Bonds hits *756

[CMJ]

Surprised no one has made the thread yet.

[Figrin D'an]

This should have been one of those seminal moments in sports, one that everyone, from the most casual fans to the largest baseball junkies, should have been able to watch, ponder, and appreciate... one of those moments that our generation would be able to recount our memories of... remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken.

But, that didn't happen. That magical number, 756, that has been hovering out there since Aaron retired, is no longer magical in any way. It's been tarnished. There is no second chance to get it right. It's now going to be forever remembered as the ultimate symbol of an era of dishonesty and cheating. Baseball, it's fans, it's former players and it's current clean players, deserved better.

[Ryan Pode]

Your thread title sums it up quite well.

[Jedieb]

I loved Selig's reaction when Bonds tied Aaron. They practically had to pull him out of his seat and he still didn't clap for Bonds. This is all the more reason for everybody to hope A-Rod stays healthy. And don't believe what Canseco may be peddling in book #2 about A-Rod. They never played together and if he had dirt on A-Rod he would have used it in his first book.

[Cat X]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

[JMK]

Whether or not Bonds too anything (and he did, he admitted to taking the "cream" and the "clear" which he thought was flaxseed oil and arthritic balm), the circus surrounding this for the past number of years ensured that nobody outside Pacbell park would enjoy it.

What performance enhancers allowed Bonds to do was keep his body together long enough to break this record. 'Roids and hormones don't help you hit the ball. They allow your body to recover quicker from workouts so that you can hit the weights again. If you sit on the couch and inject steroids, you aren't going to look like Lou Ferrigno. That being said, Bonds still took something, whether its steroids and/or HGH and that has to count for something. The only nod I will give to Bonds is that he was able to keep smashing homers in the face of intense public scrutiny and with Uncle Sam up his rear end. He has incredible mental focus and no drug can enhance that. The other nod to Bonds is that he did hit 756 in 9000+ at bats, while it took Aaron more than 12000 at bats. Steroids or not, that's about 5-6 seasons of at bats.

But, as has been mentioned, a chase, a record that should have been appreciated by casual and hardcore fans alike was more like a nuissance. I think the fact that we didn't even start a thread about it until after the fact tells us all EXACTLY how ambivalent we all are about it. I think it also bears mentioning that while Barry was looking for 756, everyone was already talking about the next person to get there - Pujols? A-Rod? Were they doing that to Aaron? I bet not.

And what about Selig? Look at the home run records that have fallen under his watch, and how many of them are now looked upon with suspiscion. McGwire, Sosa, Bonds...all guys who were the 3 biggest home run records of the past decade, all with heavy cases of drug use against them.

I hope for the sake of baseball, that after the season Bonds retires and Selig steps down. This record is behind us now, and it's time for baseball to get a fresh start.

[Rutabaga]

I can't stand Barry Bonds, so I'm not impressed. I'm just glad the hoopla is over.

[Itala Marzullo]

I thought the thread was about Wall street.

[Jedieb]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

Your post shows you don't know much about baseball or Bonds' career. Steroids not only changed his body, but they changed the type of hitter he was and the arc of his career. Bonds was a HOF, 5 tool player BEFORE he ever took steroids, but he became a hulking slugger once he started taking them. A guy that never hit more than 50 HRs in a season suddenly exploded and hit 73. At an age when every comparable slugger in baseball history started SLOWING down, Bonds suddenly starting doubling his home run total. That's what steroids did for him. A guy that should have ended up with around 625 HRs will now finish his career within sight of 800.

And for those people that keep saying "How come no one else did it?" you're WRONG, his numbers aren't the only ones inflated. Sammy had 3 friggin' 60+ HR seasons, McGuire hit 70, and Palmiero ended up with 500 HRs and 3,000 hits. All steroid enhanced and all achievements that prior to the steroid era were rare and in some cases, practically unheard of. They cheated and they're going to be remembered as cheaters by 90% of baseball fans outside of the cities they played in. Barry can delude himself into thinking his record isn't "tainted" but to almost everyone outside of SF it is. It's tainted even if his giant steroid inflated head can't comprehend it.

[CMJ]

What's the biggest shame about Bonds - even more so than Sosa and McGwire to me is he was going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer anyways. The guy was amazing even pre-99, or about when we all start suspecting him. He could hit for power. He could for average. He could steal bases. He was great in the outfield tracking balls. Even in the early 90's there were debates that he was the best everyday player of his generation(along with Griffey Junior). He was more than likely going to pass 600 homers clean. Hell, I remember an interview with him around 97'ish on ESPN that said 661 was his goal - just so he could celebrate with his Godfather.

I actually smiled a little during the whole production last night...especally Hammering Hank's message. But it was an empty feeling nonetheless - nothing like the joy we should've felt. Baseball is no longer the biggest sport in the US. It might not even be #2. But records MATTER in baseball like they don't in any other sport.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/wiegeabo/1185581881.jpg

[Jedieb]

Listen to CMJ, he knows of what he speaks. And now, because I hate Bonds, I'm bored, and I'm on summer vacation:

The top 16 sluggers of all time and how many HR's they hit at age 37. I was going to do just the top ten but I wanted to make sure I got to Ted Williams because he's TED FRIGGIN WILLIAMS!

Bonds 73 (+24)
Aaron 47 (+3)
Ruth 41 (-19)
Mays 23 (-29)
Sosa 14 (-42)
Griffey 27 (-29)
Robinson 19 (-30)
McGuire 32 (-38) In only 89 games, he was still on a pace to hit around 60 if not injured. What a shocker.)
Killebrew 5 (-44)
Palmiero 43 (-4) *Never hit more than 26 HR’s before 95 despite being in the league for almost a decade, again, what a shocker.)
Reggie 14 (-33)
Schmidt 37 (-11)
Mantle 18 (-36)
Foxx 0 (-58) *In fact, because of largely drunken self inflicted abuse he never hit more than 9 after the age of 35.)
McCovey 23 (-22)
Williams 28 (-15) *Although at 39 he hit 38 HR’s and hit .388. But neither of those were even career highs. Ted Williams was just that much of a stud/hitting god.

