<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Now there's only Hank Aaron.Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run Sunday to slip past Babe Ruth and pull in right behind Aaron, whose long-standing record of 755 may prove even tougher to crack.So let the debate begin: Can Bonds hold up to break it?"If you keep playing long enough anything is possible," he said.No. 715 played out exactly the way San Francisco's slugger wanted -- he hit it at home, in front of the fans who adore him.It just took him a little longer than he had hoped. The historic home run came eight days after he tied the Babe for second place on the career chart."For the fans of San Francisco, it can't get any better than this -- even though I made them wait longer than I have in the past," Bonds said, wearing a new 715 shirt and cap. "Age ain't catching up with me."But at 41, Bonds has been slowed by health problems. He underwent three operations on his right knee last year that limited him to 14 games, and also has bone chips in his left elbow.And many believe his rapid ascent up the home run ranks was fueled by performance-enhancing drugs -- though he has always denied knowingly taking steroids.Bonds' latest milestone -- a mightier homer than No. 714 -- was a 445-foot, two-run shot to center before a sellout crowd. His seventh homer of the season came on the last day before the Giants began a road trip to Florida and New York.Bonds' teammates toasted him with champagne in the clubhouse after the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies."Everybody was waiting for a moment like this," shortstop Omar Vizquel said. "A couple of words were said."Bonds homered off Byung-Hyun Kim in the fourth inning. The ball glanced off a fan's hands about 15 rows up and then dropped onto an elevated platform beyond the fence.The souvenir sat there for a few minutes before rolling off the roof and into the hands of 38-year-old San Francisco resident Andrew Morbitzer, who was waiting for a beer and peanuts. He was quickly ushered away by security."I got to be a small part of a big day," Morbitzer, a marketing director and newlywed who brought his bride, Megan.Bonds circled the bases as shiny orange, gold and black streamers fell from the upper deck.Bonds connected at 2:14 p.m. on a 90 mph fastball with the count full, then immediately raised his arms and clapped his hands before beginning his trot. Kim became the 421st pitcher to surrender a homer to Bonds."It's a great honor," said Bonds, who watched Aaron hit his 715th home run at age 10. "It's a wonderful honor. Hank Aaron is the home run king and I won't disrespect that ever. ... I have a lot of respect for Babe Ruth and what he's done.""I'd like to win a World Series and be home run king. I'd like to do both. I would take a World Series first," he said.Bonds embraced and kissed his 16-year-old son, bat boy Nikolai, as he crossed home plate, then was greeted by his teammates at the top of the dugout. He took one curtain call in which he tipped his hat and raised both arms and blew a kiss to the crowd.Moments later, he came out again and waved.After the homer, the Giants unfurled two banners from the light towers on either side of the main scoreboard in center field: one of Bonds on the left side and the other of Hammerin' Hank's 755, and 715 flashed on the scoreboard."I'm just happy," Nikolai said. "It was a good moment."Thousands of fans stayed put in the stadium to watch Bonds' news conference being played on the center-field scoreboard. Some chanted "Barry! Barry!" outside the Giants' clubhouse.Bonds, who had walked on five pitches in the first inning, went five games between 714 and 715. He hit 714 on May 20 at Oakland, a span of 17 at-bats and 25 plate appearances. Aaron had a four-game wait between 714 and 715."I wish I had the ball," joked Padres catcher Mike Piazza.Bonds singled to right in his next at-bat with a drive off the right-field facade that looked as if it might be headed out, too, for No. 716. He grounded out to third to end