SCHWARBER & THE BABE

Baseball has a funny way of sneaking history up on you. One minute you’re watching a routine Thursday doubleheader, the next you’re blinking at a stat that makes you do a full-on cartoon double take.

Here it is—the kind of number that deserves a dramatic drumroll:

Through 1,321 MLB games, Babe Ruth smashed 348 home runs.
Through 1,321 MLB games, Kyle Schwarber… hit 350.

Yes, you read that right. The Sultan of Swat has company, and it’s a guy who looks like he could just as easily be grilling burgers at your neighborhood cookout as launching baseballs into orbit.

Let’s set the stage. Ruth isn’t just a legend—he’s the legend, still sitting third all-time with 714 home runs, trailing only Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron. His name isn’t just in the record books—it practically is the record book.

So when Schwarber’s name pops up next to Ruth’s in any statistical sentence, it’s not just notable—it’s borderline absurd in the best way.

And yet, here we are.

On a breezy day at Citizens Bank Park, with the Philadelphia Phillies locked in a tight game against the San Francisco Giants, Schwarber casually did what Schwarber does: he went yard. That swing marked his 350th career home run, delivered with the same no-nonsense energy he brings to every at-bat—step in, grip it, rip it, admire the chaos.

The kicker? He reached that milestone in his 10th season, at age 33, putting him squarely on a trajectory that could see him cruise past 500 if he keeps this pace. That’s not just “pretty good.” That’s “start-clearing-space-in-Cooperstown” territory.

Schwarber’s rise isn’t built on myth or mystique like Ruth’s. There’s no sepia-toned nostalgia, no called shots—just raw power, a sharp eye, and a swing that treats baseballs like they’ve personally offended him. He’s the modern slugger: efficient, fearless, and perfectly comfortable living in the three-true-outcomes era.

But stats like this? They bridge eras. They connect black-and-white legends to high-def heroes. They remind us that while the game evolves, greatness still leaves the same unmistakable mark—over the fence.

So the next time Schwarber digs into the batter’s box, remember: you’re not just watching another at-bat. You’re watching a player who, game for game, kept pace with the most iconic power hitter baseball has ever known.

Not bad for a guy just casually rewriting expectations one moonshot at a time.

THE DEATH OF A LEGEND

Hank Aaron died. It's a sad day in baseball. 

The New York Times writes:

"Hank Aaron, who faced down racism as he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball’s home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years, has died. He was 86.

The Atlanta Braves, his team for many years, confirmed the death on Friday in a message from its chairman, Terry McGuirk. No other details were provided."

Baseball is hard enough. Now add in the death threats because of the color of your skin and still try to play with that kind of pressure.  You'd think that it was hard for Jackie Robinson, but then to see it so prominent in the 70's was just as disturbing. Hank Aaron earned everything that came his way because of hard work and a dedication to his craft. He's a legend, and it's a sad day in baseball when something like this happens.

Rest in Peace, friend. You are and will always be an inspiration!

HANK AARON GOES FOR THE ASTROS THROAT!

The Godfather of Baseball, Hank Aaron has spoken. Time for MLB and the Player's union to react swiftly.  You want to know why? Because when a guy like Hank Aaron speaks about the integrity of the game... you do what he says.

This is a guy that played the game clean his entire career... even through racial hatred, even in the dark, dark days of living in Babe Ruth's shadow. And you know what? He did it with talent and pride... and not stealing signs using technology and faking it. Hank Aaron has honor. Rob Manfred and Tony Clark better sit at a table this weekend and fix this mess once and for all.

The Washington Post writes:

"A report released last month by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred detailed the Astros’ scheme, which continued into the 2018 season and involved using a center field camera to detect opposing catchers’ signs and tip off Houston batters to upcoming pitches. 

For everyone specifically named in the report, the fallout was severe: then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch were each suspended for a year and then quickly fired; Red Sox manager Alex Cora, a Houston bench coach in 2017, lost his job in Boston; and the same fate eventually befell Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who spent his final season as a player with the 2017 Astros. 

However, no other players on that team were named, and Manfred said in his report that he was not inclined to hand down punishments to anyone else. 

Asked on NBC’s “Today” show if “the punishment fit the crime,” the 86-year-old Aaron replied. “No, I don’t. “I think whoever did that,” Aaron continued, “should be out of baseball for the rest of their lives.”...

When Aaron told NBC Thursday that he was “surprised” to learn the details of the Astros’ operation, he was asked, “They didn’t steal signs back in your day?” 