Guess what's in parenthesis? That's how that season compared to the slugger's previous best. Only two players actually improved their numbers, Aaron and Bonds. But if you look closely at Aaron's career you see it was just Hank being Hammerin' Hank, the model of consistency. He only increased his greatest season by 3 HR's. If you look at the modern guys on this list they're almost all ridiculous. McGuire got a pass for awhile because he was always big and even early in his career he was a slugger. But even his numbers got ludicrous. Same with Sosa, but Palmiero's numbers pretty much sum up the steroid era. The first 9 years of his career he never hit more than 26. Then suddenly, in the mid 90's, he becomes a slugger who starts cranking out 40+ HRs practically every year. These guys cheated and they've skewed the record books. And like CMJ said, records matter in baseball. Those of us who grew up loving this game poured over these numbers as kids. They mattered. Barry just took a dump on one of the biggest and most revered of those numbers. Screw you Barry.

[CMJ]

Damn Eb...that was beautiful. I've used & refered to that post and its stats on 2 other messageboards.

Ted Williams probably woulda hit 800 if not for World War II. He was such a freak.

[Zasz Grimm]

It's more like Bonds hit 500, science hit 256.

It's sad it happened this way, I'm with exactly what fig said.

[Jedieb]

It's more like Bonds hit 500, science hit 256.

It's sad it happened this way, I'm with exactly what fig said.

I'd say it's probably closer to 600 and 156, but that's a great quote Zasz.

You know I bleed pinstripes CMJ, but I will always give Ted Williams his due. He wasn't the greatest of sluggers, but there's only a handfull of players who can compare to him in terms of pure hitters. He was Ty Cobb with power. That season of his at 39 was one the greatest seasons any hitter ever had when you consider his age. But guys like Barry and Palmiero have basically taken seasons like that and dumped all over them. And I agree with you about Williams and 800. He missed almost 5 full seasons because of military service. Like Aaron, he would have plowed away at Ruth's record without ever hitting over 50 and eventually overtaken the Babe.

But unless any of these guys can step up to the mound and dominate as a pitcher as well they can't make claim to the greatest all around baseball player ever. That goes to the Bambino. :cool

[CMJ]

All of which was in BOSTON.

;)

[JMK]

This is a good article, highlighting why baseball won't and can't put an asterisk next to 756.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19919795/

[Jedi Master Carr]

Surprised no one has made the thread yet.

Its because everybody hates him. I didn't even watch the game and turned it on TV everytime it came up. I can't stand the steroid using scumbag.

[Rutabaga]

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb164/Rutabaga64/aaron.gif

[Sanis Prent]

I am conflicted. I want A Rod to beat this garbage now, but I also hate A Rod and he's a huge douchebag. Oh well.

[Jedieb]

All of which was in BOSTON.

;)

What are you talking about, he pitched over 30 innings while he was in New York! ;)

[Jaime Tomahawk]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

Your post shows you don't know much about baseball or Bonds' career. .

No - actually what it does show is that I have the right perspective. You folk REALLY are getting worked up over something that in the end doesn't mean a whole lot, in a game where cheating is pretty much part and parcel of it.

How on earth you can crap on about how Bonds is dirty when the hall of fame is full of cheaters and real ugly bastards? And is it also not the case that when Bonds was juicing the most, it was quite legal for him to do it?

Baseball is not a gentleman's game. And frankly when a known hot head like me is saying be cool mon it dont matter...... then maybe you need a cold refreshing beer and go watch some cricket :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

Your post shows you don't know much about baseball or Bonds' career. .

No - actually what it does show is that I have the right perspective. You folk REALLY are getting worked up over something that in the end doesn't mean a whole lot, in a game where cheating is pretty much part and parcel of it.

How on earth you can crap on about how Bonds is dirty when the hall of fame is full of cheaters and real ugly bastards? And is it also not the case that when Bonds was juicing the most, it was quite legal for him to do it?

Baseball is not a gentleman's game. And frankly when a known hot head like me is saying be cool mon it dont matter...... then maybe you need a cold refreshing beer and go watch some cricket :)

I still hate the man. He is the modern day verison of Ty Cobb who was a horrible person as well.

[CMJ]

He's nowhere near the same galaxy Cobb was. Now HE was a total &*^@# in every sense of the word.

That said Ty Cobb was without a doubt a fantastic player, whose records stood longer than Ruth. Hell, Rickey Henderson didn't break his Runs mark until about 8-9 years ago, right? That thing stood for nearly a century.

[JMK]

He's got a point though - the HOF is LITTERED with guys who cheated, broke the law, and were just downright horrid people. Guys with spitballs, scuffed balls, the list is as long as my arm. More than any other sport, baseball is marked by 'eras'. The deadball era, the steroid era...christ, you could probably pick apart every member of the HOF and denigrate their accomplishments because of the era they played in...just read the article I posted above.

I don't like the fact that Bonds cheated his way to the top and lied about it...and continues to lie about it. But it's done, and it is NOT going to be erased or asterisked. Let's also not forget that he had watered down expansion pitching, a ball park tailor made with a short porch for him, a juiced ball (as most would believe)...so it's not like roids are the sole cause of his success.

[Jedi Master Carr]

He's nowhere near the same galaxy Cobb was. Now HE was a total &*^@# in every sense of the word.

That said Ty Cobb was without a doubt a fantastic player, whose records stood longer than Ruth. Hell, Rickey Henderson didn't break his Runs mark until about 8-9 years ago, right? That thing stood for nearly a century.

He is the closest thing we have to Cobb today.

[CMJ]

He is the closest thing we have to Cobb today.


Which shows we have nobody close to him.

[JMK]

Bonds is nowhere near Cobb in terms of being a jerk. Sure, Bonds is surly to the media, but Cobb was a raging racist, and even stabbed a black man because he tried to break up a fight between Cobb and another black man. He also drove to his son's school and whipped him for not getting good grades. Tough love? If Barry did anything remotely close to that today he's be thrown in jail within minutes. He was also known to try and intentionally injure opponents with his spikes...the more I think about it, if this guy were around today and carried the same temperament and attitude, he would make the Vick boys, Barry, Pacman and any other loser athlete look like boyscouts.

