Legalball.com is actively seeking
corporate sponsorship for our
sports news website. Reach tens
of thousands of potential
customers advertising on
Legalball.com
To learn more please contact
Legalball.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tickets
Buy or Sell
To buy or sell tickets to
any Baseball game make
sure to use Legalball.com
where all transactions are
guaranteed!
For New York Yankees,
Boston Red Sox, St.
Louis Cardinals, San
Francisco Giants, L.A.
Dodgers, Philadelphia
Phillies, Chicago Cubs,
Oakland A's
or any other MLB TEAM.c
By: Keith Dobkowski
Wearing the buttons on the remote thin this weekend, my wife
commented, “Sunday’s are great if you’re a guy who likes
sports.” I nodded in agreement as the channel driving
continued. The United States was battling Sweden on the ice
hoping to tie the game at 2-2 in the closing minutes of the Winter
Olympic battle. Freddie Couples had just tied it up with just four
to play at Riviera and ESPN Classic was the showing the best NBA
All-Star games ever, specifically Michael Jordan going for 40 in
1988.
Note: I am aware of the car race, but (jab-jab) lets try to keep this
sports column sports centric. Curling will not be discussed either.
Call it sport’s heaven for the sports fan. And to think I was just
wasting time till tip off of the 2006 NBA All-Star game. As the
drive continued I stopped for the regular check into ESPN News.
I never really expect this stop on the constant drive through the
channels to do much, but this pit stop changed the face of the
day, the 2006 Major League Baseball Season, the 2011 Hall of
Fame Class and Baseball History.
Barry Bonds had announced that 2006 would be his last.
Arguably the greatest player to ever lace them up is just 162
games away from ending it.
Barry’s legacy as the greatest ever will always be tainted by his
surly attitude and the rumors of steroid use. This column has
often defended Barry and his antics. His attitude dismissed as
Baseball has always been about numbers and winning, two
attributes that cannot be argued with Barry. And the defense
toward steroid use is as simple as the forest from the trees
analogy. One can’t look at Barry without looking at Major League
Baseball as a whole.
The asterisks next to Barry come directly from his supposed rapid
weight gain and the 73 homeruns he hit in 2001. Yet Barry’s
weigh gain is nearly pound for pound what Michael Jordan gained
through his career. And the 73 homers was one magical year, as
Barry had never hit more than 49 before or after. Roger Maris,
famous for 61, never hit more than 40 before or after.
The Steroid theorists lumps Barry in the same circles as Sammy
Sosa and Mark McGwire. Both Sosa and McGwire had power
surges that saw each average over 60 homeruns during a four-
year stretch as well as top 1.000 in OPS. Neither had had that
success before. Yet, Barry’s OPS has been over 1.000 since 1992
and in 1993, Barry hit 46 homeruns, the third highest total of his
career.
So as the 2006 season is upon us and Barry gives his farewell
tour we are left to ask what will 2006 bring?
The San Francisco Giants as well as most baseball experts see
Barry playing 120 games in 2006. The first question is whether
Barry will see enough pitches to break Hank Aaron’s all time
mark. As Barry will likely get less than 400 at bats in 2006, he
will need to average one homerun every 8.2 at bats, a feat he
only accomplished in 2001 when he hit 73. Most likely Hammering
Hank will keep his title as the Homerun King. Barry should leave
in front of Babe Ruth and in second place on the all-time homer
list.
Other lifetime accomplishments will include…
If Barry scores 88 times he will move into the top five in runs
scored, passing Pete Rose. Only twice in his career has Barry
scored less than 88 (72 runs in 1986 and 8 runs in 2005). With
12 steals, Barry will move into the top 30 with 518 total. 109 hits
will put Barry in the top 40 with 2851 hits in his career. Barry sits
just 7 RBI’s from the top ten all-time and 99 from the top-five.
Add in 7 MVPs and 8 golden gloves and we may be saying
goodbye to the greatest of all time.
Published Sports
Writer
a Team Owner... SBS says:
PROVE IT!!
CONCERT
TICKETS
Or Sell
Your Extras
Using Legalball
Baseball Tickets
NFL Tickets
NBA Tickets
College Football
NCAA Basketball
Know Sports
Wanna Bet!
High Crime rates in the NBA...
Our Sports Law and Sports Business Experts know why
High turnover in Major League Baseball...
Our Sports Law and Sports Business Experts know why
Steroids in the NFL, MLB, and Olympics...
Our Sports Law and Sports Business Experts know why
Legalball.com will address both Sports Law and Sports Business issues
and give readers an inside understanding to both what happens in
sports and why it happens…
So For Sports Fans who desire to know WHY things happen…
Our Sports Law and Sports Business Experts know why
LegalBall.com - "A Different Pitch on Sports News"