the eighth and was replaced in left field in the ninth by Jason Ellison.Bonds is still loved at home despite the steroid accusations that surround his home run pursuit.This is the first time in nearly 85 years that Ruth hasn't been in the top two on the career home run list, according to David Vincent of the Society for American Baseball Research. He passed Sam Thompson to move into second on June 20, 1921, when he hit his 127th home run.Bonds has hit most of his other milestone home runs in San Francisco: 500, 600, 700 along with 660 and 661 to tie and pass godfather Willie Mays. In 2001, Bonds hit the final three of his 73 homers at home to break Mark McGwire's single-season record of 70.Aaron passed Ruth in April 1974."Watching Barry, I had goosebumps," said Colorado center fielder Ryan Spilborghs, called up before the game. "It was one of the most incredible baseball moments I've ever had."This was Bonds' last chance during the six-game homestand before the Giants left town for another week. He hadn't homered at home since May 2 against San Diego's Scott Linebrink."Oh, I knew it was gone," said Bonds, who hit his 49th career homer off Colorado. "I knew it was definitely gone. There was no doubt."Kim has a history of giving up notable homers -- he allowed tying two-run homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to the Yankees' Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius in Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series.Kim also gave up a key homer in the World Baseball Classic semifinals in South Korea's loss to Japan."I thought the game was finished," he joked. "People cheer like that when it's over."Giants manager Felipe Alou wrote Bonds into the lineup without checking with the seven-time NL MVP about playing in a day game following a night game, aware that Bonds wanted to make history at home."That's one of the reasons I'm playing him without even asking him," Alou said. "We're going to be gone for a week. Today's the perfect day."Hitting it in Florida in a near-empty stadium was far from what Bonds or the Giants wanted for his latest feat."I'm glad for him. He is a great player, and has had a great career," St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols said. "It's going to be tough for anyone else to reach 715."Fans at San Diego's Petco Park booed when a replay of Bonds' homer was shown on the big screen during the sixth inning of the Cardinals-Padres game. Bonds was booed repeatedly during a season-opening series at San Diego, and a fan threw a toy syringe at him on opening day."I'm just wondering how much longer he can do it," Atlanta pitcher John Smoltz said. "He's the greatest -- in my era -- home run hitter I have ever seen."Beginning Monday morning, fans with tickets to Sunday's game were able to bring their stub to a Giants store for their special Bonds 715 home run pin.</div>It took him a while, but this is still an amazing achievement. Isn't it time to stop bashing him and celebrate?Eh, but he cheated.....Naw, I give him credit for this achievement. Barry is still a great baseball player. It took him 20 games though.
715...and he had to rely on the juice. Doesnt deserve to go in the books. I dont really know what elce to say, pathetic
Of course I am not going to celebrate this, but it's a great achievment. He is obviously a good hitter, but he should never have hit so many HR's. I would've nailed this fool right in his knee cap with a heater..Eh...I can't wait until the day Pujols passes Barry, then I'll celebrate.
Congratulations to Barry...I'm tired of all the hate. Of course the record is going to be "tainted" in the eyes of the public, but in general this entire ERA will be tainted. How do you know how many homers he hit simply because of the juice? How do you know how many pitchers took steroids, yet still gave up homers to Barry? The list goes on and on...If one player is going to be ridiculed, then the rest of the players should also be ridiculed. By singling him out it just shows that people hate his greatness.