[Yog]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face.

This!


I thought the thread was about Wall street.

.. and this :lol


I am utterly clueless about baseball. We should do a baseball pickem or fantasy league some time. Maybe I would expand my knowledge about american sports.

[CMJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbCXXkym_a8

Even as a non Bonds fan....wow....the first 30-40 seconds are amazing. After that it's too chatoic to see anything.

[Yog]

Can't see anything in that video.

Why is this record considered bigger than in other sports? I can't remember people getting this excited when Peyton Manning broke the TD record for example. Maybe I am missing something obvious :)

[CMJ]

Records matter in baseball the way they don't in basketball or football or hockey. It's hard to explain, but they just do. The Homerun record for example has only been held by 3 people in about 90 years. Ruth had it from the early 20's until Hank Aaron passed him in the 70's and now Bonds. Touchdown records fall basically every generation in football. Maybe more than once. Basketball records don't fall quite as often, but I'm not sure what Jabbar's record for most points is. In the USA everyone knows the baseball records even if you aren't a baseball fan. They just matter...I'm not sure why. Those games change in a way baseball doesn't.

I think with other sports you have to use more subjective measurements to rate the eras. To be sure there are different eras in baseball, but it's remarkable how little the game has changed from say the early 1920's to present day. Old marks may have been passed, but they still stand impressive in a way that many older marks in say football don't. Jim Brown's old career rushing record has been annhilated by succeeding generations. The game is just so different now. Ruth's homerun record has been bested by 2 people. One of which has a cloud over his head and the other who needed thousands more at bats.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

That video is crazy - all the flashes going off right as Bonds hits the ball is amazing, and then watching it go right into the stands in front of the camera! No wonder everything went insane right after that. :p

[Ryan Pode]

Baseball records matter because they're precise. A hit is a hit. A run is a run. An out is an out. Football records are sloppy. A five yard run could be closer to a four yard run or a six yard run depending on the spot. Football is also a lot more physical a game. Some records are only achieved by playing more than X number of years. Like running back, ten, fifteen years ago, running backs didn't have the same sort of medical care available. And in some cases, like Jim Brown or Barry Sanders, the will to play wasn't there anymore.

[CMJ]

Even the first bit of insanity is okay, because the guy then got a picture of the mosh pit surrounding the ball for a few seconds. Then he musta had someone jump on him because after about :40 it's just people's feet.

[Jedi Master Carr]

He is the closest thing we have to Cobb today.


Which shows we have nobody close to him.

Okay I get what you mean, maybe he is our Rogers Hornsby :p
What I was gettting at is Bonds is hated by his collegues like those two guys were. Hornsby wasn't as bad off the field as Cobb though.

[Sanis Prent]

Can't see anything in that video.

Why is this record considered bigger than in other sports? I can't remember people getting this excited when Peyton Manning broke the TD record for example. Maybe I am missing something obvious :)

Baseball is the oldest thing we've got for sport and so it's a bit more hallowed in terms of keeping tabs on the records. It's a pretty significant thread of american history. That's no dig on football, but gridiron has only been around for maybe 120 years and even then, it didn't arrive in it's current incarnation until maybe 60 years ago.

[Jedieb]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

Your post shows you don't know much about baseball or Bonds' career. .

No - actually what it does show is that I have the right perspective. You folk REALLY are getting worked up over something that in the end doesn't mean a whole lot, in a game where cheating is pretty much part and parcel of it.

How on earth you can crap on about how Bonds is dirty when the hall of fame is full of cheaters and real ugly bastards? And is it also not the case that when Bonds was juicing the most, it was quite legal for him to do it?

Baseball is not a gentleman's game. And frankly when a known hot head like me is saying be cool mon it dont matter...... then maybe you need a cold refreshing beer and go watch some cricket :)

Actually, this post is even more proof that you don't know much about baseball or Bonds career or why he's tainted this record. Cheating is NOT part and parcel of baseball. Deeking a runner, trying to steal signs, those aren't cheating, they're part of the game. Spitballs are cheating, that's why they're outlawed. ALL sports have rules and ALL sports have at one time had great players who've cheated. Baseball is no worse than ANY sport.

Guys like me, CMJ, JMK and others who LOVE this game are ticked off that Bonds has this record. It MEANS something to us. CMJ and I have watched I don't know how many playoff series together, pitch by pitch, inning by inning through IM. We've talked back and forth on everything from the game we're watching, to players and teams we followed as kids. I've consoled CMJ after CRUSHING Red Sox losses and he's rightly mocked me after the Yankees suffered the Greatest Choke in the History of Baseball. (That's for you Court ;) Some of my fondest memories of my grandfather are of us sitting together and watching Yankees games in the late 70's. I played the game as a kid, my father coached me. And he coached me the RIGHT way, never yelling at me or acting like a freakin' maniac like some sport's dads do. The man still watches games every day, even if his favorite team isn't playing. We spend hours on the phone when one of our teams is playing in the playoffs basically watching the game together and it kills me that I can't have him sitting on the couch next to me. I also come from a culture that typically embraces this sport and it can be argued that baseball means more to many hispanics than it does Americans these days. We're not overreacthing here or obsessing about something and we certainly don't need to take a drink and watch some cricket. We're not standing outside Bonds' house with signs and we don't spend every waking moment trying to help the Feds send him to jail. We're talking about it now because IT'S A FRIGGIN' THREAD ABOUT THE HR RECORD! EVERYBODY has certain things that mean alot to them, things that have been a large part of their lives. Known hotheads should understand this. We get it, you don't like baseball, it's worse than cricket, blah, blah, blah. I feel the exact way about soccer and a few other sports. I don't pretend to be an expert on any of those sports or tell people to lighten up if something major goes on in them and they get riled up. Like you said, you're a hothead you go off on stuff, this is what WE choose to go off on a bit. You should understand that.

The fact is, we're talking about a guy that a MAJORITY of fans outside of San Francisco do not like and feel he cheated. He broke a record held by a man that set it the right way against tremendous odds and racism that players like Bonds have never really experienced. That majority feels his record is tainted and they're not going to need to see an asterik next to his career totals to remember how he screwed baseball and himself.