“They did. They didn’t steal them that way,” Aaron replied with a chuckle.

And that's the point. Playing baseball clean, seeing the way a pitcher tips pitches and then reporting back to your teammates to "look for this" or "look for that"... that's just baseball. That's trying to get the edge in the realm of the game itself.

When you start taking out baseball bats and banging trash cans because you have a live feed in the clubhouse and you move a camera in center field like Reid Ryan of the Astros did... that's cheating and there needs to be harsh, HARSH punishments for that. The Astros are liars and cheaters and are to never be trusted again. Bottom line.

Aaron's right. I hope Manfred and Clark are listening.

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE "CHASING DONNIE BASEBALL" GUY

Well, it's here. With the Yankees consistently winning and every night breaking the consecutive home run record I have decided to step away from that world for a moment and talk about that card collecting dude on YouTube. We got the interview!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to first check out:
I LOVE THIS DUDE'S BASEBALL CARD YOUTUBE CHANNEL! 

After that we snagged an interview and here we are. Love this one very much, I think you will too.  Here he is, a very opened conversation with my man Mikey from the YouTube channel, Chasing Donnie Baseball.

BYB: When did you start collecting baseball cards?

Mikey: My earliest memory goes back to 1977. I had an older brother who collected all the 1977 Yankees cards: Thurman Munson, Chris Chambliss, Graig Nettles, Bucky Dent, Rob Guidry, Don Gullett, Ken Clay, etc - he has them all and so did I. 

I can still see those cards as clear as day in my mind. I was only 6 years old.

2. Obviously this is passion of yours. I collect too, but my collection is unique to me. I don't go looking for perfect cards, but rather cards for my own collection. What are some of the more interesting cards you have in your collection?

Mikey: I collect too, but my collection is unique to me. I don't go looking for perfect cards, but rather cards for my own collection. What are some of the more interesting cards you have in your collection? I really love this question because, as you said, many of my favorite and most interesting cards have zero monetary value to me no matter what Beckett's has it listed at. Well, for starters, I am obviously a Don Mattingly card and since I have over 1,500 of his cards I will leave them out of this answer. 

From my older collection cards like my 1956 Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron are both in terrible condition but I don't care. I love pulling them out often and just looking at them. Especially the Robinson card because he is a historical figure. The late 1970s and early to mid-1980's are the bulk of my collection. So my Topps Ron Guidry rookie from 1977 is a prized possession. I love my two 1979 Topps Danny Ainge "error" cards (see pic). Again very little value but they were so cool to own back then. 

I was a huge Dale Murphy and love his 1977 Topps Rookie Card. Whenever I see a Gorman Thomas or Cecil Cooper card from early 80' with the Brewers I have to buy them. Sometimes at a flea market when I asked "how much" the person usually just says, "you can have them for free". Lol. I don't know why, but those two cards just remind me of my childhood years of card collecting. My 1981 Topps Rookie card of Fernando Venezuela is another one that brings back great memories. It was the card EVERYONE wanted in 1981. Fernando-Mania was everywhere. Now they are worth maybe 25-cents but I always buy it when I see it.

3. This idea is brilliant and I love this idea of breaking open packs on YouTube. Why did you come up with this idea?

Mikey: I cannot take any of the credit for the idea. About 8 months ago I happen to click on a video on YouTube from a channel called "Jabs Family". 5 minutes into the video I was hooked. Here was this guy, all you see is his hands and the cards, and you hear him just talking about the cards he was opening on camera. It was a live stream so people were interacting, He was so great. Really easy to listen to and was very interactive. It was fascinating to me and seemed like so much fun. So after that night, I started to do some research on how I could start my own channel and 8 months later, "Chasing Donnie Baseball" was born. There are now many others on YouTube doing the same thing but each with their own spin. But the biggest difference we all bring to our channels is one thing: Ourselves. People will either like to hear you talk as you open packs or they won't. I'm hoping people enjoy listening to me an I share my own memories of card collecting as I open packs. I have a lot to learn but in the meantime, I am having a blast! 

4. Obviously your favorite player is Don Mattingly. With Donnie as your first top player, give me your top 9 after Mattingly.

