756!

[kevin_standlee]

I was watching in 1974 when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record, and I'm happy to be able to say that I was watching tonight's game when Barry Bonds broke Aaron's record by hitting his 756th career home run into the center-field bleachers.

I didn't get to see the record-tying 755th HR this past weekend because I was at the Oregon Steam-Up that afternoon, but thank goodness I wasn't working so late that I couldn't get home to watch this historic moment in sports.

When the ball first hit, it bounced hard (whoever was nearby the bounce point will be kicking themselves for the rest of their lives, I reckon) and landed some rows away, where it looked like the biggest rugby scrum of all time as people fought for the ball. I hope the injuries were not too bad. They later showed a shot of a fellow being hustled away surrounded by police, and the announcers say that's the guy who got the ball. I wonder how many people will try to sue him claiming that they touched it first and he took it away from them.

Comments

[querldox.livejournal.com]

All I can say is "Asterisk" and, as much as it bugs Red Sox fan me, "Go A-Rod".

I do believe Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the 80s and most of the 90s, but it's pretty obvious to me that he has this particular record due to steroid or other substance use (people do not bulk up like he did at the age where he significantly did so, and it coincides with a late 30s homer surge over several years that just statistically and historically doesn't happen at that age).

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

And I believe he was playing against people who were similarly "enhanced" which means the field was as level as it was likely to be.

I also don't believe in "asterisks" in this context and never thought the one that was associated with Roger Maris' record was wrong too. (Although in fact the official record books didn't actually have an asterisk after Maris' record, but that's how people think about it.) Either you have the record or you don't.

The fact that anyone was using performance-enhancing drugs is wrong, but you can't simply erase the entire 1980-2000 baseball seasons and pretend they didn't exist.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Re-read the first line of the second paragraph. I think you have an extra "never" in there.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Yep, you're right. Alas for LJ's inability to edit comments!

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Was any note taken when Bonds passed Ruth's record? Or is that now considered totally insignificant?

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

It was taken note of by the national media, but not much. It is consider insignificant because it was for second all time, not first.

With his surliness, I don't care about the record. I wrote a whole blog about why I didn't care about the record a month or two ago. This was long before Mike Greenburg said he was numb about it and didn't care. Then why was he talking so much about it this morning on Mike and Mike in the morning.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

They certainly made a big deal of it here in San Francisco, although breaking the main record is of course the most important milestone.

[chocolatescifi.livejournal.com]

And I found it amusing that the guy who got the ball was wearing a Mets shirt.

[kshandra]

Oh, it's better than that - he's from New York and was only at the game because he and a buddy had a layover in SF on their way to Australia.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, life just ain't fair. And I'd been considering getting tickets for that game, too, but didn't want to pay scalpers' prices for it.

[chocolatescifi.livejournal.com]

I know. Let's just hope that some TSA assclown doesn't try to say that it's a dangerous item when he goes through security on his trip to the land down under.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

In his shoes, I wouldn't take it with me -- a safe-deposit box in the USA would be better.

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many people will try to sue him claiming that they touched it first and he took it away from them.

Roughly the same number of running backs who sue the linebackers who force them to fumble. Touching the ball is meaningless.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Want to bet? I take it you were unaware of the lawsuit over possession of Bonds' 700th HR ball? Although it appears (for now) that the guy who came away with the ball last night isn't being disputed, it was very plausible that someone would claim "I had it first" because it had been done before.

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm not really surprised that some idiot sued, but that a judge was foolish enough to make them split it.

Maybe running backs should start suing.