Hey thanks all the kind words! I'll keep this brief. If you have $5 to spare, you can unlock some really cool bonus content on my Patreon here - > www.patreon.com/foolishbaseball Otherwise, simply commenting and sharing with others is a great way to support what I do. I know these are uncertain times. Enjoy the video!
@MUFC soccer sucks. Overpaid pretty boys. No one likes watching a sport for 3 hours that frequently ends at a 1-1 draw or is decided by penalty kicks in the last half hour. Soccer has been on a decline since the 80s-90s
MUFC that's kinda hypocritical of you to call us insular when you came into a baseball comment section and tried to tell us that our sport is going to die
MUFC and even though more people watched the wwc internationally, in the states the numbers were about even despite this years World Series being one of the least hyped ones recently, for context the team that won it all didn't even win their division
You absolutely SHOULD say it. You can't judge a players career without context of the era in which they played. Much like the fact that Babe Ruth played during segregation against guys who had day jobs. He was still far ahead of his time and still the most dominant player of his era.
Jurgen Fecher what does Ruth playing during segregation got anything to do with anything? Are one or two black guys on each team gonna suddenly turn Ruth into a scrub?
@@notsauer Look up some of the Negro Leagues stars during that time. Ruth wouldn't have been a scrub, no, but he would not have single-handedly strangled the league the way he did.
@@davidnelson7719 why? Wholesome is such a pleasant word. You are just being a hipster hating a word simply because it is used often. There is nothing wrong with the word wholesome.
In 2002 I took my first born son to one of many Giants games we attended that year and he was only 5 at the time but he loved The City and especially PacBell Park (now Oracle). We'd get there early and I always bought a couple of baseballs before the game as my son was trying to get his first autograph of any Giants player. We had really good seats this one time, (section 121, about 4 rows up from the Giants dugout). As my son and I watched batting practice my son was in awe of the sheer power of major league hitters and who comes out of the batting cage and heading to the dugout? Jeff Kent. Kent is walking towards my son (I'm sitting in a chair behind my son reading the Giants program as my boy leans over the fence separating the field from the stands with a baseball in one hand and a ball point pen in the other)...he quickly asks me, "who's that coming daddy?" I look from the program and see who it is and I say, "That's Jeff Kent, be respectful." I see my son extend the ball and pen as Kent comes closer to the dugout and my son says in his sweet little voice, "Mr. Kent, may I have your autograph please?" Kent looks up at my son (who is quite adorable if I do say so myself, with his Giants cap that's a little too big for him), and Kent looks back down and walks into the dugout without saying anything. I see my son's shoulders deflate as I sit behind him. A part of me burns that Kent did not even acknowledge my boy....when out of nowhere, this other Giant comes up from the dugout where I couldn't see and stands up directly in front of my son....my son looks up at this giant of a man and my son's Giants hat nearly falls off from looking directly up towards the sky from the size of this man....but my son doesn't ask me who THIS Giant is....because he already knows....Barry fricken Bonds! Even I stand up to make sure I'm seeing what I'm seeing and as my son begins to say, "May I have your autograph Mr. Bonds...." Barry had already taken the ball out of my son's hand and was signing the ball for him! He hands the ball back to my son and fixes my boys Giants cap that was falling off. Bonds smiles and winks at my son, as I can't see my sons face because I'm behind him, but I'm sure his mouth is agape in awe. Barry goes to walk back in the dugout and my son catches himself and shouts louder than he wanted to, "THANK YOU MR. BONDS!!" My son turns around and with a victorious smile I will remember till the day I die...triumphantly extends his hand for me to see his signed Barry Bonds baseball. I walk over to where my son was standing and I try to peer into the dugout but I couldn't see Bonds from my perspective. From that moment, my son didn't want any more autographs. We walked to our seats 4 rows up and we sat together and admired the autograph he received from someone he didn't expect to receive it from. My son still has the ball to this day encased in a UV protected acrylic cube. He's 22 years old now and it sits on his desk in his room in my house. He's currently in college studying computer science (like his old man) and comes home for the summer and holidays but for my son and I, we'll always be grateful to Barry Bonds for that memory. Yea, I know he was juicing and that's how he was able to break Aaron's record and all....but the way I see it, A LOT of players were on steroids. So I can't place judgement on a guy when we don't know what the actual percentage of players were enjoying that "balanced breakfast". I mean, if Barry is on juice and the pitcher he's facing is also on juice (like Gagne)....doesn't that make it a level playing field? That's the way I see it anyway....and I know I'm being partial towards Barry for the way he treated my son....but there's a lot to say for a man KNOWN for not signing autographs to sign an autograph for a 5 year old kid....especially when it's your kid.
Loved your story. I don't have children and I don't particularly love Bonds, but that warmed my heart. And sometimes when I hear Bonds speak publicly, he doesn't sound as bad of a guy as he's made out to be. I can think of more unlikable and unpleasant guys to hear speak (I'm looking at you TO and Randy Moss) but I was definitely someone who didn't want to see him break those records. In the end though, I have to respect the great things he did to some extent. And I'm glad he gave your young son a baseball and a memory he could cherish for the rest of his life.
From what I understand. Barry loved doing things for kids. My dad and I were at spring training 06 and I was always far too shy to talk to anybody let alone ask a player for an autograph as I've lived with social anxiety my entire life. Bonds was my favourite player as a kid and I really didnt care about any other players at the time as I was only 9. My eyes were always fixated on him watching him warm up do stretches etc. And then after warmups before heading to the dugout. The absolute brute of a man walks over to the line of kids some older some younger than me and pulls out a huge stack of baseball cards. His signature already on them in blue ink if I recall. And he casually hands them out to every kid in that line including me with a smile on his face. I always saw past the media coverage as I grew older because i knew that Bonds did indeed have a heart and love for the youth of the game.
Kent was a lame 😒 oh for not signing your son’s ball. He didn’t stick with the Giants anyway and left to the hated Dodgers said bad stuff about the Bay Area anyways. What a loser and you’re right a lot of players were juicing including Gagne and many other players to boot.
My argument for Bonds for the hall, if you take away his years with steroids and just count the ten years he was clean you still have one of greatest players in league history
@@geordiejones5618 exactly I also feel like people have to understand that steroids don't give you skill. Steroids don't give u the eye to hit the ball and steroids also don't give you the timing to hit the ball. Im not saying steroids should be legal but people who used them and have had amazing seasons with steroids should have more respect
Not to mention a lot of players were also enjoying the special breakfasts. It's like Lance Armstrong, the top 10 in races he won were all roided up, blood doped, ect too. A comedian put it as such, our roided up guy beat your roided up guy. It kinda makes it moot when everyone in contention were all cheating the same way. Brings it back to skill, and drive. It's like punishing only the top student in a class where the top 50% all had the same answer sheet to the test. Yeah it's wrong, but it's not like only a couple people did it. It also exemplifies the ones who didn't. Like Ted Williams, Ruth, even Ricky in there with that nice ops.
Another comment on this thread answers this. He was already a patient hitter, with terrific power, who could run the bases, field and throw, like a generational five tool Hall of Famer. The fact that he further enhanced himself to put up just stupid, record-shattering numbers is like using cheat codes on beginner level.
@@mikespongili8254 who cares? Steroids saved baseball in the 90s. It sucks that it had to come to that, but it did and it was the fault of everyone involved in baseball that it even got to that point. And the league absolutely knew it was happening and chose to do nothing about it bc they liked the revenue it brought in.
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Idiotic comment. Bonds always had insane discipline ya doofus
That Gagne vs. Bonds at bat is my favorite all time. The fact that they had this unspoken agreement from years before and Gagne actually stuck to it is one of the coolest moments in sports.
I'm a life long Giants fan and I didn't remember this moment until I watched this video. Bonds was a blemish on the sport, but watching him play was something special.
I'm an old fart. I remember Ali. I lived through Jordan, Rice and Feder's primes... and not one of them dominated their sport like Barry. Watching him get nothing but garbage to hit game after game and then launching nearly every mistake was the most amazing thing I've seen in a lifetime of watching sports.
Yeah he was the greatest most feared batter in the history of the game ! He'd literally get 1 good pitch some nights and he'd launch it outta the park ! No one else on Steroids came close to what he was doing from 2001 to 2004
Thanks for the bud Selig part at the end... Very true and saddening.. he and team owners exploited players in the resurgence of baseball during the ped era, then they turned their face to the other side and pinned it on just the players.. just like the cubs did with Sammy Sosa.. the way they treated him after he was gone was shameful... But while he was there battling mark and helping them to sell tickets and merch everything was sweet
That's something I appreciate about my GIants. However controversial he may be to the league-wide fanbase, my team embraces Bonds and his role in baseball history
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on UA-cam. Not hyperbole. The research, the writing, and the delivery is superb. It's why I keep coming back for more!
Those Buffalo Bills teams that went to four Super Bowls and lost them all are also a huge part of NFL history! Being a huge part of history is not really saying much.
Demetrius Middleton not really as remembered as Bonds. The HR record is probably the most looked at record in Baseball. People aren’t paying attention to how many Super Bowls a team went to and lost. When people think of baseball they think of HRs but when people think of football they don’t think of Super Bowl appearances without winning. Barry Bonds is a much bigger part in sports history than the Bills
@@griffinheeg2998 again, that's still not saying much! My point is being a big part of sports history means nothing if your accomplishments are based on cheating! Or losing! Or many other tragic or negative circumstances! We both agree, he is a huge part of History! My point is that's not necessarily a good thing! There is a phrase called being on the wrong side of History! Barry Bonds is on the wrong side of History! I think I can sum up what I'm saying by clarifying my personal feelings regarding Barry Bonds. Feelings that obviously many historians, fans, and Hall of Fame voters also feel. Barry Bonds is by far, was and IS STILL, my favorite baseball player of all time. I'm 38, so when I was in my youth through High School baseball playing days, he was in his Hay Day, even though his best seasons came just after I graduated high school. I still have a Barry Bonds rookie gold card that I cherish to this day. I was and still am a San Francisco Giants fan specifically because Barry Bonds played for them. To this day I still detest the Atlanta Braves because they beat his Pittsburgh Pirates team. LOL. And even though I knew he was ... eating a very balanced breakfast in the early 2000s, I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed watching him play. With that said, and not just because I'm a little older and I would like to think I'm a little wiser now, not just because of that but even when he was in his unreal phase, and even though I enjoyed watching it, I always felt because he was cheating he should not be considered an all-time great. It's extremely disappointing. Because even though we don't know when he started juicing, I personally feel that without using his expensive lotions and creams, he would have still been a Hall of Famer. He didn't need to cheat to be great. But he wanted the attention that the other people who were juicing were getting. He allowed jealousy and envy to ruin His image! That's a choice that he made and there are consequences for our choices. For that reason I can't put him in the all-time great category. And I don't believe he should be in the Hall of Fame. Just like in business, and in life in general, "success" wealth and fame aren't the end-all-be-all. The journey, how you achieve that success, or how you forgo success because character is more important, that is far far more important than the level of success you achieve.
@SunamiKilla what is your point? Where did I imply that Barry Bonds doesn't have skill? Where did I imply that other players were not cheating? The way my morals are set up, just because everybody else is doing something does not make it okay for me to do. So when I'm evaluating a player I use the same standards. And the argument that steroids don't really help that much is just foolish. People say I still have to go out there and hit the ball, of course! I don't understand the point you're making when you take that line. Because if steroids didn't give you a great advantage, then why risk fines, your health, and your image taking them?
@SunamiKilla I still don't understand your point. And I don't want to misinterpret, but it sounds like what you were saying is since everybody else was cheating, bonds shouldn't be thought less of just because he was the best at cheating. Is that right? If not, what EXACTLY is your point?
@Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball And even after the allegations, they don't suddenly make your plate discipline any better. They don't suddenly make you a Gold Glove every year (which he already was). They just don't do that.
