Sports Notes - BARRY BONDS MLB's ALL-TIME HR KING - August 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Monday August 13, 2007

During his career he has hit 40 or more home runs in a season only eight times. He now is the home run king but what is it worth?

BARRY BONDS THE NEW KING OF SWAT

You can say what you want about Barry Bonds breaking Hanks Aaron's and major league baseball's home run record but you can't say that the man can't hit.

As much as Bonds record is tainted by allegations of steroid use it is yet to be proven. So much has been said of the physical size of Bonds compared to when he first came into the league with the Pittsburgh Pirates.in 1986. Why that concern is mind-bogling. What player isn't bigger than he was 22 years ago?

Bonds is currently listed as being 6'2" and 228 lbs. But the much bigger point being that if Bonds were as big as Goliath it takes a certain skill to hit the ball. That involves timing and rhythm in addition to eye contact with the ball and a smooth stroke to give the ball velocity to travel X amount of feet into home run territory.

At the beginning of his career he claimed to me that, "I'm not a home run hitter." Indeed he wasn't since that interview took place while he was a Pittsburgh Pirate. Through his seven-year career with the Pirates he hit only 16 during his rookie year. He followed that by hitting 1987 (25), 88 (24), 89 (19), 90 (33), 91 (25) and 92 (34) for a total of 176 or 25 per year. Had he maintained that average over his career he would have totaled only 553.

During his 22-year MLB career Bonds hit 50 or more home runs only one time. That was in 2001 when he smashed 73 and the issue of steroid use loomed large. Bonds hit only 49 in 2000 and 46 in 2001.

The now 43-year-old Bonds has hit 311 home runs since he turned 35 years of age. During his career he has hit 40 or more home runs in a season only eight times. He now is the home run king but what is it worth? The lucky persons that caught Bonds 755th and 756th home runs will make a bundle when they sell the ball.

Last year Bond's 715th home run ball that broke Babe Ruth's career record sold for $220,100 on eBay. The question is what will the record breaking 756th bring?

Adam Hughes, a 33-year-old plumber from La Jolla, California who caught Bond's 755th HR in San Diego said he would sell the ball in an auction. The ball is thought to be worth $75,000 to $100,000.

Matt Murphy who caught the 756th HR in San Francisco was on his way to Australia and bought his ticket the day of the game. He said he would keep the ball although it is though to be worth $500,000.

The big pay off for a ball was Mark McGwire's then record-breaking 70th home run ball in 1998 that was purchased for $3 million.

Babe Ruth's all-time mark of 714 ranked number 1 for 53 years. Hank Aaron's mark of 755 set in 1974 ranked number 1 for 33 years.

Ruth's record is pure. Though he was a colorful person who enjoyed his nightlife and was known to enjoy the bubbly juice he was accepted by all, Aaron and Bonds are not. Aaron was resented because he was a black man that broke a white man's record. Bond's because of the steroid use accusations.

Throughout the years major league baseball has been promoting home run hitting. They say that the ball is juiced and responds more readily to jump off the bat more so than it did during Ruth's playing days. Major League ballparks have moved in the fences to shorter distances than they were during Ruth's career. Many of the newer ballparks fences built since Aaron's playing days are built with a shorter distance to home run territory.

In honor of Ruth baseball leagues for teenagers sprung up around the USA and they were named in his honor as the Babe Ruth League. Youngsters were proud to play in the leagues and youngsters aspired to be the next Babe Ruth. The question is at this point how many youngsters will aspire to be the next Barry Bonds? Stay tuned.

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