Why cant people leave Barry Bonds alone.I know he probably used roids but give the man some respect?
477008
I agree with you.  Regardless of whether he used it or not and regardless of whether Mark Maguire and/or Sammy Sosa used it, they did it, maybe to make their game better -- but they ended up making THE game better.\n\nThe strike tarnished the game in 1994 and since the HR derby between Mark and Sammy, the league has been back.\n\nWatching Bonds is electrifying and that's all that should matter.
506646
I'm no Bonds fan but tonight I heard just in his past 5 to 8 years he has really been hitting his home runs. witch i think he was on drugs and Babe did it on hot dogs and beer. But if people want Bonds out of the record book you also have to take out Mark McGuire(or how ever its spelled St. Louis sucks any ways)
663672
I'll probably take heat for this, but I have to go with Bonds here.\n\nAaron had incredible longevity and consistency - he never hit over 50 home runs, yet holds the career home run record; very impressive. He also did this under intense scrutiny and racial tension - back then, people weren't excited about the Babe being passed by a black man (you might say the same thing is true today, but not to the same extent).\n\nHowever, even before Bonds allegedly (this has never been proven for sure, although it certainly looks like he did it) took steroids, he was doing things few players have ever done in the sport, like hitting for 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in the same season, which he did a bunch of times (he even went 40/40 in '96). And then his stats are just unbelievable for the past 6-10 years. Not only his home run totals, either. His slugging percentage and walks (he barely got pitches to hit for a few years in a row) rivaled the Babe during this stretch. Sure, steroids (if he did take them) helped, but his innate ability and hard work had to have a big part of this. I mean, the guy was unpitchable for awhile. Aaron was never unpitchable or even close to it.\n\nIt's too bad Bonds has this steroid thing hanging over him.
360346
Yes, it's like a deal with the devil. Barry Bonds got a boost in power but he had to give up years of his life for it. Even though he has stopped taking them, the steroids still will play an effect on his body. He knew what he was doing, but I guess he thought breaking the all-time homerun record was worth it. He'll be sorry in about 10 ti 15 years.
314729
"Rich" is right.  People go after Bonds now because he might have lied in prejury.  McGuire didn't answer the question if he used steroid.\n\nIt's also about the Babe Ruth record.  Racism?  It's your judgement.  \n\nA lot of people don't like Bonds, because his off-field attitudes.  That matters too.
468059
its sad, i know, but they do it because they have the urge to be the greatest. and they dont care about having the feeling of a hard earned victory. they just want to make it to the top no matter what. Barry Bonds made it to the top, but now he lost his respect. so cheating might give you the records, but no one likes a cheater.
569303
zack77766, of course if you look at him in Pittsburg and look at him today he's gonna be bigger!!!! That's a span of 20 years!!!!!! HE WORKED OUT AND BUILT UP MUSCLE!!!!!!!! And besides if any of you nay-sayers actually believe steroids help you hit homeruns, why didn't Jose Canseco hit a shitload more than he did in his career? He only hit 44 homers in a season!!! And according to Canseco, steroids help you heal faster and prolongs your carrer.Then why is Canseco out of baseball since 2001(and don't tell me you believe that shit of him being blackballed by baseball) when he just turned 40 on January of this year, and why are Bonds' knees still hurting him a year after the operation. All steroids do is give you muscle, not instant homeruns!!!!! Steroids don't give you hand-eye coordination, which is what you need to hit a baseball(hell, you need it for any sport). The point is, Barry has never failed a drug test and there is no such thing as an "undetectable steroid" or a masking agent that ONLY Barry has. He's clean, get over it.\n\nOk, here's my answer to the question:\n\nYes he belongs in the Hall of Fame.\n\n· 7 MVPs\n· 13-time All Star\n· 8 Gold Gloves\n· 12 Silver Slugger Awards\n· Third member of 700 Home Run Club\n· Only member in 500/500 Club\n· Single Season Home Run King (73)\n· Two-time N.L. Batting Champion (2002, 2004)\n· Player of the Decade for the 1990's by The Sporting News\n· All-time Major League walks leader\n· Set single-season walks (232) and intentional walks (120) record\n· Set single-season OBP record (.609)\n· Holds Major League record for consecutive seasons  with 30-or-more HR, accomplishing this 13 times\n\nDEFINITLY HALL OF FAME MATERIAL
241607
I hope he breaks his neck before he breaks any baseball records. Maybe he should be thrown out of baseball for doing steroids. Think about it... if you did drugs in the workplace, would you be fired??? I don't think that any player of any game that gets the saleries that the likes of Bonds gets should be able to compete for any records if they are on any performance enhancing drugs.
640924
Barry doesnt deserve the record. He isnt even worthy enogh of an asterisk. Barry Bonds is a cheater and should be band from the game with his stats from 1999 - 2004 erased. If you ask me, Barry Bonds was an amazing player and when he started BALCO he destoyed himself. was $7,000,000 not good enogh for him, he needed steroids so he could make more? I will be booing all the way, if he cries, I'll laugh. He will beat the Babe, but lets see him get 300 more home runs without drugs, win 95 games, and use crappier bats, ball, walls 500 feet away, and do it drunk. The Babe is better than Bonds, he has more home runs in less games, that should be the only thing you need to determine whose better. Along with a batting average of .342, I mean c'mon.