Some players I believe should be in the hall of fame because one thing doesn’t disregard everything else they did. Bonds was a top 3 hitter all time no matter what you say, some think Ruth or Williams were better. Another case is Pete Rose. He gave everything he had to baseball, played more than any human ever to live. That alone makes you a HOFer. Rodriguez, again loves the game, and his career in baseball is still going as a commentator and host, plus he’s one of the most famous players ever, all three of these are.
Bonds and growing up in the Bay area was the coolest thing I can ever explain. Being a little kid watching him effortlessly hit homeruns had me in awe. I know he's hated but those years when I dreamed of being a ball player bonds was the one we all wished we where
There was a version of that growing up in LA as a Dodgers fan at the same time. Bonds really was the perfect sports villain. Every win over the Giants was that much sweeter because we overcame undisputable greatness to get the W. The losses against the Giants weren't sad so much as they left you in awe and a little bit of terror, because he was *just that good*. There was just no-one like Barry.
Yeah, but growing up as a kid in the bay area during the dynasty era was amazing. I miss being a 6 year old screaming at tim lincecum through the screen or jumping with excitement after cains no hitter and skipping trick or treating for the 2010 World Series.
The only athlete in the history of professional team sports to reach his physical and mental peak in his late thirties. Just goes to show you what hard work and a good attitude will do for you.
@@claytonshank6871 I don't mean he cheated or had an unfair advantage. But any batter that knows what pitch is coming...is set up for success. See Houston Astros or any other team where a pitcher is tipping pitches. All I'm saying is ..it's easy to crush a pitch when you're sitting fastball. At a minimum it's easier than when you don't know what's coming. Soo..in this case it would have been more impressive if Gagne hadn't told him what was coming.
The batting eye, speed and glove alone make him hall worthy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you add the fact that even without steroids he’d have been the only 500-500 player...should have been a first ballot hall of famer
@@HenryLowenstein coming here 10 months after to say that this is literally impossible. i bet if they gave you steroids you wouldnt be able to hit a single mlb pitch. what a stupid take.
Thank you for pointing out MLB's hypocrisy in embracing that clown, Bud Selig. Not only did he turn a blind eye to steroids, he's the only commissioner to have a World Series cancelled. He should be embarrassed to show his face and instead they act like he was great.
Not necessarily. Bonds won MVP awards in 1990, 1992 and 1993 and came in 2nd in 1991 to Terry Pendleton, long before Barry started playing with his chemistry set, which didn't start until 1999 at the earliest. He came within a whisker of winning 4 MVPs in a row when he was still young and skinny and clean. Peter Gammons of ESPN said he interviewed many MVP voters in 1991 who picked Pendleton ahead of Bonds and almost all of them said the same 2 things: 1) they admitted Bonds had the better season and was more valuable to his team and 2) they voted for Pendleton anyways mainly because THEY HATED BARRY BONDS.
@@Garrett1240 Well when Bobby Bonds is your dad, Reggie Jackson is your cousin and Willie Mays is your godfather, you grow up believing you are going to be one of the greatest players ever. On the one hand, Barry was right, he did turn out to be one of the greatest players ever. On the other hand, his ego and arrogance pissed off a lot of people including fans, media and his own teammates. When he was in college his teammates tried to "vote him off the island", shall we say, despite their acknowledgement that he was the best player on the team. So college, Pittsburgh, San Francisco - yeah Barry made a lot of enemies along the way.
Actually, that intentional walk with the bases loaded is one of the smartest managerial decisions I've ever seen. They only had one out left and was still up by one.
Man, there was nothing more exciting in my 30+ years of watching baseball than a 2001-2004 Barry Bonds at bat. His vision and plate discipline were just other worldly. You felt like something was going to happen every pitch. It was just special.
I had a bet during that stretch with a co worker that Bonds would hit a home run that night.. I lost... didn’t take into consideration they would intentionally walk him three times
Bonds was my favorite player growing up, every day I would watch SportsCenter after school and see a new home run/broken record. This man deserves to be in the hall of fame
No, Barry Bonds was a good baseball player, but Barry Bonds the HR record breaker was a freak of biological engineering that ruined the game. No one who made their career on steroids will get in the hall of fame again because with steroid they aren’t the best baseball players ever, they’re just decent plus some exit velo in a syringe
@@Wozrop Ok, how do you feel about the countless steroid users and other cheaters who are in the hall now? He was clearly a better player than anyone else even before he ever used anything, not some average player like you say. He was on the same level as Willie Mays and McCovey before 1998 for goodness sake.
Trevor Boyle I know they are now, Emmanuel Class just got dinged for it. But the league can catch them now. But that doesn't mean every single player is juiced. I think you can safely say that there's no reason to suspect anyone of juicing until the league catches them.
As an 8 year old Padres fan I remember being really confused watching Bonds exit in his last game, wondering why the game was being put on hold for whoever this guy was. 15 years later, it was really nice being able to appreciate that exit and that hug in this video :')
I'm a big, BIG, baseball fan from Italy. I started loving baseball in 2000, when I was 10 years old, thanks (also) to Barry Bonds. I can't be more grateful to him for giving me this incredible gift, the gift of loving baseball. And I can't even describe you how grateful I am to be able to learn more and more about baseball from your great videos. They are always interesting, perfectly well-made and full of love for baseball. Thank you and thanks Barry Bonds!
Di dove sei in Italia? E c'è qualche posto in Italia più interessato al baseball del resto del paese? Ci sto andando prossima e mi domando se posso trovare i campi o le gabbie nel Sud in particolare, allora penso che la probabilità è inverosimile
@@AirBuddDwyer Ciao Janoy, io sono di Genova. In Italia non c'è grande interesse verso il baseball, ma vi è comunque un campionato nazionale in cui giocano squadre competitive a livello europeo e che spesso acquistano giocatori anche dalla mlb. I posti dove è più giocato sono Nettuno, Rimini, Parma, alcune zone della riviera ligure. Al sud non so nemmeno se esistano dei campi da baseball. In generale, comunque, è difficile trovare del baseball in Italia. Ti auguro un buon viaggio!
@M Detlef More like they had no pitching, which is actually the theme throughout Bonds's career. He was as close to a one-man championship team as you can get, but was never on a team with a dominant pitcher.
You need to be able to make an example out of people and Bonds not being spared is necessary. Sadly, MLB is so incompetent that they can’t go be consistent or even straightforward about what else to do and idiotic moves like inducting Selig into the HoF despite being a terrible overseer of the game that oversaw a canceled World Series and allowed the PED’s to flow like a waterfall.
Lance is actually a decent comparison with Bonds. Both were to greatest to ever do it, and in their eras everyone was cheating - which only further illustrates that they were the best of their eras.
i think it's presumptuous to think "everyone was doing it"... no way.. it wasn't the stats.. it was the size of the human being.. you put bonds and mcguire beside players like ichiro and your claim that "everyone was doing it" goes out the window... i'm sure many of them used PED's.. but, to say "all" or even "most" is ridiculous.. i'd actually say that most didn't... i think "most" have more respect for the 'game'... but, that's just my opinion.
I’m waiting for the part 4 of the Seattle Mariners series of sb nation. Edit: never expected to get 400 likes. I’m not begging but thank you for this, sb nation fans.
Just found this channel. You deserve an ESPN show, a Netflix show, something. The combination of sharp writing, fantastic research, excellently placed QUICK jokes for levity.... All paired with the clever video game theme and graphics. Just an incredibly well done channel. Thank you for the clearly hard work you put in.
You know that you’re a scary breakfast eater when the breakfast chef already has breakfast plate #2 ready when you haven’t even finished the first breakfast plate of your balanced breakfast.
@@timeland8343 Well, if majority of the cafeteria is eating the same breakfast, what's the fuss?? Just cause barry ate his better? It's literally human nature my guy.. Bonds got FOMO and said 'hold my beer'.. plain and simple
The way he but the bat on the ball. The swing the “pull” is one of a kind. Idc what anyone says. He is the goat in my eyes. One of the best ever to play the game 💪🏻
@@FoolishBaseball You're 100% right. We have that wild card game.....and then we gotta go back to Clemente and Stargill. It's hard to be a fan of the modern team and see bonds whiff that throw and his career in Pitt though. Keep up the great work! Thanks for the response to the comment too
@@anonmeatcheesebun If the pirates keep firing bad gm''s and scout, eventually they will be forced to pick up someone who knows what they are doing when no one else is left.
Pirates fans of my generation will always have that 1 wild card game in which we got under Johnny Cueto's skin.....and that's about it lol. We have suffered much
David Graney That is the only real playoff memories I have of the Pirates. It is sad because we had such a young and talented team in the early 2010’s and it just went to waste.
Man, growing up in the SF Bay Area as a kid and watching Barry Bonds was great. Say what you want about his PED use, watching him was so fun and nothing could have compared to it in baseball at the time. It was like watching a super hero come to the plate, and the way he would just blast homeruns with that signature swing and follow-through was something to see. Not to mention, the excitement of following his single season homerun record and total homerun record runs. Asterisk or not, Barry Bonds was and always will be my favorite baseball player and the memories of watching him as a kid, with my Dad (RIP), will never be forgotten. Thanks for this video, it brought back a lot of memories.
I could have watched 20 more minutes. Your videos always bring a special perspective to things people might not think of. The game has so much nuance that people miss. I love how you always bring it out.
2002 was a rough year for me. My Giants lost in the World series, my Kings lost in the Western Conference Finals, and my Raiders lost in the Superbowl. I was 9 years old and I was devastated. Thankfully my Giants would spoil from 2010-2014. Still waiting for my Raiders and Kings to get back to winning year in and year out. I love BB #25 and it was so much fun to watch him break the single season homerun record, and the all time homerun record.
Nope, he's saying Bonds still posted impressive stats before he was taking steroids. Also being on the juice doesn't mean you can hit the ball nor memorize the strikezone. Also in the modern era of the MLB with all the pitchers using foreign substances similar to the steroid era, will pitchers like Trevor Bauer, Shohei Ohtani, Mad Max and Gerrit Cole (who have been caught using foreign substances) be excluded from the possibility of becoming hall of famers?
@@accountforschool12321 im saying it doesnt matter whether he was good without it or not. Bottom line - he cheated, that's on him and that should exclude him from the hof
H&L Spraying amen to that. Believe he was coming off an acl surgery or a tommy John. Everyone there knew it was a juice off that is why it was so epic.
Timemaster f I didn’t say he wasn’t. But your original comment you said imagine if he was on roids as if he wasn’t at the time. I’m pro steroids, so I’m not bitching about it. But you statement makes it look like Gagne was clean while bonds was juicing at the time. Which is not the case
legend has is that after the Iron Horse finished his iconic speech, Kay interrupted the broadcast by saying "LOU GEHRIG! Where fantasy becomes reality!"
Bonds was a gifted player, especially hitter, and I'm surprised people haven't emulated his style. Swung a relatively small bat, and still choked up, stood close to the plate, and enabled himself to get the sweet spot on the ball...all the time! Sure, he had talent, but he also understood the physics involved in hitting...something today's hitters don't get!
He was also incredibly patient as a hitter. He would make pitchers work for his out. Of course he made a lot of them pay for making mistakes too but his patience at the plate is often overlooked simply because of his power numbers.
It's actually really interesting to hear people talk about how players like Juan Soto today are choking up on the bat for certain counts, adjusting where they're standing, and so on to deal with each at bat and scenario. It's cool that we live in this highly analytical period of baseball.
I've watched every video you've made and this was my favorite. I grew up watching Bonds and have mixed feelings about him being a Braves fan for obvious reasons. I watched his 71st HR at my great grandparents and HR #756 at my parents house and it still feels like yesterday. Seems like I watched more Giants games growing up than Braves just to see all the records he was breaking. You can't do all of what I did without having some form of like for the guy. Great video, FBB.
