Breaking News: Barry Bonds Hits 756

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by Buster Olney

No comparing Bonds across eras
posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry

The number he has generated is so overwhelming that, at first glance, you don't really think about the advantages of science that he had over players from other generations. What you think about is the enormity of what he accomplished, when compared with others in his era. Playing in the same parks, with the same rules, with the same science as all the players of his time, he managed to compile a staggering statistic, accomplishing something over 100 times more than anybody of his generation.

But can we fairly compare Cy Young and his 511 victories with Sandy Koufax and his 165 victories? Or with Roger Clemens, who has 159 fewer wins than Young? We want to, but we really cannot. Apples and oranges. Different time, different ballparks, different game. Different science, in the way baseballs were constructed and maintained and replaced.

Can we fairly compare Barry Bonds and his 756 homers with the accomplishments of Ty Cobb, who played in the deadball era and hit a total of 117 homers? Or with Babe Ruth, who played when the sport was segregated? Or with Hank Aaron, whose home ballpark, for years, was smaller than Bonds' home park? Can we fairly compare Bonds with players of other generations, given the advances of science that allegedly have aided him? Nope. Different time, different game, different science. Apples and oranges.

After the game, Bonds was asked whether his home run record is tainted, and he answered bluntly. "This record is not tainted at all," he said. "At all. Period." That is what he believes. Either way, the word "steroids" is going to appear in the first two paragraphs of Bonds' obituary -- fairly or not, whether you like it or not.

But the number Bonds has generated overwhelms those produced by others of his time -- and many of his peers have probably competed with the same scientific advantages that Bonds likely has had. Sammy Sosa ranks second in home runs among players of what will always be called the steroid era, with 604 homers, 152 fewer than Bonds.

Bonds is the best player of his era. Is he better than Aaron? Better than Ruth? Better than Ted Williams or Cobb? I don't know. Apples and oranges. We do know that Bonds has hit more home runs than anybody in history, just as Cy Young has the most victories. Baseball fans must decide for themselves.

From an article on ESPN Insider.

Buster makes some very good points.