I'm not gonna go out and diss Barry Bonds or anything because people have been doing this a ton. Im just gpoing to say that there is a high probability that Bonds took steroids that year he hit 73 homers and also a few other seasons. IMO when/if they prove that he took steroids they should take the stats from the years he took steroids away from the record books. Its the only fair thing to do.Also, this doesnt make Babe any less great. He did this in a time where power was not huge in baseball. He is still the greatest hitter ever and this doesnt make Barry any better than him. If Barry didnt do this, someone else would.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ May 29 2006, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Congratulations to Barry...I'm tired of all the hate. Of course the record is going to be "tainted" in the eyes of the public, but in general this entire ERA will be tainted. How do you know how many homers he hit simply because of the juice? How do you know how many pitchers took steroids, yet still gave up homers to Barry? The list goes on and on...If one player is going to be ridiculed, then the rest of the players should also be ridiculed. By singling him out it just shows that people hate his greatness.</div>The thing is every player is ridiculed, in Canseco's book he goes after Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson and even Roger Clemens.Lots of players have been targeted for steroid abuse but none of them have set any huge records or anything to what Barry has done, thats why he gets all the hate.Lets not forget racism either, do you really think any of those white rednecks wanted Barry to shatter the record?I'm sure there already mad enough about Hank, now Barry.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ May 29 2006, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>How do you know how many pitchers took steroids, yet still gave up homers to Barry?[...]If one player is going to be ridiculed, then the rest of the players should also be ridiculed. By singling him out it just shows that people hate his greatness.</div>Name one pitcher that has increased his bulk at an alarming rate after already being a full-grown adult.I personally have no respect for any of the players that have done steroids. I hated Mark McGwire back when he was breaking records, because we knew that he took steroids. The difference between that and this is that the media didn't give him any heat about it. The media essentially controls public opinion, and it shows more than anything else that the media is just putting more emphasis on Barry than anyone else. Rafael Palmeiro was another particularly disappointing one, because he specifically said he hadn't. He played for the Rangers at one point, so it struck a nerve...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 29 2006, 03:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm not gonna go out and diss Barry Bonds or anything because people have been doing this a ton. Im just gpoing to say that there is a high probability that Bonds took steroids that year he hit 73 homers and also a few other seasons. IMO when/if they prove that he took steroids they should take the stats from the years he took steroids away from the record books. Its the only fair thing to do.</div>Is it really the only fair thing to do? Why? Because it's Barry Bonds? So, if they take his stats out of the book, then they need to go back and take every player's stats out of the books. How are they going to figure out which pictures took steroids, what players took steroids, etc. Also, if I remember correctly, what he allegedly took during that 73-homer season wasn't banned by MLB (it was however banned by US law)... there were definitely many other players taking performance-enhancing drugs, but they aren't being targetted because they are not Barry Bonds.If we are going to talk about doing something "fair," then it is only fair that MLB investigate each and every player in the modern-era, and take away their stats during those years they allegedly took steroids. That is fair...Obviously there is no doubting that there will always be an askterisk next to his name in the minds of the public.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Heatfan32 @ May 29 2006, 03:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The thing is every player is ridiculed, in Canseco's book he goes after Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson and even Roger Clemens.Lots of players have been targeted for steroid abuse but none of them have set any huge records or anything to what Barry has done, thats why he gets all the hate.</div>Yes, in his book they are ridiculed, but they are not ridiculed like Barry is... obviously, a lot of that has to do with his approaching (and obviously now passing) the immortal Ruth. Bonds is being targetted, while a lot of other players aren't... of course the media also plays a huge part in that because of the headlines it generates.About the records... Clemens surpassed the 300 win milestone back when he was with the Yankees. That was pretty historic, but nobody is questioning him, and there is no black cloud hovering over his accomplishments and his career.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Lets not forget racism either, do you really think any of those white rednecks wanted Barry to shatter the record?I'm sure there already mad enough about Hank, now Barry.</div>I also agree with you there 100%...By no means am I advocating steroids or supporting/excusing what Bonds allegedly did... but he is being singled out and targetted. People are talking about "lets be fair and take away his homers, etc.," but that isn't fair unless the league does that for each and every player in the modern-era. Some people just don't want Bonds to past the immortal Babe Ruth... steroids or not (obviously he wouldn't have 715 homers right now without the "alleged" juicing).Also, people tend to forget that Barry would have surely been a HOF without taking steroids, but obviously his power numbers wouldn't be as 'impressive' as they are now.
May I add that Canseco is a huge moron? This is the guy who got a homer hit off his head. He took steroids and consequently tattled on everyone else. He is a selfish, moronic sleazebag. All he was doing is publicizing his new book.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HEAT4Champs @ May 30 2006, 06:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I am glad to see Bonds get this. And, that's all I am going to say.</div>So you don't hate that he used steroids?!?! lol jk
It sucks that he had to ruin everything and take steriods because he could naturally hit 45 HR's like he did in 1993 when he hit 46 HR's...eh.