I really love this video. Bonds is an interesting figure who every baseball lover has a strong opinion on. I always like seeing videos that address his talents before and after the scandal without making him out to be an angel or a devil. I only hope some day videos about Ryan Braun will be made, and will be made with respect. In many ways he is the opposite of Bonds. Bonds ended his career hitting big numbers, being a baseball "bad boy," and being part of a scandal. That's how Braun began his career. He was a young, hot-shot, power hitting, MVP, with an out of control ego. But unlike Bonds, who left the scene amidst the scandal while getting to keep his asterisk numbers, Braun had a different path to face. Being young, he was on contract with the Brewers, so despite the scandal, they could not dump him. Braun had to keep playing in the city that was so disappointed in him. I'm sure it was hard for him. But how Braun responded is what makes him, in my opinion, one of the greatest men to play the game of baseball. He did not condemn his team. He did not insult the city. He did forsake the fans. He apologized, kept his head down, and played the game. Of course, his numbers were never as good, but he was still a solid player league wise and one of the better players on the Brewers. He kept playing. He never quit. Even though the Brewers were less than great, he stuck with him and they stuck with him, for better or worse, forced to or not. Then the Brewers got good again. Yelich, Moustakas, Grandal, Suter, Hader, led by Craig Counsel, and a now veteran Ryan Braun. On a team filled to the brim with young talent, there's old man Braun. And he isn't on the outskirts as a pariah, no, he's part of the team. They love him and he loves them. Yelich has mentioned on countless occasions how much of a mentor Braun has been to him. Braun is included in all the funny skits and stunts they do. When Yelich was injured in the post-season push of 2019, Braun even wore Yelich's jersey under his own, in Miami heat! In every promo and every interview, Braun speaks glowingly about, as he says, "his only team." He loves the whole Brewers community, and we love him. Ryan Braun begs the question. What makes a great man great? A great man can be a Mike Trout. He can put up amazing numbers and stats while being likable in the locker-room and the community alike. A great man can be a Jeff Francoeur. He can put up average numbers, but be so kind and good and lovable that he becomes a legend for being the nicest man to play the game. Or maybe a great man can be a Ryan Braun. He can make a mistake, but refuse to let that mistake define him, and become one of the greatest players ever on a team that loves him, forgives him, and is happy to call him one of ours.
Giant difference here: Braun needed PEDs to be a good ball player: Bonds was already well above everyone not named Kenneth when he started using. Also, Braun violated MLB’s PED policy, Bonds did not.
Braun's really not a good guy at all. He said bold faced lie after bold faced lie, most notably leveling a left field accusation (pun intended) against a guy that he was anti-Semitic and cost him his job He's just sorry he got caught. I see no evidence of humility whatsoever. Thank goodness he won't be a hall of famer since he'd be an utter disgrace to Cooperstown
@@trevor2561 All of this 'Bonds did not violate the policy' just makes yall sound like morons. We get it. baseball was greedy and has no morals so they let there players cheat. Doesnt make it right. And thats why bonds is revered by MLB, and its his own fault. he was already one of the best when he decided to cheat, and no matter what any of you goof fans say he's never going to get the credit he deserves and it's his own fault. Get over it. The best players in history didnt have to cheat. Cheating is for subpar players who want to be good or great. Bonds sullied his own rep and he can cry me a fucking river about it.
The MLB lost their moral high ground when it allowed the Astro players to escape without punishment during their egregious cheating scandal. Bonds is the greatest player and needs to be in the Hall.
The Astros cheating scandal seems far worse than the PED era and yet only the PED era players were punished. The Astros should have been treated like the blacksocks
When injustice prevails it shouldn't justify normalizing injustice. That's like saying because one extremely skilled thief got away with stealing a candy bar, everyone should get away with stealing a candy bar. Which would lead to no longer viewing candy bar theft as bad. Thusly encouraging everyone to start stealing as much as they can for as long as possible. Essentially rewarding thieves and honoring them with praise for stealing. Utter nonsense...
@@chade1983 While that may be true, so long as Bud Selig is in the hall of fame there really is no moral high ground for the MLB to take or fans to lean on. That said, while I loved Bonds as a kid and he made me a fan of baseball, I'd be more inclined to remove Bud Selig than add Bonds, but as long as he stays in then Bonds is just a scapegoat to me.
@@chrisfalcone315 The problem is, other teams did the same thing. Also the Redsox had used a similar system for their 2014 World Series iirc. It would have been too messy to do that to the Astros and not go back and hit other teams.
Life of a Don, lights keep glowing Coming in the club with that fresh sh** on With something crazy on my arm Uh-uh-hum, and here's another hit, Barry Bonds
The most unappreciated GOAT to ever live. People don’t realize he switched his swing to uppercuts when the Giants moved into that new park with the RF porch. Today it’s just considered launch angle.
Fantastic video with both professional visual quality and gripping, thoughtful narration. Makes me want to see this expanded into a Netflix style mini series. Bonds may be universally despised but he was definitely fascinating, and this short think-piece really captures both the captivating and the polarizing nature of his presence and abilities. He's kind of the anti-Jordan, the GOAT that nobody wants to see win.
I've watched this video probably 10 times if not more. This is far and away the best video you've ever made. One of the few videos to acknowledge bonds cheating but appreciate how outstanding he truly wasn
That was honestly a really nice and thoughtful way to sum up the story of Bonds without taking a clear stance. Man you are doing some really unique and interesting stuff when it comes to baseball stories. This was really enjoyable and it sorta hit the feels at the end of the video honestly.
You have a real talent for this man, you captured the entire legacy of Barry bonds with 4 at bats. And the presentation is awesome; I wish you the best and use this video as a resume starter. Huge fan of your content, cheers man
Bonds circa 2001-2004 is the single most dominant athlete I’ve witnessed in any sport. Steroids or not, Bonds belongs in the hall. His career numbers pre steroids were already HOF worthy. 2001-onward is just the exclamation point.
I'm a lifelong Braves fan and really started watching in '91 when I was 10 but I've always admired Barry Bonds. He's a great player to say the least. Probably one of the best players that has ever played the game. And I know steroids make you stronger so you can hit the ball farther but they don't make you as good of a player as Bonds was. That was all him. Do I think he deserves to be in the HOF? Absolutely! So does Roger Clemens. And so does another one of the best hitters that's ever played, Pete Rose.
Pete Rose was actually an okay hitter through his career, and only has the all time hits record because he was made player-manager and kept putting himself in the lineup despite being legitimately terrible He also 100% knew that betting on baseball would get him permanently banned but did it anyway. Literally his argument that he shouldn't be banned was "hey I'm Pete Rose"
Goddamn look how good the steroids made his plate discipline and hand eye coordination. What I really wanna know is how the steroids were so strong they retroactively got him an mvp in Pittsburgh
Wakka, THAT is exactly why I get so pissed off at Bonds for juicing. He was ALREADY Hall of Fame material, probably one of the fifteen best players in the game in the early 90s, and maybe even better than his dad, whom I had the privilege of watching as a Giant. But no, he needed to be the absolute best, even if he had to cheat to do it. He saw McGwire and Sosa getting all the love and accolades, and he knew what it would take to get those for himself - he thought. Instead, it made him a pariah in the vast majority of the sporting world. Barry Bonds is one of the great sporting tragedies of my lifetime.
@@exiled5160 What you think he bribed the pitchers? Used cybernetics to enhance his eyes? He's reinforced his bats? He cheated later in his career, but letting bitterness sweep the entirety of his talent and accolades and talent under the rug is ridiculous.
@@gordonpsmith8958 He still is, the self righteousness of baseball fans astounds me. Mcgwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, put their bodies through hell to take their already hof caliber talent and push it to its absolute max because that's what competitors do. I'm sure if you'd told them back then how it would end up they wouldn't have done it, but they didn't know. All they knew was "here's a chance to become even better than I already am" and they took it. Fans, and the hall, need to get the fuck over themselves.
WakkaWakkaGaming Sosa and McGuire are question marks, because their game was 1 dimensional, but Bonds and Clemens were great before they used steroids.
Bonds was so good oh my god. He was early on 101 mph fastball then he had the audacity to adjust to the same pitch and not be that early and hits a homer to center field. What a beast
The 2002 Giants were a typical pre-Bochy era Giants contender: great offense combined with an okay pitching staff that lacked an ace to keep opposing offenses from matching the Giants offense. That's why in hindsight Roger Craig's late 80s teams and Dusty Baker's late 90s and early 2000s teams were destined for failure despite the glimmer of hope those teams provided during those times. It's also why Bruce Bochy's early 2010s teams won 3 titles in 5 years despite having offenses that were often frustrating to watch. Having pitchers who can shut down powerful offenses is everything (see: why Tony LaRussa's heavily favored A's lost the two fall classics that were not against the Giants).
While some records may deserve an asterisk due to PEDs, I'm too much a casual to say what exactly they should be, there is absolutely no doubt that Bonds 100% deserves to be in the hall of fame. PEDs don't magically make you a god of baseball, or else Bonds wouldn't be head and shoulders above everyone else from the same era who were doing exactly the same thing he was.
What I can’t get past is the fact that he was already a hall of famer, and knew that, but still chose to deliberately cheat the game. They should’ve done a better job keeping all of the steroid users out of the hall
@@conorlmaoo This is not an excuse for Bonds but you have to understand him and his thinking. Bonds was arguably the best player in the game. Then Mac and Sosa come along and are just taking baseball to new heights. Bonds has the ego of the sun. Mac and Sosa then get PAID. Bonds (the best in baseball) sees this and says screw it. Right or wrong, it gives you an idea of his thought process. With that being said, Bonds on the "juice", made every other player in the league look like high schoolers. That right there should tell you just how stupid good/great Bonds was as a player. And you say cheat the game, I say even the playing field as MANY pitchers were also "juicing".
@@byronsmith3152 it doesn’t matter that he made the rest of the league look like high schoolers. Those numbers aren’t a measure of his natural ability. Like I said, they should’ve done a better job keeping the juicers out of the hall, like Bonds
762 home runs 2,935 hits .298 career batting average 8 gold gloves 12 silver sluggers 7 MVPs 13 all star games 1996 RBIs 512 stolen bases Barry Bonds isn’t a Hall of Famer, he’s the best baseball player OF ALL TIME.
@@jaimelannister1797 You're right about that, he shouldn't have. But then again plenty of people cheated and still couldn't touch Barry Bonds. Hall of fame pitchers used to doctor baseballs, Ty Cobb was a racist who would stab players with his cleats, and they get honored while THE BEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME gets the finger.
I love the poetic writing of the title. Not only is it talking about how dominant Bonds was in 2004 but also how he was represented in this video in just 4 at bats. Beautiful
Here's the deal with Bonds.... Here's why fans reserved an extra disdain for Barry Bonds than we ever did McGwire or Sosa (aside from Bonds being an unrepentant ass all the time) : Bonds already had the abilities of a Hall of Fame player. He didn't need an enhanced fast-twitch reaction time to hit MLB pitching. From the time he broke into the majors everyone could see Barry Bonds was great. The only thing PEDs did for McGwire and Sosa was hit more HRs. They still struck out a lot; missed games with nagging injuries; were average defenders; etc. They retained all the holes in their game they'd always had, but sprinkled in more HRs on top of it all. They also didn't turn their teams into contenders either the way Bonds did the Giants. Let's be honest here: The Cubs or Cardinals weren't beating the Braves or Yankees anyway. Bonds was different. His improved performance as a slugger absolutely coincided with the Giants suddenly being lifted to an annual contender and pennant winner. He already had everything the human body could ask for when designing the perfect ballplayer. His use of PEDs made it absurdly unfair to the rest of MLB. It's why guys like him and Roger Clemens have a special place reserved for them in the ire of sports fans' hearts everywhere. They didn't need these drugs to help them. Their use made it exceedingly unfair as competitors. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's doping would be equivalent to putting rocket fuel in a Ford Mustang while Clemens and Barry Bonds's cases would've been more like putting rocket fuel in a NASCAR vehicle already capable of winning the Daytona 500.