529106
Bonds seems like a selfish kind of guy (he collects hella memorabilia of himself if I understood that right on "Bonds on Bonds"), but like most athletes I have to assume he wants a championship more than anything. If he was simply about records, you'd think he'd want to go to the AL so he could DH.
526936
First, until you can prove that Barry took steroids or until anyone for that matter comes up with concrete evidence, facts, receipts or whatever that he bought them and took them then get off his back.  Don't believe everything you read and I wouldn't take Jose Canseco's word if you paid me and I sure ain't going to believe what I read in a book with no factual evidence beyond someone heard this from someone else that he took steroids.  It hasn't been proven yet that Barry knowingly took steroids and he admitted to unknowingly taking the cream and the clear which was given to him in a flax seed oil bottle so he doesn't have a problem admitting something cause he admitted to doing that.  The problem is since he is not approachable that the public hates him, maybe he's a private person and wants to be left alone by the media cause he knows they twist everything, personally I like the guy and I'm pulling for him to break the records cause he's a great hitter with great reflexes, steroids don't improve your reflexes or your skill with the bat, just your strength so he's still a prolific hitter with amazing unheard of stats like OBP and slugging percentage.  Giambi, he was honest so that's that, he admitted to taking them and said he was sorry, doesn't forgive everything but I was never a fan of his back when he played with Oakland so it didn't matter to me either way.  But don't be hard on someone like Barry with no facts and then love someone who admitted to taking them and had facts to back it up in Giambi. Go Bonds!!
348281
Barry Bonds is better.  I don't know the statistics but I know that Barry Bonds (according to my dad) was a good young player in the '90's and he was skinny.  He was able to play well and just didn't get that much attention, that's all.  I would say he is a better player because he would've passed Babe Ruth's record even without steroids; it's just that now that everyone knows he took steroids to get attention, he looks bad.  He also to most people looks like all his home runs came from steroids, but 'tis false in my opinion.  He just wanted attention for being big and powerful QUICKLY, so took the short way and did steroids to have immediate attention.  He is still a better player, but just made the wrong choice.  He could've begun to get attention when he was getting closer to the home run record; he already was the sole member of the 400-400 club (400 home runs, 400 stolen bases), and eventually he would've gotten attention and been inducted into the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments; THEN everybody would see how great he was.  But now it's all negative attention.  I repeat, though, that Barry Bonds is a better player.
546872
Bonds is one of the greats - no question about it, when it comes to on the filed performance ONLY, which is how I jugde baseball greatness.\n\nI agree that his hand-eye coordination, natural speed and discipline at the plate are all skills that came without steroids.\n\nHe is not, in my mind, a great HR hitter however, but merely a 500 HR hitter, as what he took helped him make a strong power serge at the end of his career.\n\nIn short, he is hall of famer, but top 20, not 1.\n\nHelper Guy
644399
no. two reasons. number 1 its eveident that barry bonds has cheated, look at his body 2 years ago and look at his body today. its obvious he used steroids, so that makes hima cheater and number 2 this isnt the all time home run record, that belongs to hank aaron with 755
597118
It really amuses and fascinates me to see people have such blind hatred for someone they don't even know. I don't want to argue if Bonds is better then Ruth. I just don't think we should all judge him so quickly and harshly. I mean when you take away the bat and uniform he's just a hard working father of 3 kids. I don't agree with a lot of the choices he's made(roids), we all make mistakes, but people are ignorant to think he's the only one in baseball to have done them. And if he's not the only one to have done them the why is he the only one being thrown under the bus. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve some of this scrutiny...I AM saying he doesn't deserve nearly as much as we(public/media/MLB) are giving him. \n\nNot to diminish the Bambino's greatness, I mean he was way ahead of his time and what he did revolutionized the game of baseball. But lets be serious here, MLB is way more competitive now then it was back then. I mean for one, blacks weren't even allowed to play in the same league as Ruth so he arguably wasn't even going up against the best of his time. The seasons were a lot shorter back then so it was easier to play longer because you had less wear and tear on the body. That being said who knows which player is better...it's like comparing apples and oranges with all the differences between the two. I just know that most of the answers on this question are driven by people's blind hatred for Bonds which in my opinion is an ignorant response.
461567
Not no but HELL NO!  He doesn't want his record to be taken from him.  Even though 99.99% of people know he's guilty.  He wants to go down as one of the greatest baseball players in history; even if he did cheat his way into the record books and the Hall of Fame.  But now that he's quit for the new testing "laws" that have been put into effect he's a worthless player, 1 HR and a .222 AVG.  See what happens when the juice wears off Barry?  Plus his body is starting to fall apart.  Now that he doesn't have the juice to repair his body parts his knee is falling apart. He's a JOKE, and will never admit to using steroids.  Remember the phony story about his "accidental" use?  How the hell do you accidentally stick yourself in the ass with a needle?  Must have slipped and fell!
517613
Well, this debate will go on for a long time. For me, I feel as though it is wrong. But others will argue that there are many athletes who have used steriods, have not been caught and have been listed as record breakers.....my own opinion, let him break it, but do not record it in the record books.