Here is a great article from the Onion. I laughed the whole time I read it.



Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation
August 9, 2007 | Onion Sports

SAN FRANCISCO—A sellout crowd rose to its feet and exploded into ecstatic cheers Tuesday night as Barry Bonds completed the downfall of America's most revered sport by hitting a thundering 435-foot shot into the right center field bleachers for career home run No. 756 and tainting baseball's most beloved record.

Celebrations broke out throughout AT&T Park and thousands of flashbulbs went off as Bonds took his ceremonial trip around the bases, his arms raised in a jubilant gesture of triumph as he completed his desecration of baseball. Fireworks filled the night sky to mark the utter destruction of the national pastime, a scramble for the infamous baseball broke out in the stands, and the game was interrupted for 10 minutes in the bottom of the fifth to mark the shameful occasion.

Mike Bacsik, the pitcher who made the difficult and admirable decision to pitch to Bonds as if he were a normal player, and who will forever be known as the man whose fastball was sent out of the park along with the last remnant of baseball's self-respect, could only watch. Bonds would later present Bacsik with an autographed bat.

Moments after Bonds crossed home plate into the loving arms of his family and the eventual judgment of history, he addressed the fans, thanking them for their support on his long, hard road of perverting baseball.

"Thank you very much. I got to thank all of you, all the fans here in San Francisco. It's been fantastic," he said to his deluded and complicit home crowd as his godfather Willie Mays, a fading symbol of what baseball once was, stood at his side.

As soon as Bonds completed his self-congratulation, a self-conscious gasp could be heard as a videotaped message from Hank Aaron was played over the video screen, sending surprise and a fleeting moment of uncomfortable self-awareness through both the crowd and Bonds himself.

"Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years," said Aaron, whose legacy of persevering with profound personal dignity through racism and persecution to become the all-time home run leader will hopefully not be tarnished by public acknowledgment of Bonds.

"I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement," Aaron concluded, displaying infinitely more grace than Bonds, baseball fans, and perhaps even baseball itself had any right to ask of him.

Bonds then presented his helmet, gloves, and bat to a steward of the Baseball Hall of Fame for shipment to Cooperstown, where they will be enshrined forever, allowing fathers and sons to come and stare at them glumly as they bear mute witness to baseball's diminished glory.

The Nationals won the game, 8-6.

[Jedieb]

How on earth you can crap on about how Bonds is dirty when the hall of fame is full of cheaters and real ugly bastards? And is it also not the case that when Bonds was juicing the most, it was quite legal for him to do it?


One last thing, steroids WERE illegal during the 90's. They were on the banned substance list, there just wasn't testing for it. The baseball fans here could talk at length and come up with plenty of people to blame, the commisioner, the players union, the media, fans like us, etc. Still, guys like Barry, McGuire, and Palmiero knew they were taking something they SHOULDN'T have been.



Can't see anything in that video.

Why is this record considered bigger than in other sports? I can't remember people getting this excited when Peyton Manning broke the TD record for example. Maybe I am missing something obvious :)

Baseball is the oldest thing we've got for sport and so it's a bit more hallowed in terms of keeping tabs on the records. It's a pretty significant thread of american history. That's no dig on football, but gridiron has only been around for maybe 120 years and even then, it didn't arrive in it's current incarnation until maybe 60 years ago.

That's a good explanation of what this record means to many American sports fans. I LOVE the NFL. It's far more popular than baseball and baseball will never overtake it in terms of significance or popularity in this country again, but it's records don't have the history that baseball has.

[Jedieb]

Bonds is nowhere near Cobb in terms of being a jerk. Sure, Bonds is surly to the media, but Cobb was a raging racist, and even stabbed a black man because he tried to break up a fight between Cobb and another black man. He also drove to his son's school and whipped him for not getting good grades. Tough love? If Barry did anything remotely close to that today he's be thrown in jail within minutes. He was also known to try and intentionally injure opponents with his spikes...the more I think about it, if this guy were around today and carried the same temperament and attitude, he would make the Vick boys, Barry, Pacman and any other loser athlete look like boyscouts.

The Yanks are in a virtual tie for the WC so I'm in a baseball mood....

Cobb is arguably one of the biggest bastards to ever play the game. To me, that doesn't make much of a difference whether he should be in the HOF. What matters is what he did on the field. There were always whispers that he'd bet people on whether or not he'd get a hit on a given day, but nothing was ever proven. Sharpening his spikes was dirty, but taking out a runner to break up a double play is part of the game. If you don't like it you shouldn't play second or SS. The real shame about Barry is that he didn't need to take a BANNED substance to be great. He already was a HOF before he started annhialating (sp) the HR records. IMO, that's why he will get into the HOF. Guys like Canseco won't because despite impressive numbers most people feel they wouldn't have gotten those numbers without BANNED substances. Barry didn't need roids and HGH to be great, he already was. I think his punishment will be that he won't be a first ballot HOF. If I were a writer I wouldn't vote him in until his 2nd or 3rd year. I'm not one of those guys who thinks if a guy isn't a first ballot HOF he should never be a HOF. I think that's ridiculous.

Baseball and the unwritten rules around it are ridiculously complicated at times. We wink at stealing signs but go beserk over corked bats and spitballs. The main reason I feel 'roids crosses the line is because it directly affects what happens on the field. i can live with smaller parks, a lower pitching mound, dead balls, live balls, etc. But my gut tells me that HGH and their like crosses the line and I think most fans of the sport agree.

Here's a question for those that follow the game, what's cheating and what's gamesmanship? Is keeping the grass a bit longer and wetter when your sinkerballer is pitching cheating? I call that home field advantage. ;)

[CMJ]

Damn Eb....that's too much for me to respond to. But I would agree that's straight up homefield advantage. :D

[Jedieb]

Another article from someone who gets it.

Bonds' record homer doesn't enhance baseball
By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com

Updated: August 8, 2007, 1:12 PM ET

The pitch left the hand of journeyman Mike Bacsik at exactly 8:50 PT Tuesday evening, reached home plate going 84 miles per hour, and then, as camera flashes turned AT&T Park into the world's largest photo shoot, the specially marked baseball met its maker.