Bonds cheated, yes. I’m not going to just brush it off by saying, “but so did a lot of other players”.... but...so did a lot of other players. Here’s my question. Was Barry Bonds the first guy to use PED? I doubt it. I think Barry looked at all the other players taking steroids in the game (and you’d best believe that players talk to each other), and decided to take what a lot of other players were taking already. That doesn’t make it right, as doing so broke the rules. But in some level, can you blame him? It’s easy to say “yes”, but baseball clearly wasn’t going to do a damned thing about it. It’s either don’t take them, and sit him for the World Series, or break the rules, and level the playing field. Let’s not lie to ourselves, kids. Before Barry Bonds came to San Francisco, he was already the best player in baseball. In the three years prior to his move west, he won a pair of MVPs, and was runner up the other season. The guy was already hitting over .300. Already stealing 40+ a season, hitting close to 40 homers. Walking 100 times. The guy was a machine. He didn’t NEED to take a steroid to be a Hall of Famer. But if you’re a great player, and you see lesser players taking something that makes them better than they are, which ultimately hurts your team’s chance at a World Series ring-do you not take the same? Bonds was getting paid. His legacy was going to fill up Cooperstown. He wanted a ring. I’ve watched more than my fair share of media interviews with players, and a lot of them are utter assholes. I’ve heard several stories about how personable Barry Bonds could be. But he was never going to be that way with the media after watching how they treated his father; and that treatment continued when Barry became a player. If he hadn’t taken PED, and just played on a level playing field-even batting against pitchers who were using-maybe he only hits 600 home runs. He’s still an all-time great. Steroids didn’t turn him into Godzilla. We like to think that taking them makes a player superhuman. No, they didn’t. Maybe Bonds’ average distance and exit velocity improved with them. Maybe he got an extra 5 to 10 gone runs a year. He’s still hitting 35-40 bombs a year without them. Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. I’m done with the negativity directed towards him. As mentioned in this video, guys like Bud Selig (who used to own my hometown team, the Brewers) knew what was going on, and turned a blind eye. They reaped the rewards of McGwire and Sosa, and Bonds chase of history, and did nothing. They got in the Hall. And now Bonds is being held to a different standard? Put him in Cooperstown, already. This selective morality is ridiculous. He’s been made to wait, and I think that’s sufficient punishment.
Like, I get the steroids are cheating and blah blah. Did he get stronger because of them, sure probably. But his hand eye coordination didn't get better. His eyes didn't get sharper from them. Dude was a machine either way. The most frusterating is the league reaping the rewards and shunning the players that put buts in seats.
McGwire and Sosa are not in the Hall. Bonds and Clemens don’t deserve to be, either. You really think Bonds only hit 5-10 more home runs a year with PEDs? He hit 73 home runs before his IBB stat ballooned, so 30-35 home runs more a year. Yes he was a HoFer before taking PEDs, but he still took them. He still cheated. Cheating should not be rewarded.
Hey thanks all the kind words! I'll keep this brief. If you have $5 to spare, you can unlock some really cool bonus content on my Patreon here - > www.patreon.com/foolishbaseball
Otherwise, simply commenting and sharing with others is a great way to support what I do. I know these are uncertain times. Enjoy the video!
Foolish Baseball first
The work you do on this channel is AMAZING! Keep up the great work!
I’m your 100th like
Can you please do a Ubaldo Jimenez 2010 pitching anomaly season. For one szn in his whole career he put up cy young caliber number from Coors field!!
Stop using fucking statistics
"And with that, The Anaheim Angels of California of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim". Yes, just yes.
that's the official name, right?
as a fan of the a's it annoys the crap out me that they to play the angels so often
@@FoolishBaseball I think so but then they said something about adding Glendale in there too. :/
I laughed so hard when he said that
@@FoolishBaseball Yep
120 intentional walks in a season has to be one most unbreakable records in the sport. That's just mad!
In 2004 bonds got 100 more walks in one season than Salvador Perez has gotten in his 8 year career.
Yeah that's probably never going to happen. Teams intentionally walk way less than they did during Bonds' career as well.
Yeah, "it doubles or triples the rest of the field, including guys like Barry Bonds, Barry Bonds, Barry Bonds, Barry Bonds, and Barry Bonds."
If trout takes some hgh and becomes a switch hitter maybe
@@txisbest2010 not to mention 232 BB in total for the season!
His 2004 slash of 362/609/812...😂 No one will ever come anywhere near that
In San Francisco, the pedestrian crossings have an image of Bonds that appears when it's safe to walk.
True story - I got hit by a car right outside the SF ballpark - in the walk-lane, on a non-game day.... So much for "Walk" signs!
Bro! This deserves more love!
That is so nice
You still have to step over all the homeless though
The PED crossing signs?
"He was like the easiest guy to pitch to because if it mattered you just walked him." - Greg Maddux
@MUFC soccer sucks. Overpaid pretty boys. No one likes watching a sport for 3 hours that frequently ends at a 1-1 draw or is decided by penalty kicks in the last half hour. Soccer has been on a decline since the 80s-90s
MUFC our national team sucks no one cares about women's soccer and frankly very few care about men's soccer either
MUFC that's kinda hypocritical of you to call us insular when you came into a baseball comment section and tried to tell us that our sport is going to die
MUFC and even though more people watched the wwc internationally, in the states the numbers were about even despite this years World Series being one of the least hyped ones recently, for context the team that won it all didn't even win their division
MUFC man you're very presumptuous
I shouldn’t say this. I’m gonna say it. Plenty of players in this era ate balanced breakfasts and yet, there was only one Barry Bonds
You absolutely SHOULD say it. You can't judge a players career without context of the era in which they played. Much like the fact that Babe Ruth played during segregation against guys who had day jobs. He was still far ahead of his time and still the most dominant player of his era.
@@JFech24 Players in the 50's, 60's and 70's were popping "greenies" like Skittles. Bonds needs to be in the Hall of Fame.
With that he’s also the only one from that era who has received as much hate as he has from the MLB
Jurgen Fecher what does Ruth playing during segregation got anything to do with anything? Are one or two black guys on each team gonna suddenly turn Ruth into a scrub?
@@notsauer Look up some of the Negro Leagues stars during that time. Ruth wouldn't have been a scrub, no, but he would not have single-handedly strangled the league the way he did.
Bonds embracing Jake Peavy after that flyout when Peavy actually challenged him down 2-0 is just so wholesome.
Bedtime story voice: "It was that moment when Jake Peavy realized he wanted to be a Giant."
Every time someone says "wholesome" god kills a kitten.
@@davidnelson7719 wholesome.
@@claytonreid996 someone clearly hates cats.
@@davidnelson7719 why? Wholesome is such a pleasant word. You are just being a hipster hating a word simply because it is used often. There is nothing wrong with the word wholesome.
Amazing how he played 2004 without a bat
Yeah I should have mentioned that. It was an impressive effort.
Gotta love Jon Bois
without a bat? am i missing something?
@@willrose9678 SB nation did a video if Bonds played without a bat.
Will Rose ua-cam.com/video/JwMfT2cZGHg/v-deo.html
In 2002 I took my first born son to one of many Giants games we attended that year and he was only 5 at the time but he loved The City and especially PacBell Park (now Oracle).
We'd get there early and I always bought a couple of baseballs before the game as my son was trying to get his first autograph of any Giants player. We had really good seats this one time, (section 121, about 4 rows up from the Giants dugout). As my son and I watched batting practice my son was in awe of the sheer power of major league hitters and who comes out of the batting cage and heading to the dugout? Jeff Kent.
Kent is walking towards my son (I'm sitting in a chair behind my son reading the Giants program as my boy leans over the fence separating the field from the stands with a baseball in one hand and a ball point pen in the other)...he quickly asks me, "who's that coming daddy?" I look from the program and see who it is and I say, "That's Jeff Kent, be respectful." I see my son extend the ball and pen as Kent comes closer to the dugout and my son says in his sweet little voice, "Mr. Kent, may I have your autograph please?" Kent looks up at my son (who is quite adorable if I do say so myself, with his Giants cap that's a little too big for him), and Kent looks back down and walks into the dugout without saying anything.
I see my son's shoulders deflate as I sit behind him. A part of me burns that Kent did not even acknowledge my boy....when out of nowhere, this other Giant comes up from the dugout where I couldn't see and stands up directly in front of my son....my son looks up at this giant of a man and my son's Giants hat nearly falls off from looking directly up towards the sky from the size of this man....but my son doesn't ask me who THIS Giant is....because he already knows....Barry fricken Bonds! Even I stand up to make sure I'm seeing what I'm seeing and as my son begins to say, "May I have your autograph Mr. Bonds...." Barry had already taken the ball out of my son's hand and was signing the ball for him!
He hands the ball back to my son and fixes my boys Giants cap that was falling off. Bonds smiles and winks at my son, as I can't see my sons face because I'm behind him, but I'm sure his mouth is agape in awe. Barry goes to walk back in the dugout and my son catches himself and shouts louder than he wanted to, "THANK YOU MR. BONDS!!" My son turns around and with a victorious smile I will remember till the day I die...triumphantly extends his hand for me to see his signed Barry Bonds baseball.
I walk over to where my son was standing and I try to peer into the dugout but I couldn't see Bonds from my perspective. From that moment, my son didn't want any more autographs. We walked to our seats 4 rows up and we sat together and admired the autograph he received from someone he didn't expect to receive it from.
My son still has the ball to this day encased in a UV protected acrylic cube. He's 22 years old now and it sits on his desk in his room in my house. He's currently in college studying computer science (like his old man) and comes home for the summer and holidays but for my son and I, we'll always be grateful to Barry Bonds for that memory.
Yea, I know he was juicing and that's how he was able to break Aaron's record and all....but the way I see it, A LOT of players were on steroids. So I can't place judgement on a guy when we don't know what the actual percentage of players were enjoying that "balanced breakfast". I mean, if Barry is on juice and the pitcher he's facing is also on juice (like Gagne)....doesn't that make it a level playing field?
That's the way I see it anyway....and I know I'm being partial towards Barry for the way he treated my son....but there's a lot to say for a man KNOWN for not signing autographs to sign an autograph for a 5 year old kid....especially when it's your kid.
Loved your story. I don't have children and I don't particularly love Bonds, but that warmed my heart. And sometimes when I hear Bonds speak publicly, he doesn't sound as bad of a guy as he's made out to be. I can think of more unlikable and unpleasant guys to hear speak (I'm looking at you TO and Randy Moss) but I was definitely someone who didn't want to see him break those records. In the end though, I have to respect the great things he did to some extent. And I'm glad he gave your young son a baseball and a memory he could cherish for the rest of his life.
Dude, I hate Bonds. Now it's raining or something because my face got wet and I kind of like him now. Damn you!
From what I understand. Barry loved doing things for kids. My dad and I were at spring training 06 and I was always far too shy to talk to anybody let alone ask a player for an autograph as I've lived with social anxiety my entire life. Bonds was my favourite player as a kid and I really didnt care about any other players at the time as I was only 9. My eyes were always fixated on him watching him warm up do stretches etc. And then after warmups before heading to the dugout. The absolute brute of a man walks over to the line of kids some older some younger than me and pulls out a huge stack of baseball cards. His signature already on them in blue ink if I recall. And he casually hands them out to every kid in that line including me with a smile on his face. I always saw past the media coverage as I grew older because i knew that Bonds did indeed have a heart and love for the youth of the game.
"From that moment, my son didn't want any more autographs."
