Bonds era ending in San Francisco

[Moonliner]

I'm not the biggest baseball fan around here but this really pisses me off.

The Giants have let Barry Bonds go.

Giants owner Peter Magowan said Friday. "It's an emotional time for me. We've been through a lot together these 15 years. A lot of good things have happened. Unfortunately a lot of bad things have happened. But there comes a time when you have to go in a different direction."

Ohhh! It's OK to back Bonds when he's making a run for the record and filling your seats but now that he's broken the record for you and attendance will dip, you get all santamonious and cut him loose. What a bunch of two faced A-holes.

[Strangler Lewis]

I believe that the complaint was that the team felt compelled to surround Bonds with older, high-priced good players in an effort to get him a World Series ring. Clearly, if all you're focusing on is trying to win the World Series, you lose sight of other important priorities.

[scaeagles]

It's business. Using Bonds? Perhaps. If you can get people in the seats, you can get people in the seats. Personally, I think MLB in general is a bunch od sanctimonious A-holes in the whole situation with Bonds. How is it possible that he is still allowed to even be participating in the game with his steroid usage? What more proof do you need? His name and record chasing is the only reason he was allowed to stay because it was deemed "good for the game".

[Alex]

But conversely, the only reason Bonds was playing regularly the last three seasons for the Giants was because of his home run chase. Bonds milked the team for a few metric ****loads of cash for doing them the privielege so he can't hardly be upset that now that the chase is over they're ready to move on.

Keeping Bonds as the centerpoint of that team pretty much consigned them to mediocrity and not being able to seriously try to move on. 25 home runs and 60 RBI over 120 games can certainly be had for many millions cheaper than Bonds would cost and be more than a year-by-year rental.

He still a phenomenal player for 43, but all of his stats are at least 40% off of his career averages, the're only going to continue degrading, and he's increasingly likely to suffer a career ending injury or just one day decide he's just too tired to do it any more.

Being a great 43 year old is about the same as being a pretty good 26 year old in terms of production with a lot less upside down the road.

So rather than being upset that he is being shown the door he should be happy he had something that kept him from getting the standard rent-a-player treatment of other other over-40 hitters of having to switch teams every season to find that out-of-contention team looking for some "experience" in the dugout to impart wisdom to the young whippersnappers.

[wendybeth]

It was a symbiotic business relationship (in the most cynical sense) that has run it's course. Bonds is an asshole to the fans, I'm fairly certain his teammates can't stand him and I think he has harmed the game by aiding his selfish pursuit of the HR record with steroid usage. He is a loser and he won't be missed.

[Kevy Baby]

I just look forward to when the line reads:

"Bonds era ending"

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm pissed because now with Bonds gone, the Giants can focus on putting a team out there that can actually win games.

[scaeagles]

What's the Dodgers' excuse? (runs, ducks, and hides)

[Ghoulish Delight]

What's the Dodgers' excuse? (runs, ducks, and hides)
Excuse for what? Being in the division lead, or in contention for the division lead for the past 5 seasons?

[scaeagles]

I am not a baseball fan, GD - you know that. All I know is that you are a huge Dodger fan, and I saw on the news last night that the Dodgers have lost 6 in a row, basically taking themselves out of contention in the NL West.

So I thought I'd poke a bit.

[Ghoulish Delight]

No worries, I'm just still in denial about that. Plus, that can be blamed on Jeff Kent (ex Giant) who's whining about the rookies not taking things seriously while having the most mediocre couple of seasons of his career.

[Strangler Lewis]

It was a symbiotic business relationship (in the most cynical sense) that has run it's course. Bonds is an asshole to the fans, I'm fairly certain his teammates can't stand him and I think he has harmed the game by aiding his selfish pursuit of the HR record with steroid usage. He is a loser and he won't be missed.

Let's not forget that Bonds supposedly didn't start using until after 1998 when McGwire and Sosa both passed Roger Maris and that there was plenty of steroid use in the game before then.

Interestingly, he supposedly confided this to Ken Griffey, Jr., who it was once thought would break Aaron's record and about whom no one has suggested the juice. On the other hand, Griffey asked out of Seattle when they built their new ballpark which he felt had dimensions that would cost him ten homers a year.