For the 756th time in his singularly spectacular and conflicted career, Barry Lamar Bonds turned a pitcher's best intention into a home run. On a 3-2 count in the bottom of the fifth inning, Bonds swung that custom-made, double-lacquered, Canadian toothpick of a maple bat of his and sent Bacsik's fastball about six rows into the right-center field seats -- and into baseball history.

Bonds is now the all-time major league leader in home runs and controversy. He did it 14 days after his 43rd birthday and 21 years after his first dinger. He did it on his own exacting and mysterious terms.

As the ball arched toward the waiting sea of humanity, Bonds dropped his bat and then raised both arms in triumph and perhaps relief, too. He stood at home plate for several seconds, took four steps toward first base, and then began his familiar 360-foot tour of the base paths. His smile was as wide as the bill of his cap.

The San Francisco Giants fans roared loud enough to set off sensor warnings at earthquake centers. That stadium, that city and those fans remain Bonds' refuge, and he rewarded them with The Home Run and, if you believe in such things, The defining moment in all of sports.

Bacsik, the 29-year-old Texan who had clawed his way back to the big leagues after years in such places as Burlington, Buffalo and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, tipped his cap to Bonds. The left-hander had given up a double and a single to Bonds earlier in the game. This time, with one out in the fifth, he gave up the home run that allowed Bonds to end Henry Aaron's 33-year reign as the major league home run king.

Fireworks exploded above the center field scoreboard. Teammates waited at home plate for handshakes and hugs. Bonds' family assembled for kisses.

Bonds then bowed and blew kisses to the AT&T sold-out crowd. His godfather, the great Willie Mays, was escorted to the field. A prerecorded video from Aaron was played.

You can admire or despise him, but you can't deny Bonds' ability to make us watch. It was spellbinding stuff and -- wait ... I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore.

I can't pretend what Bonds did Tuesday night in front of a national television audience and his adoring but myopic Giants fans is anything more than a make-believe piece of baseball drama.

I can't pretend Bonds' 756 homers truly matter because there's no way of knowing how many of them were hit by Barry The Clean or Barry The Cream.

I can't pretend Bonds is the legitimate successor to Aaron because there are simply too many questions and too much evidence to suggest otherwise.

And in the end, I can't pretend because I believe in the purity of Aaron's numbers, but not in coincidences. What Bonds has done, as his body has morphed from a lithe, ungodly, athletic rookie into a Silver Surfer look-alike, was no coincidence. I believe it was cheating. Rationalize and justify all you want, but Bonds had a choice. And I believe he chose to cheat.

The disconnect between Bonds and actual baseball immortality has never been more obvious. Commissioner Bud Selig wasn't in attendance. His absence wasn't out of spite, but let's face it, Selig has looked like he'd rather be doing anything -- giving congressional testimony ... going to the Westminster Dog Show with Michael Vick -- than wait for Bonds to hit No. 756. By skipping Tuesday night's game, he saved everyone the sight of him with his hands in his pockets again.

Of course, Aaron took a pass on the trip. Was it because he didn't want to schlep around the country as the one-dimensional Bonds labored to reach 756? That's the official Pravda stance, and Aaron has stuck by it. But you wonder what would have happened if it had been anyone other than Bonds who was breaking his record.

But maybe he can't pretend, either.

"It is a great accomplishment," said Aaron in the video, "which required skill, longevity and determination."

And a chemist's skill.

This isn't about Bonds himself. This isn't about his being as embraceable as a cactus. And while I hate to disappoint the racial-conspiracy theorists, this isn't about his being an African-American. If this were the very freckled and very white Mark McGwire in Bonds' cleats, I'd be saying the very same thing: that you can't celebrate the accomplishments of someone who allegedly used illegal performance enhancers.

No, this has to do with who Bonds is, not what he is. Who cares if he's a self-absorbed control freak (Gary Sheffield's words, not mine) with a martyr syndrome? What matters is his moral DNA. And in Bonds' case, he traded his baseball ethics for the money and for Aaron's record.

Bonds and his career numbers are a fraud. Just like McGwire's. Just like Rafael Palmeiro's. Just like Sammy Sosa's. Bonds wasn't the first to be connected with steroids or performance enhancers, but he's the first to overtake Aaron. And that's why you should care.

There was a time, regardless of how you felt about Bonds, when you couldn't ignore the width and breadth of his talent. Those were during his days with the Pittsburgh Pirates and early in his Giants career. Now you can't ignore the width and breadth of his cap size.

For all intent and purpose, he is the closest thing to a designated hitter in the National League. He can't run. His arm is modest at best. He is a defensive liability.

But the man knows what to do with a bat. The realities of middle age have forced him to downsize to a preferred 34-inch, 31.6-ounce maple model, but it's still fascinating to watch as Bonds tries to coax his body into keeping up with his baseball mind. It was so much simpler a few seasons ago, when he was using Victor Conte's miracle flaxseed oil.

As usual, Bonds continues to miscalculate his appeal. He thinks a great injustice has been done to him, when really it's the other way around. He is the master of inflicting collateral damage and then pretending none of it was his own doing. Just watch, he'll spin the new record into a passion play.

Last month, during a pre-All-Star Game media session in a downtown San Francisco hotel, Bonds was nearly enveloped by reporters and TV cameramen. At the end of the hour-long session, Bonds stood up and, in a satisfied, smug tone, said to no one in particular, "They all say I'm the most disgusting thing, but they all stand here for me."

We all stand, but not to honor him. That's reserved for players who did it the right way, the honest way.

Take a bow, Mr. Aaron.

Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.