After that, getting to watch a ballgame is just icing on the cake lol
Kent was a lame 😒 oh for not signing your son’s ball. He didn’t stick with the Giants anyway and left to the hated Dodgers said bad stuff about the Bay Area anyways. What a loser and you’re right a lot of players were juicing including Gagne and many other players to boot.
My argument for Bonds for the hall, if you take away his years with steroids and just count the ten years he was clean you still have one of greatest players in league history
His command of the plate was insane. I remember how broken he was in baseball games 03-05 just one big hot zone covering most of the plate.
@@geordiejones5618 exactly I also feel like people have to understand that steroids don't give you skill. Steroids don't give u the eye to hit the ball and steroids also don't give you the timing to hit the ball. Im not saying steroids should be legal but people who used them and have had amazing seasons with steroids should have more respect
Not to mention a lot of players were also enjoying the special breakfasts. It's like Lance Armstrong, the top 10 in races he won were all roided up, blood doped, ect too. A comedian put it as such, our roided up guy beat your roided up guy. It kinda makes it moot when everyone in contention were all cheating the same way. Brings it back to skill, and drive. It's like punishing only the top student in a class where the top 50% all had the same answer sheet to the test. Yeah it's wrong, but it's not like only a couple people did it.
It also exemplifies the ones who didn't. Like Ted Williams, Ruth, even Ricky in there with that nice ops.
Yeah, but you can't ignore like those years didn't exist. They did, and despite being the best player in the world, cheated.
@@riotz_electro9852 now think about the people like trout and Othani who do crazy things WITHOUT balanced breakfasts
I love how whenever I eat a balanced breakfast, I get insane plate discipline.
Another comment on this thread answers this. He was already a patient hitter, with terrific power, who could run the bases, field and throw, like a generational five tool Hall of Famer. The fact that he further enhanced himself to put up just stupid, record-shattering numbers is like using cheat codes on beginner level.
Michael McDermott this comment was made to show that steroids don’t bring pure skill, he was joking
And ridiculous power?
@@mikespongili8254 who cares? Steroids saved baseball in the 90s. It sucks that it had to come to that, but it did and it was the fault of everyone involved in baseball that it even got to that point. And the league absolutely knew it was happening and chose to do nothing about it bc they liked the revenue it brought in.
Idiotic comment. Bonds always had insane discipline ya doofus
The most unbreakable record in the MLB
Most balanced breakfasts eaten over the course of 10 years
the breakfast numbers are ASTONISHING
Foolish Baseball bonds even with an amazing breakfast deserves a tad more respect than he has
(Orioles fan)
He should be a hof. He couldve just lifted weights what's the big deal.
Wand Camelot I agree he should be in the Hall of Fame, but he used steroids no doubt.
MetalCrow448 Sus...
That Gagne vs. Bonds at bat is my favorite all time. The fact that they had this unspoken agreement from years before and Gagne actually stuck to it is one of the coolest moments in sports.
I'm a life long Giants fan and I didn't remember this moment until I watched this video. Bonds was a blemish on the sport, but watching him play was something special.
@@SteefPip steroids were the blemish on the league, not bonds
@@SteefPip The league sucks cocks now.
@@amirmartin5026bonds was in the league, blemish is on both
@@griffinm9it's tough to have blemish and Best to ever touch a baseball bat , in the same sentence ... But there you go and did it 😊🤙
still in desbelief how bonds fouled a 101mph fastball to the water
I spit out my coffee when I saw that!!
He swung early on 101 lol, pretty crazy to think about.
Not that crazy to believe when you understand how calm, disciplined, and quick he was.
I love that your profile pic is Daddy Dirtbag 😂😂
Steroids makes your reaction time much faster.
Joe Maddon had the best explanation for walking Josh Hamilton: "He's got 28 home runs and Marlon Byrd (hitting behind him) has 8. It's a no brainer."
Maddon did it for attention
@@tacosy2k /eyeroll
@@tacosy2k Nah, he did it to win.
@@tacosy2k
What a shit take.
@@tacosy2k It worked tho. He won the game lol.
I'm an old fart. I remember Ali. I lived through Jordan, Rice and Feder's primes... and not one of them dominated their sport like Barry. Watching him get nothing but garbage to hit game after game and then launching nearly every mistake was the most amazing thing I've seen in a lifetime of watching sports.
That’s what I’m saying…. Steroids or not, he still had to connect with the ball and make contact
Of course it would never happen, but if Bonds was pitched to like a league average hitter, he'd probably hit 150+ home runs in a season
Shut up, Jason
Gretzky?
Yeah he was the greatest most feared batter in the history of the game ! He'd literally get 1 good pitch some nights and he'd launch it outta the park ! No one else on Steroids came close to what he was doing from 2001 to 2004
Noti gang
Yeah man
noti gang? more like david BOTE GANG. i'll be here all week.
Why isnt MLB's channel verified LOL?
@@Tazer183 It is.
MLB bruh
That gentleman's agreement needs more publicity
Yes it should
Ya its pretty badass
So that is true????
The kids wouldn't understand
@@gretsky3463 well i mean look at the ab, he threw all heaters except for the one curveball which is what he was allowed, so i’d have to say yea it is
There are only 4 people who have more homeruns than Barry Bonds has intentional walks. They are Arod, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds himself.
5 now with Pujols babyyyyyyyyyyy
That’s a telling stat. Imagine his tats without intentional walks.
One of the more underrated storylines to Bonds playing in 2008: He would've had a shot at joining the 3000-hit club.
And 2,000 RBI.
He could have had it easy he wasn’t walked 683836728366 times
@@conman8136 he wouldn't have been walked so much had he not been eating so many balanced breakfasts.
That's exactly why MLB blackballed him. He would have finished his career with 3000+ hits, 2000+ RBI, and 800+ HR
Just remember back in 2005 Barry Bonds got hurt. Imagine it Barry Bonds can have 3000 career hits and 800 home runs?! There is no brainer.
Thanks for the bud Selig part at the end... Very true and saddening.. he and team owners exploited players in the resurgence of baseball during the ped era, then they turned their face to the other side and pinned it on just the players.. just like the cubs did with Sammy Sosa.. the way they treated him after he was gone was shameful... But while he was there battling mark and helping them to sell tickets and merch everything was sweet
Selig cancelled the World Series - and then the owners caved in to the union anyway! - what a guy!
That's something I appreciate about my GIants. However controversial he may be to the league-wide fanbase, my team embraces Bonds and his role in baseball history
amen
Players and teams and players and commissioners are never held to the same standards it’s disgraceful
Awe shut up, everyone makes their own decisions.
That Gagne vs Bonds was epic. I'm glad he mentioned how good of an eye Bonds had at the plate.
Bonds is the best player of his generation and that epic at bat proves this.
I love the background info you give about the Gagne at-bat. Never knew about the gentleman's agreement. Well done!
Thanks Jack!
gagne probably wins that matchup without it
@@jbparish7656 Wrong
@@alexmonet1370 right. that curveball was close and still gagne had to stop himself from using the best changeup in baseball at the time
@@thesenate5245 he mainly threw fastballs anyways. He told bonds he’d throw him fastballs because Gagne was positive that was his actual best effort
Notice how Barry Bonds became a giant when he went to the Giants?
Could've ascended into heaven if he became an Angel
maybe if he would've went to the cardinals, blue jays, or orioles then Randy Johnson might have vaporized him on accident
@@leaf742 LOL
Maybe he could've dodged those roid accusations as a Dodger.
Could've become a fish in the sea if he became a Marlin
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on UA-cam. Not hyperbole. The research, the writing, and the delivery is superb. It's why I keep coming back for more!
Like him or not, Barry Bonds is a huge part of baseball's history.
Those Buffalo Bills teams that went to four Super Bowls and lost them all are also a huge part of NFL history! Being a huge part of history is not really saying much.
Demetrius Middleton not really as remembered as Bonds. The HR record is probably the most looked at record in Baseball. People aren’t paying attention to how many Super Bowls a team went to and lost. When people think of baseball they think of HRs but when people think of football they don’t think of Super Bowl appearances without winning. Barry Bonds is a much bigger part in sports history than the Bills
@@griffinheeg2998 again, that's still not saying much! My point is being a big part of sports history means nothing if your accomplishments are based on cheating! Or losing! Or many other tragic or negative circumstances! We both agree, he is a huge part of History! My point is that's not necessarily a good thing! There is a phrase called being on the wrong side of History! Barry Bonds is on the wrong side of History!
I think I can sum up what I'm saying by clarifying my personal feelings regarding Barry Bonds. Feelings that obviously many historians, fans, and Hall of Fame voters also feel.
Barry Bonds is by far, was and IS STILL, my favorite baseball player of all time. I'm 38, so when I was in my youth through High School baseball playing days, he was in his Hay Day, even though his best seasons came just after I graduated high school. I still have a Barry Bonds rookie gold card that I cherish to this day. I was and still am a San Francisco Giants fan specifically because Barry Bonds played for them. To this day I still detest the Atlanta Braves because they beat his Pittsburgh Pirates team. LOL.
And even though I knew he was ... eating a very balanced breakfast in the early 2000s, I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed watching him play.
With that said, and not just because I'm a little older and I would like to think I'm a little wiser now, not just because of that but even when he was in his unreal phase, and even though I enjoyed watching it, I always felt because he was cheating he should not be considered an all-time great. It's extremely disappointing. Because even though we don't know when he started juicing, I personally feel that without using his expensive lotions and creams, he would have still been a Hall of Famer.
He didn't need to cheat to be great. But he wanted the attention that the other people who were juicing were getting. He allowed jealousy and envy to ruin His image! That's a choice that he made and there are consequences for our choices. For that reason I can't put him in the all-time great category. And I don't believe he should be in the Hall of Fame. Just like in business, and in life in general, "success" wealth and fame aren't the end-all-be-all. The journey, how you achieve that success, or how you forgo success because character is more important, that is far far more important than the level of success you achieve.
@SunamiKilla what is your point? Where did I imply that Barry Bonds doesn't have skill? Where did I imply that other players were not cheating? The way my morals are set up, just because everybody else is doing something does not make it okay for me to do. So when I'm evaluating a player I use the same standards.
And the argument that steroids don't really help that much is just foolish. People say I still have to go out there and hit the ball, of course! I don't understand the point you're making when you take that line. Because if steroids didn't give you a great advantage, then why risk fines, your health, and your image taking them?
@SunamiKilla I still don't understand your point. And I don't want to misinterpret, but it sounds like what you were saying is since everybody else was cheating, bonds shouldn't be thought less of just because he was the best at cheating. Is that right? If not, what EXACTLY is your point?
He was in the discussion of “best player in baseball” for two decades. You can ignore the home runs and still make a great case for Cooperstown.
@Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball And even after the allegations, they don't suddenly make your plate discipline any better. They don't suddenly make you a Gold Glove every year (which he already was). They just don't do that.
Some players I believe should be in the hall of fame because one thing doesn’t disregard everything else they did. Bonds was a top 3 hitter all time no matter what you say, some think Ruth or Williams were better.
Another case is Pete Rose. He gave everything he had to baseball, played more than any human ever to live. That alone makes you a HOFer.
Rodriguez, again loves the game, and his career in baseball is still going as a commentator and host, plus he’s one of the most famous players ever, all three of these are.
@Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball Um, first ballot already happened and he got like 35% - that's reality
@@ThomasPoorman And yet, there's a nice plaque for a known PED enabler in Alan Selig.
@Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball lol no he wont. cheaters don't make it in :)
Bonds and growing up in the Bay area was the coolest thing I can ever explain. Being a little kid watching him effortlessly hit homeruns had me in awe. I know he's hated but those years when I dreamed of being a ball player bonds was the one we all wished we where
There was a version of that growing up in LA as a Dodgers fan at the same time. Bonds really was the perfect sports villain. Every win over the Giants was that much sweeter because we overcame undisputable greatness to get the W. The losses against the Giants weren't sad so much as they left you in awe and a little bit of terror, because he was *just that good*. There was just no-one like Barry.