Mikey: #9 Cody Bellinger
#8 Christian Yelich 
#7 Curtis Granderson 
#6 Freddie Freeman 
#5 Bernie Williams 
#4 Rickey Henderson 

#3 Jim Abbott 
#2 Dale Murphy

5. You mentioned in one of your videos that you had Muscular Dystrophy. Why do you want people to know this about you?

Mikey: Wait! I do?! LOL, kidding :) 

So when you watch my videos after a few minutes you will quickly realize there is something off with the way my hands move; the way I grab the box and cards; very little hand strength. Plus I am much slower than the guys on the other channel and it's not by choice. So I just wanted to be real with my viewers. Look, I never have been one to shy away from my disability. When people meet me they are usually very comfortable asking about my disability because they can see I am very comfortable discussing it. So why not be that open and honest with the viewers on my channel? I tell them I'm not letting them know as some excuse, but to just make them aware as to why I may be struggling or going a bit slower than most. The other reason s I hope maybe someone will see one of my videos and hear me mention my disability and just maybe it motivates him or her. Perhaps someone is feeling sorry for themselves and sees my video and it inspires them to get going, move forward. If you are motivated and enjoy doing something, NOTHING should ever prevent you from pursuing it. 

6. What's the one thing you want people to take away from these card videos?

Mikey: Card collecting should always be about having fun. I am NOT doing this for monetary gain (their isn't any, lol!) - I am doing this because collecting cards brings me joy. Plain and simple Sure I mention the prices of cards and we are always looking for the big "hits, however, in the end, my viewers and I have to be having fun. The day it stops being fun I will turn the lights off on the channel.

7. Side track. Big Yankee fan? What do you think about the Yankees this season?

Mikey: Love the question cause I'm always ready to talk Yankees baseball. The obvious equation for them to hold onto this high level of play is to get their studs back, it's that plain and simple. However. what these young men have done filling the shoes of Judge, Stant, Didi, etc is beyond remarkable. I don't know if it happens like magic when you put on a Yankees uniform but this crops of players EXPECT to win, not just compete and I love that! But, I think unless we get 90%-100% healthy this ride with this group of incredible players may end come October baseball. Just my opinion.

8. Final question, do you ever read BYB? Did you ever hear about us before we did that surprise post for you?

Mikey: I have read BYB for years, and I'm not just saying that because you did a write up on Chasing Donnie Baseball or because you are interviewing me now. In fact, if you watch the quick video I made on my channel after I discovered your article you will hear me explain how surprised, humbled and honored I was to get recognized by such a reputable site. I absolutely love what you stand for, like a family. 




That is exactly what I am hoping attracts subscribers to Chasing Donnie Baseball. BYB is absolutely my go-to site for Yankees news and analysis. want to personally thank you, Robert Casey, for giving Chasing Donnie Baseball such a large platform to share who I am and what we are all about. Maybe we can flip a few piles of some old 1982 Topps I have laying around?

I had a lot of fun with Mikey and this interview.  You can always see Chasing Donnie Baseball on YouTube, here's Mikey's page. Subscribe. It's a really clever concept and I personally love and endorse it.  CHASING DONNIE BASEBALL.

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did.  Happy Tuesday... stay dry if you're living in the Tri-State.  Hey... go look through your old baseball cards. Maybe you'll find a few gems!

FORGIVENESS IS POSSIBLE

There is a lot to be said about a man that learns from his mistakes and humbles himself. And with Alex Rodriguez hitting yet another career milestone, it is becoming clearer that he has become that man.

On Thursday, September 8th, ARod reached 30 home runs, for his 15th season, tying a record held by Hank Aaron. The last time he'd hit 30 homers in a single season was in 2010. He now has a career total of 684 home runs. He has been an incredible asset to the team this year, and has done it all while respecting the game, the fans, and most importantly carrying himself in such a manner that is professional, and respectable.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't expecting this kind of turn around from ARod. Yes, he served his suspension but let's be honest for a moment, ARod had barely made the cover of a newspaper that wasn't discussion whatever life scandal he was dealing with at the time. We're talking about a man that made the front page of a paper for shaving his legs. And suddenly, this season starts, and it's as if he's finally figured it out.

There is no doubt that ARod has always been a fantastic ballplayer. I have said more than a few times, that he has the sweetest swing in baseball. It's absolutely fluid and so natural. So this is not an observation on him as a player. As a person, he has not always been represented well by the media. Again, not a remark on his character, but the way it was represented to us in the media. From being in the paper for assorted affairs, gambling and more recently, suing the MLB, it became almost the norm that any headline that contained ARod's name would be a circus sideshow. This season has shown us a new kind of ARod. The kind that is asked to participate in HOPE Week with the Yankees. They trust him to represent the team now.