[Doc Milo]

remembering the day that perhaps the greatest record in modern sports was broken. Only in America could this be said with a straight face. But be that as it may, steroids don't give you the ability to hit a ball. It does nto give you the hand eye co-ordination, the timing, the ability to place the bat exactly where it needs to be. The real secret to big hitting has never been about pure raw power. Time the ball and it's amazing how far the thing absolutly flys. Now while Bonds probably took drugs, I don't think it matters. The simple fact is that you can pop all the drugs you want, sports science has far more to do with the way a ball flies out of the park and always has. The way the ball is built, the way the bats are created, the hours coaches spend getting the last millimetre of placement with the bat. Mix that with real talent as Bonds absolutely has, you have the ability to hit a ball much further than us mere mortals. Does steroids add to the distance? Maybe. But first the ball has to be going in the right direction and that in itself steroids don't help at all. Besides, isnt the hall of fame full with people a damn sight worse than Bonds, who cheated a hell of a lot more? If you feel ripped off, then maybe a bit of stop, think and reconsider is due. I cant believe that I'm actually defending someone in a game that I personally think is much more boring than cricket. WTF? And a drug taker? Well frankly I doubt drugs really added that many home runs to his total at all. 756 is quite a achievement.

I can't say much more than Jedieb did to this issue.

No, taking steroids does not magically give one the ability to hit the ball. What it does is give one the ability to bulk up. The stronger the batter, the faster he can get the bat through the hitting zone. The faster the bat goes through the zone, the further the ball will travel when hit. So steroids did not give Barry Bonds the ability to hit -- nor did it give him the ability to hit homeruns. What it did was take all those balls that he hit dead on, but would have resulted in long flyouts or doubles and triples off the wall, and made them homeruns.

That's how it is cheating.

The record stands for Barry Bonds.

But in my mind, the homerun records are still this:

Homeruns career: Hank Aaron -- 755.
Homeruns season: Roger Maris -- 61.

[Jedieb]

It's not just the strength that Doc talks about, it's the recovery time between work outs. The ability to extend your power years when history says you should clearly be slowing down. How many HR's did guys like Aaron lose in August and September because a 160+ game season had worn them down? Did Aaron's feet get 3 sizes bigger in his late 30's? Did his friggin' head grow a hat size for goodness' sake? Remember, if you're arguing that steroid don't make you a better hitter you're agreeing with Gary Sheffield. That's reason enough to have your head examined.

[Doc Milo]

It's not just the strength that Doc talks about, it's the recovery time between work outs. The ability to extend your power years when history says you should clearly be slowing down. How many HR's did guys like Aaron lose in August and September because a 160+ game season had worn them down? Did Aaron's feet get 3 sizes bigger in his late 30's? Did his friggin' head grow a hat size for goodness' sake? Remember, if you're arguing that steroid don't make you a better hitter you're agreeing with Gary Sheffield. That's reason enough to have your head examined.

Exactly. They do make you a better hitter. Not in the raw talent or ability to hit a baseball, but giving you the ability to bulk up and hit the ball farther (not just making long flies HRs, but also making what would have been routine flyouts doubles off the wall) and by also giving the player the ability to withstand the rigors of the season -- helping a player recover quicker means their bodies don't run down during the season and they can play with the highest intensity and keep up a pace of hitting that they would never have been able to sustain if not juiced up.

Todays athletes already, legally, enjoy an advantage over the athletes whose records they seek to break, whose records are so hallowed. Today's medicine and training methods etc... give them an advantage to help them sustain a pace during a rigorous season. No one would complain about that, since they are using the legal means available to them to be the best players they can be. (And still have trouble breaking those hallowed records! -- showing just how great the greats of the game truly were!) But to add to that illegal means of bulking up, the use of steriods, to gain an even greater advantage, not only on the players of yesteryear, but a greater advantage on the players of today who do what they do cleanly, and you have nothing more than a cheater. And that's why people who love the game get so worked up over the issue, and can't stand someone like Barroid holding the most hallowed of records in baseball.

[Darth McBain]

I can't add to all that's been posted so far, but I was (and still am) very disappointed that this record has fallen. One thing that hasn't come up is the hardware that Bonds wears - I thought this article provided an interesting take on another, overlooked, reason that Bonds hits so well.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003621797

There's the obvious reason that it helps him lean into pitches without fear of getting hit, but apparently it helps out more than that...

I don't care what the final tally is, in my book Aaron's the real home run king - he did it with class, not with cream and clear...

[Jedieb]

Guys like Jeter wear equipment to protect their elbows as well. That one I can deal with. Helmets and gloves have changed because of technology. Even bats have changed a bit. I know if I had to step into the batter's box against Verlander I wouldn't mind some kind of equipment. You can wear whatever you want, it still only covers parts of your body that are prone to injury. When you get hit, it's probably going to hurt like hell. Whenever I got hit it was always the back or the shoulder. There's no way to pad those areas.

[Park Kraken]

The only thing I will say on this matter is that I used to play baseball when I was younger. I was the tallest, biggest, strongest person on most of the teams I played on. And the only home run I ever scored was in a practice session.

People half my sized, weight, and strength were able to hit the ball farther than I was.

Now, not to say I didn't hit the ball, once I learned how to watch and wait, I hit it a lot.

But that should put some perspective on how much 'roids and the like would've helped Barry Bonds to score home runs. The only thing the 'roids did was taint his career. Period.

[Jedieb]

The only thing I will say on this matter is that I used to play baseball when I was younger. I was the tallest, biggest, strongest person on most of the teams I played on. And the only home run I ever scored was in a practice session.

People half my sized, weight, and strength were able to hit the ball farther than I was.

Now, not to say I didn't hit the ball, once I learned how to watch and wait, I hit it a lot.

But that should put some perspective on how much 'roids and the like would've helped Barry Bonds to score home runs. The only thing the 'roids did was taint his career. Period.

I was probably one of those smaller guys that could hit the ball farther than you. I was always able to hit harder and farther than a lot of guys bigger than me. And if I'd have used roids I would have hit the ball that much HARDER and FARTHER. Same thing with guys like Bonds. Power hitters on roids hit the ball that much further, period. They get that many more warning track balls to go over the fence and they get that many more extra base hits because their line drives are now hit harder. So roids didn't just taint his career, they padded his numbers. Anyone who looks at his career numbers can see the change and admit that much.

[JMK]

It's very simple to see. Name one other player who became the most feared and powerful hitter in baseball AFTER he got past the age of 35. It not only abnormal, it's downright impossible without the assistance of chemistry. Bonds is tainted, and so are his records.