Yeah, but growing up as a kid in the bay area during the dynasty era was amazing. I miss being a 6 year old screaming at tim lincecum through the screen or jumping with excitement after cains no hitter and skipping trick or treating for the 2010 World Series.
Barry Bonds is a great reminder to always eat your fruits and vegetables.
You're forgetting the balance. He was getting grains in as well. Whole wheat toast most likely.
@@FoolishBaseball dont forget the lean meats.
The only athlete in the history of professional team sports to reach his physical and mental peak in his late thirties.
Just goes to show you what hard work and a good attitude will do for you.
@@danielsykes4872 and lots of steroids
@@albertlwj - That's the joke. :-)
That Gagne v Bonds part was so cool. Power on power!
Classic AB
Bonds knew a fastball was coming....that diminishes it a bit.
Not when it’s the pitcher who told him.
@@claytonshank6871 I don't mean he cheated or had an unfair advantage. But any batter that knows what pitch is coming...is set up for success. See Houston Astros or any other team where a pitcher is tipping pitches. All I'm saying is ..it's easy to crush a pitch when you're sitting fastball. At a minimum it's easier than when you don't know what's coming. Soo..in this case it would have been more impressive if Gagne hadn't told him what was coming.
Would love to see Aroldis Chapman go against Bonds. That ball is going straight to Mars if Bonds makes contact lol
I wish Barry got more love man. He was so good in a stacked division filled with juice heads. He felt bad man, then he leveled the playing field
Let me just appreciate that there is still new baseball content for a second during these difficult times. I mean, seriously thank you so much
Hey, you're welcome
8:49 "The Anaheim Angels of California of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"
The batting eye, speed and glove alone make him hall worthy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you add the fact that even without steroids he’d have been the only 500-500 player...should have been a first ballot hall of famer
Nope. All steriods
@@HenryLowenstein there are easier ways to tell someone you’re retarded and don’t understand baseball
@@HenryLowensteinyour lost
@@HenryLowenstein coming here 10 months after to say that this is literally impossible. i bet if they gave you steroids you wouldnt be able to hit a single mlb pitch. what a stupid take.
@@beckettschuchts4275 his video game level success with the giants was largely due to steroids. because of this, he shouldn’t be in the hall of fame
Thank you for pointing out MLB's hypocrisy in embracing that clown, Bud Selig. Not only did he turn a blind eye to steroids, he's the only commissioner to have a World Series cancelled. He should be embarrassed to show his face and instead they act like he was great.
They act like he's great cause he represented their interests. The owners are the true clowns, and he worked for them.
7-time MVP, and was absolutely *robbed* of 2 more. That's nuts.
So you're saying that cheating pays?
Not necessarily. Bonds won MVP awards in 1990, 1992 and 1993 and came in 2nd in 1991 to Terry Pendleton, long before Barry started playing with his chemistry set, which didn't start until 1999 at the earliest. He came within a whisker of winning 4 MVPs in a row when he was still young and skinny and clean. Peter Gammons of ESPN said he interviewed many MVP voters in 1991 who picked Pendleton ahead of Bonds and almost all of them said the same 2 things: 1) they admitted Bonds had the better season and was more valuable to his team and 2) they voted for Pendleton anyways mainly because THEY HATED BARRY BONDS.
@@moeball740 So Barry was much hated even back as far as 91? I thought it started in SF when his spats with teammates and media were well known.
@@Garrett1240 Well when Bobby Bonds is your dad, Reggie Jackson is your cousin and Willie Mays is your godfather, you grow up believing you are going to be one of the greatest players ever. On the one hand, Barry was right, he did turn out to be one of the greatest players ever. On the other hand, his ego and arrogance pissed off a lot of people including fans, media and his own teammates. When he was in college his teammates tried to "vote him off the island", shall we say, despite their acknowledgement that he was the best player on the team. So college, Pittsburgh, San Francisco - yeah Barry made a lot of enemies along the way.
@@Garrett1240 I don't remember the exact details but bonds was hated even by his college team supposedly
Actually, that intentional walk with the bases loaded is one of the smartest managerial decisions I've ever seen. They only had one out left and was still up by one.
Man, there was nothing more exciting in my 30+ years of watching baseball than a 2001-2004 Barry Bonds at bat. His vision and plate discipline were just other worldly. You felt like something was going to happen every pitch. It was just special.
"nothing more exciting" calm down its still baseball
@@poolsoup6650 damn sounds like ur life is like a baseball game
Don’t hate the passion
Every plate appearance was magic. The stadium was electric.
I had a bet during that stretch with a co worker that Bonds would hit a home run that night.. I lost... didn’t take into consideration they would intentionally walk him three times
I know the “balanced breakfast” must have been a meme for such a long time, but I find it absolutely hilarious.
It came from (as far as I know) an sb nation video with jon bois.
Gotta get that on a shirt, barry bonds cereal...
@@fryncyaryorvjink2140 Jon Bois! ...really hope he wasn't one of the ones furloughed...
ahh...the golden years
🎵Golden years! Goooollld! Bwah bwah bwah🎵
OY WILL! great to see you here pare! Isang taon ako nahuli pero magandang makita na may kapwa Pinoy na baseball fan tooooo HAHA
Bonds was my favorite player growing up, every day I would watch SportsCenter after school and see a new home run/broken record. This man deserves to be in the hall of fame
His home should be THE Hall of Fame. ;-P
No, Barry Bonds was a good baseball player, but Barry Bonds the HR record breaker was a freak of biological engineering that ruined the game. No one who made their career on steroids will get in the hall of fame again because with steroid they aren’t the best baseball players ever, they’re just decent plus some exit velo in a syringe
@@Wozrop Ok, how do you feel about the countless steroid users and other cheaters who are in the hall now? He was clearly a better player than anyone else even before he ever used anything, not some average player like you say. He was on the same level as Willie Mays and McCovey before 1998 for goodness sake.
Wozrop you’re either stupid or naive to think players aren’t using anything now. Players ALWAYS look for the edge.
Trevor Boyle I know they are now, Emmanuel Class just got dinged for it. But the league can catch them now. But that doesn't mean every single player is juiced. I think you can safely say that there's no reason to suspect anyone of juicing until the league catches them.
Hot take: This felt like a slightly different video format to usual - but it was still very excellent
You're not wrong. Definitely trying to weave four mini-stories together rather than just tell one.
As an 8 year old Padres fan I remember being really confused watching Bonds exit in his last game, wondering why the game was being put on hold for whoever this guy was. 15 years later, it was really nice being able to appreciate that exit and that hug in this video :')
I'm a big, BIG, baseball fan from Italy. I started loving baseball in 2000, when I was 10 years old, thanks (also) to Barry Bonds. I can't be more grateful to him for giving me this incredible gift, the gift of loving baseball.
And I can't even describe you how grateful I am to be able to learn more and more about baseball from your great videos. They are always interesting, perfectly well-made and full of love for baseball.
Thank you and thanks Barry Bonds!
Di dove sei in Italia? E c'è qualche posto in Italia più interessato al baseball del resto del paese? Ci sto andando prossima e mi domando se posso trovare i campi o le gabbie nel Sud in particolare, allora penso che la probabilità è inverosimile
@@AirBuddDwyer Ciao Janoy, io sono di Genova. In Italia non c'è grande interesse verso il baseball, ma vi è comunque un campionato nazionale in cui giocano squadre competitive a livello europeo e che spesso acquistano giocatori anche dalla mlb.
I posti dove è più giocato sono Nettuno, Rimini, Parma, alcune zone della riviera ligure. Al sud non so nemmeno se esistano dei campi da baseball. In generale, comunque, è difficile trovare del baseball in Italia.
Ti auguro un buon viaggio!
@@marcopiana04 Grazie mille per la riposta e gli auguri !
@John Smith Entitled to it, bro
"Barry Bonds is the only person to ever win 4 MVPs in their career"
Mike Trout: For now atleast.
Drew Venne You think trout can go back to back?
Mike trout: “hold my goateness”.
Bonds has 7, these 4 were back to back.
M Detlef Barry slashed .471/.700/1.294 4 HRs 6 RBIs in 7 games what the fuck are you talking about
@M Detlef More like they had no pitching, which is actually the theme throughout Bonds's career. He was as close to a one-man championship team as you can get, but was never on a team with a dominant pitcher.
Barry Bonds was like Lance Armstrong, everyone around them were eating a balanced breakfast, but all of the blame gets put on them
You need to be able to make an example out of people and Bonds not being spared is necessary.
Sadly, MLB is so incompetent that they can’t go be consistent or even straightforward about what else to do and idiotic moves like inducting Selig into the HoF despite being a terrible overseer of the game that oversaw a canceled World Series and allowed the PED’s to flow like a waterfall.
Lance is actually a decent comparison with Bonds. Both were to greatest to ever do it, and in their eras everyone was cheating - which only further illustrates that they were the best of their eras.
i think it's presumptuous to think "everyone was doing it"... no way.. it wasn't the stats.. it was the size of the human being.. you put bonds and mcguire beside players like ichiro and your claim that "everyone was doing it" goes out the window... i'm sure many of them used PED's.. but, to say "all" or even "most" is ridiculous.. i'd actually say that most didn't... i think "most" have more respect for the 'game'... but, that's just my opinion.
@@kdogg6781 not gonna lie, Juicy Ichiro would have been bananas to watch
and they're still eating them to this day, the toast is just a little less crispy.
Barry bonds to me is one of the greatest player ever to pick up a bat. He had great coordination and didn’t need the roids
Definitely didn't need the 'roids to be great
Foolish Baseball well
For me it’s between him and Griffey who are the best
World class eye sight as well. I’ve heard he had 20/10 vision.
Go Pro well if you are gong greatest butters ever he’s on that conversation with Griffey Gwynn
@Phoneybeetlemaniacxs
Gwynn also had 20/10 vision!
I’m waiting for the part 4 of the Seattle Mariners series of sb nation.
Edit: never expected to get 400 likes. I’m not begging but thank you for this, sb nation fans.
On his twitter jon bois announced it will be delayed to tuesday
you're not the only one
As a Yankees fan, part 3 made it really hard to root for the yankees
Same
biggg facts
Just found this channel. You deserve an ESPN show, a Netflix show, something. The combination of sharp writing, fantastic research, excellently placed QUICK jokes for levity.... All paired with the clever video game theme and graphics. Just an incredibly well done channel. Thank you for the clearly hard work you put in.
He was also intentionally walked with the bases empty a few dozen times
They were that scared of a solo homer?
@@itsjustjoel28 Yup. In 2004 alone, that happened 19 times. Everyone else in MLB combined for a whopping zero.
You know that you’re a scary hitter when you get intentional walked with the bases loaded
That's about the biggest sign of respect you can get
You know that you’re a scary breakfast eater when the breakfast chef already has breakfast plate #2 ready when you haven’t even finished the first breakfast plate of your balanced breakfast.
@@timeland8343 Well, if majority of the cafeteria is eating the same breakfast, what's the fuss?? Just cause barry ate his better? It's literally human nature my guy.. Bonds got FOMO and said 'hold my beer'.. plain and simple
The way he but the bat on the ball. The swing the “pull” is one of a kind. Idc what anyone says. He is the goat in my eyes. One of the best ever to play the game 💪🏻
💉💪
@@terrancegore1fan461 bozo 👎🏻
Foolish BB, why do you always have to bring up terrible memories of my Pirates?
It hurts, man
To be fair, there aren't many good Pirates memories from the last 30 years or so
@@FoolishBaseball You're 100% right. We have that wild card game.....and then we gotta go back to Clemente and Stargill. It's hard to be a fan of the modern team and see bonds whiff that throw and his career in Pitt though.
Keep up the great work! Thanks for the response to the comment too
@@anonmeatcheesebun If the pirates keep firing bad gm''s and scout, eventually they will be forced to pick up someone who knows what they are doing when no one else is left.