Sunday, the Yankees celebrated ARod's 3,000 hit, another milestone he reached this season. If you asked me last year, or even two years ago, if I thought that ARod would be celebrated on the field at Yankee stadium, my answer would have been no. The fact that the Yankees were willing to go ahead with the ceremony is proof of the change ARod has made. At the beginning of the season, there was a debate over whether the milestone was "marketable." If ARod had come in, guns blazing, with a lot of the same from his previous years, I do not think the Yankees would've gone ahead with the ceremony. It's a testament to how he has carried himself, and it has helped heal the relationship between the Yankees and Yankees fans, and ARod.

ARod has come a long way. Michael Kay once credited the season off to the shift in his personality, and I have to say I agree. ARod loves the game. It is all he has known for a very long time. There is something to be said for having one of your greatest passions in life taken from you, and knowing that you were the cause of the loss. It makes you think if there were anything you could have done to change it. ARod has figured out what it was he had to do, and it trying every time to do just that. 

-Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804







  


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HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

I’m in a bad mood.  I wanted to put that out there before you continue reading this post.  And thank you for reading by the way, I appreciate it. 

Anyway, back to my foul mood.  It has nothing to do with the Yankees per say.  I am upset that the NCAA concluded a 10-year witch-hunt on Coach Jim Boeheim and my beloved Syracuse Orange hoops team. 

I’m a Syracuse University alum and former student athlete and know Coach a bit.  This is an over the top punishment to say the very least…but what can you do.  I hope they reinstate the wins they stole from Jimmy, and then go spend time in Calapari’s Kentucky Blue Grass backyard and see what REAL corruption looks like! But I digress... 

This is a New York Yankees fan site and I will write about the Yanks now.  Maybe it’s my mood, but when did we become Cubs fans?  I was blown away by the way everyone is celebrating over the Bronx Bombers and their landslide victory over the Braves the other night…in Orlando…in a SPRING game…that meant ZERO!   Hey, I’m happy to see that McCann and Drew went yard. That's good.  I am delighted to know Tanaka was able to throw and not have his elbow pop like the last balloon at a 5 year-old’s birthday party.  It is ALWAYS better to win than lose…but come on. It's Spring Training!

Don't forget, the Yankees have a lot of questions.  They are putting it together slow, but surely.  The veterans are starting to wind it up and get ready for Opening Day.  And there are STILL so many questions.  Stephen Drew gets into one and suddenly we're happy he will be the starting second baseman?  Nope.  Sorry folks, but the sun will shine on a dog’s ass every now and again too.  If he is hitting .285 in late May, I’ll retract that statement, but you know I won’t have to. 

I am happy with McCann’s ABs this spring.  I love the way he is taking the ball the other way to beat the shift…DO YA SEE THAT, TEX?  Wake up!

The Yankees need to put their collective heads down and just do the work.  And we can cheer like mad when they do something that matters.  We are YANKEE fans after all!  We're not supposed to get nuts over a spring 'W' against the Braves.  They didn’t throw Maddux, Smoltzie and Glavine at us the other night. 

I’m pretty sure Chipper and the Crime Dog weren’t in the batting order either.  Did Masahiro face Hammerin’ Hank?  Please.

Look, these Yankees are still a team that SHOULD compete for the big prize.  They make insane money!  The response from fans made me think the Bronx Bombers were a young, scrappy Houston Astros club.  They’re not.  Cashman has made it clear the kids aren’t part of the plan…so why get excited by what overpaid vets are SUPPOSED to do in mid-March? You know what I mean?

Again, I’m in a bad, bad mood, but save the “Baby’s first words” cheering for when Aaron Judge comes up and deposits one on the 4 train tracks to win a game against Boston in August…a game that matters…a game we should care about more than a Spring training game in March.

I’m getting a beer.

** HERE IS AN AWFUL SONG, BY AN AWFUL BAND, ON AN AWFUL DAY. A Big Spring win? Get lost. **




 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21






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YOU GOTTA LOVE HANK AARON

This is a man that had his life threatened... all because he was African American, hit home runs and threatened the record of Babe Ruth.  Can you imagine?

I've always loved Hank Aaron, and when I read what he recently said about Alex Rodriguez I just found it to be inspiring and comforting.  Newsday has the story:

"'I am rooting for him... Despite all of the things that people say he had been involved in, I'm rooting for him to come back and have a great year. I am very much anxious to see what he's going to do. I wish him well, but I just don't know. When you're [away] from playing the game the whole year and go out and then have to face kids that are throwing 90 miles an hour, it's a tough thing.'

