Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants
Despite all the controversy surrounding steroid use and despite Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s recent rants and apology on his blog (http://38pitches.com/), there is no denying that Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants is one of the greatest sluggers of all time. Barry Bonds is a 7-time MVP and is 2nd in Major League history with 734 career home runs, owns baseball’s single-season records for home runs (73 in 2001), walks (232 in ‘04), intentional walks (120 in ‘04), on-base pct. (.609 in ‘04), slugging pct. (.863 in ‘01), HR ratio (6.52 in ‘01) and HR pct. (12.06 in ‘04). Barry Bonds has won an unprecedented 7 National League Most Valuable Player Awards (1990, ‘92, ‘93, 2001, ‘02, ‘03 and ‘04), no other player has won more than three. Bonds is currently chasing Hank Aaron’s MLB record 755 career home runs and has racked up an impressive 11 home runs so far in the 2007 season, second only to powerhouse Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees who has hit 15 thus far.
Barry Bonds was a 1st round draft pick (6th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985 and has been one of the most charismatic and exciting players to emerge in the last half century. Currently in his 22nd year of MLB service, long after many players would have retired, Barry Bonds is still one of the most formiddable sluggers carrying a .329 batting average into the month of May with a .529 on base percentage. Barry’s reputation has many major league managers intentionally walking him this season which accounts for his league leading 35 walks. Highlights of his career include 73 home runs in the 2001 season while carrying a .328 batting average, and an astounding .370 batting average in the following 2002 season.
Off the field, Barry Bond’s is equally a Giant for his work with The United Way of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bonds Family Foundation (founded by Barry Bonds and his father, the late Bobby Bonds, former Giants’s great and hitting coach) encourages, promotes and funds programs designed to improve educational achievements, standard of living and quality of life conditions for African-American youth within Bay Area community. Barry often visits with critically ill children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, has met with group of 50 children from Major League Baseball’s “Buses for Baseball” program in dugout at AT&T Park each of last 2 seasons and also lent his support to Tsunami victims by donating “experience” package for Giants online auction to benefit victims. Barry’s history of giving back to the community he lives and works in has more than certainly destined him for future inclusion into the Hall of Fame.
May 13th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Barry Bonds is the best player we will ever see, along with A-Rod. Being from Boston, I am expected to hate on Bonds like basically everyone else.. However, I respect what he does.. think about this… He has gone through the death of his father, steroid scandel, almost indicted on tax fraud, and has been jeered at just about every ball park he has played in, even his own. The man has courage and I cant wait until he breaks the record.
http://thebaseballcorner.blogspot.com/
May 13th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more about Barry Bonds (I’m personally a Marlins and Braves fan). When I made this post about him, I searched for some other blogs to do trackbacks to, but all of the bloggers posting about Barry were negative, and tended to ignore his accomplishments in favour of spotlighting the scandals. Well, if you look at the past, Hank Aaron received death threats when he was setting the record Barry is chasing now, lest we forget all the death threats towards Jackie Robinson. In my opinion baseball should be exciting, and that’s what players like Barry Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod, Dice-K and Josh Beckett are bringing to the game.
btw, I wish the Marlin hadn’t given up Josh Beckett
but if he had to go to an AL team, the Red Sox would be my favorite.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:00 am
The amount of psychological will power to hit 73 home runs and on top of that during a year he was injured and the season was paused for 9/11 and also try and break hank aaron’s record despite all the negativity its really unbelievable. And to top it off he is doing it so “old” in baseball years.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Suprisingly “old” (late thirties to forties) isn’t so old any more. Look at John Smoltz with the Braves and all the players who are pushing or past 40 who are still consistent. With Barry, I think it’s more than breaking records, the guy obviously has a love for the game.
May 20th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Here’s a picture of Barry bonds a few days ago with Christopher Laub at the UCSF hospital where he is getting treatment for leukemia. In 2005 while Barry was out most of the season recovering from his knee injury he wrote Barry Bonds a Tear jerking letter about his fight for his life and encouraging Barry to recover soon. They now share special bond and on opening day in 06 him and Barry threw the warmup tosses of the baseball out in left field.
http://barrybonds.mlb.com/players/bonds_barry/imgs/ChrisBB2_051007.jpg