Pirates fans of my generation will always have that 1 wild card game in which we got under Johnny Cueto's skin.....and that's about it lol. We have suffered much
David Graney That is the only real playoff memories I have of the Pirates. It is sad because we had such a young and talented team in the early 2010’s and it just went to waste.
At 4:26 you started to sound like Scott Stiener telling me Samoa Joe's chances of wining the three way match at Sacrifice
HAHAHA that clip is iconic
And they spell Dis4st3r!
HES FAT
Bonds gets no sympy
I wonder if Bonds and Poppa Pump ever ran into each other at the Balanced Breakfast Restaurant
Man, growing up in the SF Bay Area as a kid and watching Barry Bonds was great. Say what you want about his PED use, watching him was so fun and nothing could have compared to it in baseball at the time.
It was like watching a super hero come to the plate, and the way he would just blast homeruns with that signature swing and follow-through was something to see. Not to mention, the excitement of following his single season homerun record and total homerun record runs.
Asterisk or not, Barry Bonds was and always will be my favorite baseball player and the memories of watching him as a kid, with my Dad (RIP), will never be forgotten. Thanks for this video, it brought back a lot of memories.
There needs to be an asterisk be every player that played before 2003
*** never tested for PEDs
Bonds is the GOAT. Period.
Very creative way to depict the impact of Barry Bonds on MLB. I really enjoyed this analysis.
I could have watched 20 more minutes. Your videos always bring a special perspective to things people might not think of. The game has so much nuance that people miss. I love how you always bring it out.
2002 was a rough year for me. My Giants lost in the World series, my Kings lost in the Western Conference Finals, and my Raiders lost in the Superbowl. I was 9 years old and I was devastated. Thankfully my Giants would spoil from 2010-2014. Still waiting for my Raiders and Kings to get back to winning year in and year out. I love BB #25 and it was so much fun to watch him break the single season homerun record, and the all time homerun record.
Well the Kings at least look like they'll be a playoff team this season.
I grew up as and am still a Giants fan. Bonds is my favorite player of all time and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Your content is so good you must be taking steroids.
anyone who has seen what I look like from the Spring Training videos can tell you that's not true
@@FoolishBaseball haha don't worry not everyone can spend 3 hours a day in the gym
no way. he's just eating a very balanced breakfast.
Stronk
Foolish Baseball isn't here to talk about the past
Say what you will, this man easily could've hit 80hr and 800. But was not getting pitches. The greatest player ever.
Roids.
@@smaranuppal9454 no
@@michaeljordan6239 ? U saying he didn't take steroids??
Nope, he's saying Bonds still posted impressive stats before he was taking steroids. Also being on the juice doesn't mean you can hit the ball nor memorize the strikezone. Also in the modern era of the MLB with all the pitchers using foreign substances similar to the steroid era, will pitchers like Trevor Bauer, Shohei Ohtani, Mad Max and Gerrit Cole (who have been caught using foreign substances) be excluded from the possibility of becoming hall of famers?
@@accountforschool12321 im saying it doesnt matter whether he was good without it or not. Bottom line - he cheated, that's on him and that should exclude him from the hof
I was there the night of Gagne. Jon Miller says it's the best at bat he ever saw, he is right.
Timemaster f Gagne was on steroids and so what there was no testing for it!!
H&L Spraying amen to that. Believe he was coming off an acl surgery or a tommy John. Everyone there knew it was a juice off that is why it was so epic.
Timemaster f he was on Roids and has admitted as much
Timemaster f I didn’t say he wasn’t. But your original comment you said imagine if he was on roids as if he wasn’t at the time.
I’m pro steroids, so I’m not bitching about it. But you statement makes it look like Gagne was clean while bonds was juicing at the time. Which is not the case
@Timemaster f Apparently he was, the video says as much during that segment.
I rewatch this video like 4 times a year. What a specimen bonds was. So glad I grew up watching him
"Barry Bonds! Where Fantasy Becomes Reality!" -Michael Kay, August 7, 2007, probably
legend has is that after the Iron Horse finished his iconic speech, Kay interrupted the broadcast by saying "LOU GEHRIG! Where fantasy becomes reality!"
I believe he also said the same thing on October 1, 1961 for Roger Maris
He said on Reggie Jackson’s 3rd homerun in game 6 of 1977 World Series
Yeah but he made contact and knew pitch counta
Foolish Baseball don’t forget when Michael Kay called Ted Williams last swing
Bonds was a gifted player, especially hitter, and I'm surprised people haven't emulated his style. Swung a relatively small bat, and still choked up, stood close to the plate, and enabled himself to get the sweet spot on the ball...all the time! Sure, he had talent, but he also understood the physics involved in hitting...something today's hitters don't get!
TBoneBoomBoom steroids ya hall of famer arguable purely good hitter yes dude made solid contact all the time
Great point. Bonds was not just among the best hitters all time, but also among the smartest.
He was also incredibly patient as a hitter. He would make pitchers work for his out. Of course he made a lot of them pay for making mistakes too but his patience at the plate is often overlooked simply because of his power numbers.
It's actually really interesting to hear people talk about how players like Juan Soto today are choking up on the bat for certain counts, adjusting where they're standing, and so on to deal with each at bat and scenario. It's cool that we live in this highly analytical period of baseball.
As a giants fan born in 1996
Bonds made the first half of my years watching enjoyable and he’s the greatest I’ve ever seen play the game
Man, same. Giants fan born in 95 and I vividly remember “he hits it high! he hits deep!” Shouts out to Kruk and Kuip.
I've watched every video you've made and this was my favorite. I grew up watching Bonds and have mixed feelings about him being a Braves fan for obvious reasons. I watched his 71st HR at my great grandparents and HR #756 at my parents house and it still feels like yesterday. Seems like I watched more Giants games growing up than Braves just to see all the records he was breaking. You can't do all of what I did without having some form of like for the guy. Great video, FBB.
I really love this video. Bonds is an interesting figure who every baseball lover has a strong opinion on. I always like seeing videos that address his talents before and after the scandal without making him out to be an angel or a devil.
I only hope some day videos about Ryan Braun will be made, and will be made with respect. In many ways he is the opposite of Bonds. Bonds ended his career hitting big numbers, being a baseball "bad boy," and being part of a scandal. That's how Braun began his career. He was a young, hot-shot, power hitting, MVP, with an out of control ego. But unlike Bonds, who left the scene amidst the scandal while getting to keep his asterisk numbers, Braun had a different path to face.
Being young, he was on contract with the Brewers, so despite the scandal, they could not dump him. Braun had to keep playing in the city that was so disappointed in him. I'm sure it was hard for him. But how Braun responded is what makes him, in my opinion, one of the greatest men to play the game of baseball.
He did not condemn his team. He did not insult the city. He did forsake the fans. He apologized, kept his head down, and played the game. Of course, his numbers were never as good, but he was still a solid player league wise and one of the better players on the Brewers. He kept playing. He never quit. Even though the Brewers were less than great, he stuck with him and they stuck with him, for better or worse, forced to or not.
Then the Brewers got good again. Yelich, Moustakas, Grandal, Suter, Hader, led by Craig Counsel, and a now veteran Ryan Braun. On a team filled to the brim with young talent, there's old man Braun. And he isn't on the outskirts as a pariah, no, he's part of the team. They love him and he loves them. Yelich has mentioned on countless occasions how much of a mentor Braun has been to him. Braun is included in all the funny skits and stunts they do. When Yelich was injured in the post-season push of 2019, Braun even wore Yelich's jersey under his own, in Miami heat! In every promo and every interview, Braun speaks glowingly about, as he says, "his only team." He loves the whole Brewers community, and we love him.
Ryan Braun begs the question. What makes a great man great? A great man can be a Mike Trout. He can put up amazing numbers and stats while being likable in the locker-room and the community alike. A great man can be a Jeff Francoeur. He can put up average numbers, but be so kind and good and lovable that he becomes a legend for being the nicest man to play the game. Or maybe a great man can be a Ryan Braun. He can make a mistake, but refuse to let that mistake define him, and become one of the greatest players ever on a team that loves him, forgives him, and is happy to call him one of ours.
Natalie Bernier Braun robbed Matt Kemp of an MVP. He will always be a downright scoundrel in my book.
@@Datfunkykuedood After looking at the numbers, I think the voters robbed Kemp, not Braun. He was 1 HR away from 40-40..
Giant difference here: Braun needed PEDs to be a good ball player: Bonds was already well above everyone not named Kenneth when he started using. Also, Braun violated MLB’s PED policy, Bonds did not.
Braun's really not a good guy at all. He said bold faced lie after bold faced lie, most notably leveling a left field accusation (pun intended) against a guy that he was anti-Semitic and cost him his job
He's just sorry he got caught. I see no evidence of humility whatsoever. Thank goodness he won't be a hall of famer since he'd be an utter disgrace to Cooperstown
@@trevor2561 All of this 'Bonds did not violate the policy' just makes yall sound like morons. We get it. baseball was greedy and has no morals so they let there players cheat. Doesnt make it right. And thats why bonds is revered by MLB, and its his own fault. he was already one of the best when he decided to cheat, and no matter what any of you goof fans say he's never going to get the credit he deserves and it's his own fault. Get over it. The best players in history didnt have to cheat. Cheating is for subpar players who want to be good or great. Bonds sullied his own rep and he can cry me a fucking river about it.
The MLB lost their moral high ground when it allowed the Astro players to escape without punishment during their egregious cheating scandal. Bonds is the greatest player and needs to be in the Hall.
The Astros cheating scandal seems far worse than the PED era and yet only the PED era players were punished. The Astros should have been treated like the blacksocks
When injustice prevails it shouldn't justify normalizing injustice. That's like saying because one extremely skilled thief got away with stealing a candy bar, everyone should get away with stealing a candy bar. Which would lead to no longer viewing candy bar theft as bad. Thusly encouraging everyone to start stealing as much as they can for as long as possible. Essentially rewarding thieves and honoring them with praise for stealing. Utter nonsense...
@@chrisfalcone315 who hurt you?
@@chade1983 While that may be true, so long as Bud Selig is in the hall of fame there really is no moral high ground for the MLB to take or fans to lean on. That said, while I loved Bonds as a kid and he made me a fan of baseball, I'd be more inclined to remove Bud Selig than add Bonds, but as long as he stays in then Bonds is just a scapegoat to me.
@@chrisfalcone315 The problem is, other teams did the same thing. Also the Redsox had used a similar system for their 2014 World Series iirc. It would have been too messy to do that to the Astros and not go back and hit other teams.
Life of a Don, lights keep glowing
Coming in the club with that fresh sh** on
With something crazy on my arm
Uh-uh-hum, and here's another hit, Barry Bonds
we outta here baby
Fresh off the plane konichiwa bitches
The most unappreciated GOAT to ever live. People don’t realize he switched his swing to uppercuts when the Giants moved into that new park with the RF porch. Today it’s just considered launch angle.
Ted Williams advocated for an uppercut swing and hitting balls in the air as well.
@Foolish Baseball
Ya great point. The OG pull hitter. He mighta hit .500 if he was right handed.
Regardless of the roids you still have to hit the danm ball. I think he's deserves to be there with the greats.
5:05 "Mark McGwife"
I loved the Bonds vs Gagne story, pretty cool piece of history you would never get from just watching on TV.
Fantastic video with both professional visual quality and gripping, thoughtful narration. Makes me want to see this expanded into a Netflix style mini series. Bonds may be universally despised but he was definitely fascinating, and this short think-piece really captures both the captivating and the polarizing nature of his presence and abilities. He's kind of the anti-Jordan, the GOAT that nobody wants to see win.
