#715

This is old news by now, but San Francisco Giants' left fielder Barry Bonds has surpassed legend Babe Ruth for second on the all-time home run list, hitting his 715th home run.

What are my thoughts and feelings? As of now, I'm fairly indifferent. If he passes Hank Aaron to become the all-time home run leader, then I'm sure I'll be a bit more opinionated on this topic, but as of right now, I don't really care.

Records are hard to measure. Why? Because things keep on changing. If Ruth and Aaron had played ball in this era, they could've gone deep 900-1,000 times and no, I'm not exaggerating. Why? Better equipment, juice (in several forms), smaller ballparks, more tape and film to watch and study. The bats are better, balls are better, game is more complex, fences are further in, so there are more home runs. That's not even including the muscle-enhancing drugs. Andro was legal until a couple years ago in baseball. Can you imagine Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron on andro, only needing to hit the ball (with a better bat) 350-400 feet for a home run?

I love pitching duels. I'm pretty old-fashioned. I love defensive slugfests in football, love a hard-hitting low-scoring game in hockey, and love a great pitching duel in baseball. But, the majority want to see offense. They want to witness home runs, so the stadiums (for the most part) favor the offense. There are not too many pitcher's parks anymore. This brings in more fans and with them, more money.

It's a changing game. I know some of us see it as silly when movie stars thank their fans after receiving an award, but you know what, where would these entertainers be if we didn't pay money to see their films or watch them suit up and play baseball? Baseball lost a great deal of popularity following their strike and what helped bring baseball back? Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, when both slugged over 60 home runs and Big Mac hit a, at the time, record 70 home runs in a season. Oddly enough, I don't think Selig and company were paying too close attention to the inflated home run numbers, because they were more focused on the popularity (money) of the game. Bonds topped McGwire, hitting 73 homers in a season just a couple years later. Not until recently, after baseball's popularity has risen to what it was prior to the strike, did Selig and company decide to look into the muscle-enhancing drug problem.

Does Bonds' 715 home runs in this day and age impress me more than Ruth's 714 back when he played? No. But, it's impossible to compare the two numbers and how different they'd be if the two players were to switch eras in which they played. Baseball is a very unique game in how it changes over time.

Football has changed some through the years, but the length of the field has been 100 yards for I don't know how long. A touchdown has been worth 6 points, an extra point worth 1 point, a field goal worth 3 points, and a safety worth 2 points. Whether one plays at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City or plays in Foxboro, Massachusetts, there is 100 yards separating the two end zones and the points rewarded for particular scores remains the same. But, this isn't the case in baseball. There's the Green Monster at Fenway, the Ivy at Wrigley, the centerfield hump and shortened wall in left at Minute Maid Park, pitcher's parks in Detroit and San Diego, and a lovely air to carry balls out of the park at Coors Field. What may be a home run in one park may be a fly out in another. That's why records are so difficult to compare, especially in baseball.

Does Bonds come across as the most personable guy in sports? No, not exactly. Has he gotten a lot larger since his rookie season? Yes, most definitely. But, regardless of if Bonds ever took steroids and no matter what era he played in, he is a great baseball player. He's won gold gloves in left field. He's the only player in the 500-500 club (home runs and stolen bases), and has won numerous MVP awards. No matter how much some people want to hate him, there has to be some level of respect for the guy. Whether it's found that he has done steroids or not, I'm going to respect him as a baseball player. Steroids may have their pluses, but Bonds' gold gloves, 500 stolen bases, unbelievable eye at the plate equating to his record-setting walks and on-base percentages were not a result of any steroids. With or without muscle-enhancers, Bonds is a great Hall of Fame-worthy ball player.