Aaron said he would have no problem attending games played by Rodriguez or being on hand if he approached his home run total.  'If I wanted to go to the game and A-Rod was playing, I certainly would go to the game... I've met A-Rod, and to be honest, between him and me, he's been nothing but a friend to me. I liked him.'"

I found Hank's words interesting and had to bring them to the BYB Audience. We will soon see what happens with Alex Rodriguez.  Good to see he has a big guy in his corner.

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MAYBE HONORING JACKIE ROBINSON ISN'T ENOUGH

On April 15th baseball fans, and the MLB celebrate the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and became the first player of color in major league baseball. In 1947, 67 years ago, that was huge! I won't pretend it was well received. He had obscenities thrown at him, and several threats against him, and his family. It was incredibly difficult, and brave.

We've come a long way since the Jim Crow and segregation. "A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There's not a whole lot that has changed," Hank Aaron told USA Today. Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's home run record, was asked by USA why he still kept hate letters addressed to him. "To remind me that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing that record," he said.

I will start with the easier point to address. Baseball is not a popular sport for African Americans. There are 67 black players in the major leagues. Let's do the math for a second. 30 major league teams, multiplied by 25 players. That's 750 players in the major leagues, and only 67 are African American. Wow! Further, three teams, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, and St. Louis Cardinals, are not represented by a single African American. Let that sink in for a moment.

The truth is, the game doesn't come to the inner city where a lot of minorities live. Even living in the Bronx, with tons of ball fields to play on, the expense for sports programs are such that children often miss out. There are several recreational centers that will offer sports for free, but the instruction isn't the same as paid programs. There are Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities (RBI) programs, that currently have some 220,000 kids playing. But it has been my experience that even those programs are sometimes difficult to enroll  a child in.

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Aaron discusses racism in this country, and the lack of African Americans in baseball. He is calling out to the MLB to make an improvement. I did the math for you. It's clear that even with Robinson, and Aaron, we haven't gotten very far on the diversity front of the game. But the piece that people seem to have taken real issue with is that fact that Aaron was so candid about racism in this country. He stated plainly "We have moved in the right direction, and there have been improvements, but we still have a long ways to go. The bigger difference is back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts." The 'they' he means are obviously racist, and bigots. The response to that?

"Hank Aaron is a scumbag piece of (expletive) (racial slur)" a man named Edward says in an e-mail to the Braves front office obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Edward invokes the epithet five times in four sentences, closing with, "My old man instilled in my mind from a young age, the only good (racial slur) is a dead (racial slur)."

I have tried repeatedly to put into words how furious that bit has made me. When Aaron made his statement, I understood it. He wasn't making an attempt to single out a group of people. Simply put, where racism was more obvious as he chased that record, it is more concealed now. You can put a bow on a pile of poo, but it's still going to stink. Disagreeing with his point does not make it any less true. And if you needed anymore proof that he is correct, please go on ahead and re-read Edward's e-mail.

I'm was an inner city kid. My children will be inner city kids. I grew up with friends that became victims of racism and hate crimes. My last name alone has made me the subject of lines like "We speak English here," or "Are those green card and food stamp babies?" Just a few days ago, an older woman cursed me out, in front of my children, because I didn't belong in her country. So I've witnessed the racism in this country, sometimes first hand. I don't have the same fears for my safety as Robinson, and even Aaron had, but I know the struggle is still not over.

Robinson breaking that color barrier predates Brown vs The Board of Education, and Rosa Parks. The MLB is not a political pulpit, I get that, but if it is Americans pastime, shouldn't the people representing that be reflected back to us from the field? As for the thinly veiled racism in this country, I'm going to put this as simply as possible... I don't give a shit about your politics, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, education, or your wealth. You respect me, I respect you. It really is a simple concept. An individuals worth is defined by his or her character. Bigotry, ignorance, and hatred of any form can no longer be acceptable. It is only when we all decide to start showing one another respect that we can truly deal with this issue.

I'm just going to leave you with these bits of wisdom from Jackie Robinson.

"A life is not important except on the impact it has on other lives."

"There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." 

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer

Twitter: @e_morales1804

 

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HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED

It truly is as if he were the villain in the Harry Potter stories. His name has been erased from the history books by the powers that be. He never played. He never broke any records. He never existed. But you know what? I KNOW that he did. I saw him play. I marveled at his natural ability to take over a game. And I have no trouble saying or writing his name. He is Barry Bonds.