[JMK]

:lol This is just too funny for words. This should count as 3 losses! :lol

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7146586?MSNHPHMA

:lol :lol :lol

[Liam Jinn]

:D

That's all that needs to be said

:D

[CMJ]

Greatness!

By David Schoenfield
Page 2

I received an e-mail Wednesday night from a friend saying his wife has been kidding about her passion for the Orioles all these years.

That'll happen when your team suffers one of the worst losses in history.

Here's one writer's opinion of the top 100 beatdowns:

1. Secretariat destroys the field at the 1973 Belmont Stakes by an astonishing 31 lengths to win the Triple Crown ... "He is moving like a TREMENDOUS machine!" A performance so dominating spectators were weeping in the stands.

2. Tiger Woods wins the 2000 U.S. Open by a mind-boggling 15 strokes.

3. 1940 NFL championship: Bears 73, Redskins 0. The Bears had 501 yards of offense, intercepted eight passes and officials had to ask Bears coach George Halas to run or pass for the PAT on the team's final two scores because so many balls had been kicked into the stands.

4. Mike Tyson knocks out Michael Spinks, who had never been knocked to the canvas in his career, in 1 minute, 30 seconds.

5. 1996 Fiesta Bowl: Undefeated Nebraska wipes out undefeated Florida 62-24, rolling up 624 total yards, to win the national title.

6. Super Bowl XX: Bears 46, Patriots 10.

7. Tiger Woods shoots 18-under par to win the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes.

8. Rangers 30, Orioles 3. Are you kidding?

9. Billie Jean King over Bobby Riggs.

10. Muhammad Ali over Sonny Liston.

11. Lance Armstrong versus all opponents, 2003 Tour de France, Stage 15.

12. The Boston Massacre: Once down by 14½ games in the 1978 pennant race, the Yankees take over first place from the Red Sox with a four-game sweep in early September, outscoring Boston 42-9.

13. The curse ends: The Red Sox pound the Yankees 10-3 in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, becoming the first baseball team to rally from a 3-0 series deficit.

14. Sonny at the tollbooth.

15. The original Dream Team versus the world. Average margin of victory, 43.8 points; closest game: 32 points.

16. The Royals beat the Cardinals 11-0 in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. Bret Saberhagen tosses the 5-hit shutout.

17. The Cardinals beat the Tigers 11-0 in Game 7 of the 1934 World Series, a game marred when Detroit fans littered the field with bottles, fruit and other garbage.

18. 2005 Orange Bowl: USC wins second straight national title with 55-19 win over No. 2 Oklahoma as Matt Leinart tosses five touchdowns.

19. 1990 NCAA title game: UNLV 103, Duke 73. The Blue Devils would get their revenge the following season.

20. Vince Carter over Frederic Weis.

21. Super Bowl XXIV: 49ers 55, Broncos 10.

22. Super Bowl XXVII: Cowboys 52, Bills 17. Would have been worse if not for Leon Lett's gaffe.

23. Game 1, 1985 NBA Finals: Celtics 148, Lakers 114 ...

24. ... but the Lakers win the series in six games, winning their four games by an average of 13 points.

25. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King": Nominated for 11 Oscars in 2003, it swept all 11 categories. ("Titanic" won 11 of 14 categories in 1997; "Ben Hur" won 11 of 12 in 1959.)

26. 1986 NFC playoffs: Giants 49, 49ers 3 ... Joe Montana gets carted off the field after getting knocked out by Jim Burt.

27. Nolan Ryan over Robin Ventura.

28. Wilt Chamberlain versus the Knicks, March 2, 1962.

29. Mark Spitz, 1972 Olympics.

30. Michael Phelps, 2007 World Championships.

31. 1957 NFL championship: Lions 59, Browns 14.

32. With the most goals in an NHL playoff game, Edmonton pounds Los Angeles 13-3 on April 9, 1987.

33. Road Runner versus Wile E. Coyote.

34. UCLA 101, Houston 69, 1968 national semifinal. Houston, led by Elvin Hayes, had upset the Bruins earlier in the season in front of 52,000 at the Astrodome, but Lew Alcindor got his revenge in the Final Four.

35. Pac-10 versus Big Ten: From 1970 through 1992, the Pac-10 went 19-4 in the Rose Bowl.

36. National League versus American League, 1963-1982: Senior Circuit takes 19 of 20 All-Star Games.

37. American League versus National League, 1997-2007: AL goes 10-0 with one tie.

38. Florida versus Ohio State, 2007.

39. Houston 100, Tulsa 6, 1968. Most points scored against a major college football opponent. Dr. Phil was a linebacker on the Tulsa squad. Coincidence?

40. But Tulsa has the largest margin of victory over a Division I basketball opponent: 141-50 over Prairie View on Dec. 7, 1995.

41. Babe Ruth versus Charlie Root, 1932 World Series.

42. Reggie Jackson versus the Dodgers, Game 6, 1977.

43. Reagan versus Mondale, 1984.

44. The playoffs versus Marty Schottenheimer.

45. Foreman knocks out Frazier. Heavyweight champ "Smokin' Joe" Frazier was a 3-1 favorite over the undefeated George Foreman for their 1973 title bout. Foreman knocked down Frazier six times in less than five minutes, the bout finally stopped at 1:35 of the second round.

46. 1954 NFL championship: Browns 56, Lions 10.

47. John McEnroe beats Jimmy Connors in the 1984 Wimbledon finals, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in just 80 minutes.

48. 1989 World Series: The Bay Area series was a dud as the A's swept the Giants, outscoring them 32-14 and winning each game by at least three runs.

49. 1983 NBA Finals: Moses Malone's Sixers don't quite go "Fo', Fo', Fo'," but they do sweep the Lakers by scores of 113-107, 103-93, 111-94, 115-108.

50. Bo Jackson over Brian Bosworth, Monday Night Football, 1987.

51. The Ice Age over the dinosaurs.

52. 1997 Sugar Bowl: Florida avenges a loss from earlier in the season by beating Florida State 52-20 to capture its first national title.

