Your Name....I See Your dumb ass comment Posts: 5,522	great thing....history right before us __________________ "I swear it don't cost much to pay attention to me" Andre 3000 "I jack, I rob, I sin, ah man, I'm Jackie Robinson, except when I run base I dodge the pen" Jay-Z

08-08-2007, 12:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
Nam Dekan i got a tip in my pocket Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Home Depot Posts: 58,201	Being a baseball fan for as long as I can remember I loved watching him break the record. It was nice to witness such a record being broken in my life time. I think the talk of the * is bullshit also. They did the same thing to Maris because he played in a longer season __________________ Juggs n Ruggs, we'll fuck up your mugs! Strip Club Dreams "Let me tell you something, sister, you serve two purposes in this house - you can give me a blow job or make me a sandwich. I'm not in the mood for head and I had a late breakfast, so you're shit out of luck. "-Tommy Gavin from Rescue Me

08-08-2007, 02:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
Konscious Resident Sage Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Maplewood, NJ Posts: 9,447	^Exactly... cheating is when you break the rules to gain an advantage. There was no rule in place when Bonds was allegedly using steroids. __________________ "I'm already rich, because my wants are few."

08-08-2007, 02:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
Nam Dekan i got a tip in my pocket Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Home Depot Posts: 58,201	Basick got lucky..went from being never remembered as playing baseball and now going down in history __________________ Juggs n Ruggs, we'll fuck up your mugs! Strip Club Dreams "Let me tell you something, sister, you serve two purposes in this house - you can give me a blow job or make me a sandwich. I'm not in the mood for head and I had a late breakfast, so you're shit out of luck. "-Tommy Gavin from Rescue Me

08-08-2007, 11:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
pantherdef Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 401	saw it on espn...let the hater fallout begin

08-08-2007, 12:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
abztrakt gone. Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 14,766	Oh boo hoo Barry probably did steroids. I applaud him for being man enough to risk his personal well being and taking performance enhancing drugs just to give us, the fans, the home runs we want to see. It's a shame more players don't have that kind of dedication to the game and the fans.

08-08-2007, 01:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
iLL Rich ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 42,675	okay dont add a * to bonds then add an * to everyone else denoting "this statistic was acheived without the use of steroids"

08-08-2007, 08:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
SeeSon Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,973	Barry Bonds is the best baseball player to ever play the game period. __________________ "A wise man told me not to argue with fools, cause people from a distance can't tell who is who" Hov

08-08-2007, 08:45 PM	#12 (permalink)
double ML the most honorable Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: at the crib laughin' my ass off at tom brady's injury Posts: 56,847	best baseball player ever* __________________ dope quote of the moment: "as soon as Double comes into the picture ya'll niggas turn into the lamest niggas on the site..."- Fantom(exposin' the creepy obsession of the double groupies that infest rm.c by the thousands) idiot quote of the moment: "Canadians shouldnt talk about basketball EVER"- As Seen On Tv(not realizin' that basketball was invented by a canadian)

08-08-2007, 08:54 PM	#13 (permalink)
K-Skills Mr.Skills Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: New Jeru Posts: 21,860	Who gives a shit if he took performance enhancing drugs...The guy is like Jordan he make you want to watch baseball.

08-08-2007, 09:11 PM	#14 (permalink)
double ML the most honorable Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: at the crib laughin' my ass off at tom brady's injury Posts: 56,847	bonds makes me hate baseball. __________________ dope quote of the moment: "as soon as Double comes into the picture ya'll niggas turn into the lamest niggas on the site..."- Fantom(exposin' the creepy obsession of the double groupies that infest rm.c by the thousands) idiot quote of the moment: "Canadians shouldnt talk about basketball EVER"- As Seen On Tv(not realizin' that basketball was invented by a canadian)

08-09-2007, 08:45 AM	#17 (permalink)
double ML the most honorable