I have seen the absolute and disgraceful hypocrisy displayed by the Selig Regime for too long. My only comfort rests in knowledge that his reign as “The Dark Lord of Baseball” will soon come to a close. We can only hope that his successor (**cough** Joe Torre) will be a sane individual with a sense of humility and a level head. Maybe the next commissioner will be (and absolutely should be in my opinion) a former player or manager. We should be looking for someone who knows the human side of the sport and can watch over the game rather than manipulate it.

It is my belief that Barry Bonds was destined for Cooperstown before he left the Steel City for the City by the Bay.  He was more than a home run hitter back then. Bonds had a game that was as well rounded as any the baseball world had seen in a long time. He was very much like Mike Trout is today…only better. Because of the type of player Bonds was the Pirates were not seen as the “Little Engine That Could” back then, they were a locomotive. So why does the story of a “sure thing” Hall of Famer end with Baseball shunning him? In a word, it was ego.

Like so many superstars in the sports world, Barry Bonds has an opinion of himself that is larger than life. These types of individuals don’t just see themselves as better baseball players, they see themselves as better people. They are superheroes, a cut above mere mortals and, in their opinion, should be treated as such. Bonds was as much to blame for his fall from grace as anyone else.

I am not a class warrior. I don’t fault pro athletes for going to another club if the money or chance to win is better. Yes, I am disappointed when they leave (see Robinson Cano), but at the end of the day they have earned the right to choose their path. As fans we will often try to put ourselves in their spikes, but that is a futile endeavor and deep down we know it. So Barry, being one of the games top players, took his act to the San Francisco, and his first step into toward being Baseball’s Public Enemy #1.

In 1998 Selig and company stood by and profited as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris’s single season home run record (61). The game was still licking its wounds from the strike in 1994.  Fans had stopped watching on TV, coming to the stadiums and spending their money on baseball in the aftermath. When Big Mac and Sammy started crushing dingers MLB jumped all over the chance to promote them and bring the fans (and the money) back to the ballpark…no matter what.

Suddenly these two men were the biggest stars in the game. They were long ball hitters and only long ball hitters. It didn’t matter how they were defensively or what their team’s records were, they hit home runs and were chasing the record. It was a great show. Selig was breathing new life into baseball and reaping the benefits...without thinking about what it would cost the game in the long run I guess.

The Hulk-like hitter became commonplace in the game. WWE-type physiques started popping up on every team in the league, but to MLB all was right with the world. If you hit home runs you were a superstar, embraced and promoted by the game. It seemed that so many players bought into this formula…especially Barry Bonds. The Giants’ All-World player wanted to be the biggest name in the sport and couldn’t stand that players who weren’t as gifted in terms of defense, average etc… were getting all the fame. In the years following MaGwire’s big season, Bonds was suddenly a power hitter of Ruthian proportions and regained the headlines he craved.

Recently it was reported that Commissioner Selig doesn’t recognize Barry Bonds as Major League Baseball’s Home run King. But let’s be fair, Selig doesn’t recognize Bonds at all. You see if he did he’d be acknowledging the steroid era that he ushered in and turned a blind eye to. Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmerio…these are names that MLB championed to bring the sport back to prominence and then made disappear as if they hired “The Wolf” in Pulp Fiction. They were NEVER here. They NEVER happened. They WON’T be remembered.

Do I think Barry Bonds is the All-time Home run King? Yes and no. I know what you’re saying, “That’s a really lame answer, Mikey.” Look, I’m more comfortable saying, “No. It’s Hammerin’ Hank, end of story.” But Bonds still hit a round ball with a round bat squarely and often. Sure, the alleged “juice” would have helped many would be fly balls leave the yard, but I can’t say it made hitting 96-97 mph gas easier. Can you?

I think that unlike the asterisk nonsense Baseball tried to pull with Maris, they should absolutely use one with records broken during the “Steroid Era”. In fact I think that there should also be an asterisk placed near Selig’s name as the commissioner who presided over said era. He helped create these “Monsters” whose names have been stricken from the record, so he should share in their punishment. Barry Bonds DID play the game of baseball. He played it at a very high level and should be remembered for the amazing talent he was. His (alleged) latter day sins do call his accomplishments into question, but he and those “Who Shall Not Be Named” are a part of Baseball History…whether Bud Selig wants to recognize them or not.


 

--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."


 

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