53. Martina Navratilova versus all comers, 1983: Won 16 of 17 tournaments with a match record of 86-1.

54. Annika Sorenstam versus all comers, 2002: Won 11 tournaments.

55. Richard Petty versus all comers, 1967: Won 27 of 48 races, including 10 in a row.

56. Roger Federer versus all comers, 2006: Goes 92-5, wins 12 tournaments, including three Grand Slam events.

57. LaDainian Tomlinson versus NFL defenses, 2006. Thirty-one touchdowns? Are you kidding?

58. LaDainian Tomlinson versus Texas El-Paso, 1999: NCAA-record 406 yards and six touchdowns.

59. 1990 AFC championship: Bills 51, Raiders 3.

60. 2000 NFC championship: Giants 41, Vikings 0.

61. Minnesota North Stars 15, Winnipeg Jets 2, Nov. 11, 1981.

62. The Indians versus Custer at Little Bighorn, 1876.

63. Eric Heiden versus opposing speed skaters, 1980 Olympics: Heiden sweeps all five races.

64. In the largest margin of victory in an NBA game, Cleveland beat Miami 148-80 on Dec. 17, 1991.

65. Aaron Downey versus Jesse Boulerice: one punch.

66. Before Vince Young became a star, Mack Brown ... lost 63-14 to Oklahoma in 2000 ...

67. ... and 65-13 in 2003.

68. Jerry Rice versus NFL cornerbacks and safeties, 1985-2004.

69. Michigan State 101, Penn 67, 1979 Final Four. The Quakers had made a surprising run to the Final Four but Magic Johnson and company rolled to a 50-17 halftime lead. Magic finished with a 29-10-10 triple-double.

70. Loyola of Chicago 111, Tennessee Tech 42, 1963 NCAA first-round game. Loyola went on to win it all.

71. Kirk Gibson over Dennis Eckersley, Game 1, 1988 World Series.

72. Orel Hershiser over everyone, 1988 playoffs.

73. Super Bowl XXII: Redskins 42, Broncos 10.

74. Jason Bourne versus CIA assassin, "The Bourne Ultimatum."

75. Bill Walton over Memphis, 1973 NCAA championship: Went 21 for 22 to score 44 points.

76. Indians 22, Yankees 0, Aug. 31, 2004: The largest defeat in Yankee history.

77. The NFL versus Ryan Leaf.

78. 1961 NFL championship: Packers 37, Giants 0.

79. Orioles pitchers versus Dodgers hitters, 1966 World Series. Baltimore sweeps as L.A. gets shut out three times and hits .142.

80. Jimmy Connors nearly shuts out Ken Rosewall, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 to win 1974 U.S. Open.

81. Los Angeles Rams defense versus Seattle Seahawks offense, Nov. 4, 1979: Seattle finishes with -7 yards.

82. Rick Wise versus the Reds, June 2, 1971: No-hits Cincy for the Phillies and hits two home runs.

83. Jacksonville 62, Miami 7, 1999 AFC playoffs. A beatdown so bad it turned out to be the last NFL game for both Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson.

84. Super Bowl XXIX: 49ers 49, Chargers 26.

85. Angelina Jolie versus Jennifer Aniston.

86. Darren McCarty versus Claude Lemieux.

87. 2001 Fiesta Bowl: The once-pathetic Oregon State Beavers, full of pregame boasts, humiliated Notre Dame 41-9 -- and it could have been worse, as the Beavers were flagged for 18 penalties, many for illegal roughness and cheap shots.

88. Miami 58, Notre Dame 7. In 1985, the Irish suffer the worst defeat in school history in Gerry Faust's final game.

89. Super Bowl XXXV: Ravens 34, Giants 7.

90. The NCAA versus SMU football, 1987.

91. Harry Potter versus Voldemort.

92. Oilers over Islanders, 1984 Stanley Cup Finals: Edmonton ends the Islanders' four-year streak as champs by winning the final three games by scores of 7-2, 7-2 and 5-2.

93. Super Bowl XXXVII: Bucs 48, Raiders 21.

94. The 1985 Bears had arrived: 44-0 over the Cowboys.

95. NBA referees versus Sacramento Kings, Game 6, 2002 Western Conference finals: Kings called for 27 fourth-quarter fouls against the Lakers as L.A. pulled out a 106-102 victory.

96. Boston Tea Party, Dec. 16, 1773: American colonists destroy crates of tea, spark revolution.

97. LeBron James versus Detroit Pistons, Game 5, 2007 Eastern Conference finals: scores team's final 25 points in double-overtime victory.

98. 1956 NFL championship: Giants 47, Bears 7.

99. Game 3, 1998 NBA Finals: Bulls 96, Jazz 54.

100. Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0. Yes, college football's most prestigious award is named after a coach who once ran up the score on tiny Cumberland College in 1916. There is a background story here: Cumberland had discontinued its football team before the season, but Tech held Cumberland to its scheduling agreement (otherwise Cumberland would have had to pay Tech $3,000), so the tiny school from Lebanon, Tenn., sent a scrub team of 14 players. It wasn't pretty as Cumberland had 15 turnovers. Beatdown? This was more like bad sportsmanship. Shame on you, John Heisman.

[Liam Jinn]

33. Road Runner versus Wile E. Coyote.

Glad that's on the list :)

[Doc Milo]

:lol This is just too funny for words. This should count as 3 losses! :lol

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7146586?MSNHPHMA

:lol :lol :lol

The thing I find the funniest is that in a 30-3 game, a save was recorded.

[JMK]

Really? I thought a save was only recorded if a win was preserved with a lead of 3 or less runs???

[CMJ]

Really? I thought a save was only recorded if a win was preserved with a lead of 3 or less runs???

Unless a relief pitcher throws 3 or more innings...then they can get the save.

[Doc Milo]

Really? I thought a save was only recorded if a win was preserved with a lead of 3 or less runs???

Unless a relief pitcher throws 3 or more innings...then they can get the save.

More specifically, three or more innings to close out a game.

The rule is when the pitcher enters the game, his team has to be leading by three or less runs, or the tying run is on the on deck circle, or the pitcher throws three or more innings and the pitcher records the last out of the game.