Haven't been this excited for a Foolish Baseball video since Blaze Alexander was tearing it up for the White Sox
Haven't been this stoked since Shea Langeliers got called up
I've watched this video probably 10 times if not more. This is far and away the best video you've ever made. One of the few videos to acknowledge bonds cheating but appreciate how outstanding he truly wasn
That was honestly a really nice and thoughtful way to sum up the story of Bonds without taking a clear stance. Man you are doing some really unique and interesting stuff when it comes to baseball stories. This was really enjoyable and it sorta hit the feels at the end of the video honestly.
You have a real talent for this man, you captured the entire legacy of Barry bonds with 4 at bats. And the presentation is awesome; I wish you the best and use this video as a resume starter. Huge fan of your content, cheers man
He's my favorite baseball player. Greatest of all time. Greatness embodied.
Disgusting...
Bonds circa 2001-2004 is the single most dominant athlete I’ve witnessed in any sport. Steroids or not, Bonds belongs in the hall. His career numbers pre steroids were already HOF worthy. 2001-onward is just the exclamation point.
I'm a lifelong Braves fan and really started watching in '91 when I was 10 but I've always admired Barry Bonds. He's a great player to say the least. Probably one of the best players that has ever played the game. And I know steroids make you stronger so you can hit the ball farther but they don't make you as good of a player as Bonds was. That was all him. Do I think he deserves to be in the HOF? Absolutely! So does Roger Clemens. And so does another one of the best hitters that's ever played, Pete Rose.
Pete Rose was actually an okay hitter through his career, and only has the all time hits record because he was made player-manager and kept putting himself in the lineup despite being legitimately terrible
He also 100% knew that betting on baseball would get him permanently banned but did it anyway. Literally his argument that he shouldn't be banned was "hey I'm Pete Rose"
@@wyssmasternah, Pete rose genuinely had some good hitting years. I agree that he is probably a bit overrated, though.
Goddamn look how good the steroids made his plate discipline and hand eye coordination. What I really wanna know is how the steroids were so strong they retroactively got him an mvp in Pittsburgh
Wakka, THAT is exactly why I get so pissed off at Bonds for juicing. He was ALREADY Hall of Fame material, probably one of the fifteen best players in the game in the early 90s, and maybe even better than his dad, whom I had the privilege of watching as a Giant. But no, he needed to be the absolute best, even if he had to cheat to do it. He saw McGwire and Sosa getting all the love and accolades, and he knew what it would take to get those for himself - he thought. Instead, it made him a pariah in the vast majority of the sporting world. Barry Bonds is one of the great sporting tragedies of my lifetime.
He cheated once he may have cheated early on in his career too. Why should i give him the benefit of the doubt?
@@exiled5160 What you think he bribed the pitchers? Used cybernetics to enhance his eyes? He's reinforced his bats? He cheated later in his career, but letting bitterness sweep the entirety of his talent and accolades and talent under the rug is ridiculous.
@@gordonpsmith8958 He still is, the self righteousness of baseball fans astounds me. Mcgwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, put their bodies through hell to take their already hof caliber talent and push it to its absolute max because that's what competitors do. I'm sure if you'd told them back then how it would end up they wouldn't have done it, but they didn't know. All they knew was "here's a chance to become even better than I already am" and they took it. Fans, and the hall, need to get the fuck over themselves.
WakkaWakkaGaming Sosa and McGuire are question marks, because their game was 1 dimensional, but Bonds and Clemens were great before they used steroids.
Watching in 2022 when angels walked someone with bases loaded the other day
That rip on Bud Selig... I've been saying that shit for years, THANK YOU
Bonds was so good oh my god. He was early on 101 mph fastball then he had the audacity to adjust to the same pitch and not be that early and hits a homer to center field. What a beast
When you watch his home runs all you can do is laugh. A thing of beauty to watch Barry bat back in the day.
As a Giants fan the 2002 World Series remains the greatest sports disappointment of my life.
As an angels fan, its our only bit of glory, while you guys have won a few the last decade😂
For me it’s the 2016 finals warriors vs cavs “3-1”
The 2002 Giants were a typical pre-Bochy era Giants contender: great offense combined with an okay pitching staff that lacked an ace to keep opposing offenses from matching the Giants offense. That's why in hindsight Roger Craig's late 80s teams and Dusty Baker's late 90s and early 2000s teams were destined for failure despite the glimmer of hope those teams provided during those times. It's also why Bruce Bochy's early 2010s teams won 3 titles in 5 years despite having offenses that were often frustrating to watch. Having pitchers who can shut down powerful offenses is everything (see: why Tony LaRussa's heavily favored A's lost the two fall classics that were not against the Giants).
i don't wanna hear any Giants fans complain about the postseason
-sincerely, a Twins fan
@@jaydee4861 Or me, a buccos fan
Wow. I was literally all over youtube with Bonds highlights yesterday. Foolish answers the call yet again!
this is the greatest youtube video of all time and i will die on this hill
real
While some records may deserve an asterisk due to PEDs, I'm too much a casual to say what exactly they should be, there is absolutely no doubt that Bonds 100% deserves to be in the hall of fame. PEDs don't magically make you a god of baseball, or else Bonds wouldn't be head and shoulders above everyone else from the same era who were doing exactly the same thing he was.
This video was so good man. I don't comment on many videos, but I've been missing baseball a lot, and finding your channel has helped a lot.
The greatest player to ever live IMO.
If he didn’t need the 💉
What I can’t get past is the fact that he was already a hall of famer, and knew that, but still chose to deliberately cheat the game. They should’ve done a better job keeping all of the steroid users out of the hall
@@conorlmaoo This is not an excuse for Bonds but you have to understand him and his thinking. Bonds was arguably the best player in the game. Then Mac and Sosa come along and are just taking baseball to new heights. Bonds has the ego of the sun. Mac and Sosa then get PAID. Bonds (the best in baseball) sees this and says screw it. Right or wrong, it gives you an idea of his thought process. With that being said, Bonds on the "juice", made every other player in the league look like high schoolers. That right there should tell you just how stupid good/great Bonds was as a player. And you say cheat the game, I say even the playing field as MANY pitchers were also "juicing".
@@byronsmith3152 it doesn’t matter that he made the rest of the league look like high schoolers. Those numbers aren’t a measure of his natural ability. Like I said, they should’ve done a better job keeping the juicers out of the hall, like Bonds
@@conorlmaoo What is your stance on greenies?
762 home runs
2,935 hits
.298 career batting average
8 gold gloves
12 silver sluggers
7 MVPs
13 all star games
1996 RBIs
512 stolen bases
Barry Bonds isn’t a Hall of Famer, he’s the best baseball player OF ALL TIME.
Maybe he shouldn’t have cheated
@@jaimelannister1797 You're right about that, he shouldn't have. But then again plenty of people cheated and still couldn't touch Barry Bonds. Hall of fame pitchers used to doctor baseballs, Ty Cobb was a racist who would stab players with his cleats, and they get honored while THE BEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME gets the finger.
The best player to ever play baseball. Nobody scared the actual shit out of pitchers more than Barry did in his prime and it was a very long prime.
I love the poetic writing of the title. Not only is it talking about how dominant Bonds was in 2004 but also how he was represented in this video in just 4 at bats. Beautiful
Here's the deal with Bonds.... Here's why fans reserved an extra disdain for Barry Bonds than we ever did McGwire or Sosa (aside from Bonds being an unrepentant ass all the time) :
Bonds already had the abilities of a Hall of Fame player. He didn't need an enhanced fast-twitch reaction time to hit MLB pitching. From the time he broke into the majors everyone could see Barry Bonds was great. The only thing PEDs did for McGwire and Sosa was hit more HRs. They still struck out a lot; missed games with nagging injuries; were average defenders; etc. They retained all the holes in their game they'd always had, but sprinkled in more HRs on top of it all. They also didn't turn their teams into contenders either the way Bonds did the Giants. Let's be honest here:
The Cubs or Cardinals weren't beating the Braves or Yankees anyway.
Bonds was different. His improved performance as a slugger absolutely coincided with the Giants suddenly being lifted to an annual contender and pennant winner. He already had everything the human body could ask for when designing the perfect ballplayer. His use of PEDs made it absurdly unfair to the rest of MLB.
It's why guys like him and Roger Clemens have a special place reserved for them in the ire of sports fans' hearts everywhere. They didn't need these drugs to help them. Their use made it exceedingly unfair as competitors. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's doping would be equivalent to putting rocket fuel in a Ford Mustang while Clemens and Barry Bonds's cases would've been more like putting rocket fuel in a NASCAR vehicle already capable of winning the Daytona 500.
Very valuable, fair and agreeable comment!
This made me think about Bonds differently, and challenged what I think about him for the first time in a long time. Thanks FBB.
haven't really explored baseball UA-cam like that, with the season back im feeling it more than ever
Bonds cheated, yes. I’m not going to just brush it off by saying, “but so did a lot of other players”.... but...so did a lot of other players.
Here’s my question. Was Barry Bonds the first guy to use PED? I doubt it. I think Barry looked at all the other players taking steroids in the game (and you’d best believe that players talk to each other), and decided to take what a lot of other players were taking already. That doesn’t make it right, as doing so broke the rules. But in some level, can you blame him? It’s easy to say “yes”, but baseball clearly wasn’t going to do a damned thing about it. It’s either don’t take them, and sit him for the World Series, or break the rules, and level the playing field.
Let’s not lie to ourselves, kids. Before Barry Bonds came to San Francisco, he was already the best player in baseball. In the three years prior to his move west, he won a pair of MVPs, and was runner up the other season. The guy was already hitting over .300. Already stealing 40+ a season, hitting close to 40 homers. Walking 100 times. The guy was a machine. He didn’t NEED to take a steroid to be a Hall of Famer. But if you’re a great player, and you see lesser players taking something that makes them better than they are, which ultimately hurts your team’s chance at a World Series ring-do you not take the same? Bonds was getting paid. His legacy was going to fill up Cooperstown. He wanted a ring.
I’ve watched more than my fair share of media interviews with players, and a lot of them are utter assholes. I’ve heard several stories about how personable Barry Bonds could be. But he was never going to be that way with the media after watching how they treated his father; and that treatment continued when Barry became a player.
If he hadn’t taken PED, and just played on a level playing field-even batting against pitchers who were using-maybe he only hits 600 home runs.
He’s still an all-time great. Steroids didn’t turn him into Godzilla. We like to think that taking them makes a player superhuman. No, they didn’t. Maybe Bonds’ average distance and exit velocity improved with them. Maybe he got an extra 5 to 10 gone runs a year. He’s still hitting 35-40 bombs a year without them.
Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. I’m done with the negativity directed towards him. As mentioned in this video, guys like Bud Selig (who used to own my hometown team, the Brewers) knew what was going on, and turned a blind eye. They reaped the rewards of McGwire and Sosa, and Bonds chase of history, and did nothing. They got in the Hall. And now Bonds is being held to a different standard?
Put him in Cooperstown, already. This selective morality is ridiculous. He’s been made to wait, and I think that’s sufficient punishment.
I agree 100% with everything that you stated
I agree same could be said for Clemens to. He was one of the greatest pitchers I’ve ever seen and was still one of the best before the roids
Like, I get the steroids are cheating and blah blah. Did he get stronger because of them, sure probably. But his hand eye coordination didn't get better. His eyes didn't get sharper from them. Dude was a machine either way. The most frusterating is the league reaping the rewards and shunning the players that put buts in seats.
McGwire and Sosa are not in the Hall. Bonds and Clemens don’t deserve to be, either. You really think Bonds only hit 5-10 more home runs a year with PEDs? He hit 73 home runs before his IBB stat ballooned, so 30-35 home runs more a year. Yes he was a HoFer before taking PEDs, but he still took them. He still cheated. Cheating should not be rewarded.
@@abridge2 That’s why it’s so ridiculous that Bonds would even think of taking PEDs. He was guaranteed going to Cooperstown before he cheated.