Asterisk on #756

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds would boycott Cooperstown if the Hall of Fame displays his record-breaking home run ball with an asterisk.

That includes skipping his potential induction ceremony.

"I won't go. I won't be part of it," Bonds said in an interview with MSNBC that aired Thursday night. "You can call me, but I won't be there."

The ball Bonds hit for home run No. 756 this season will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Hall. Fashion designer Marc Ecko bought the ball in an online auction and set up a Web site for fans to vote on its fate. In late September, he announced fans voted to send the ball to Cooperstown with an asterisk.

Of course, the asterisk suggests Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Fans brought signs with asterisks to ballparks this season as he neared Hank Aaron's career home run mark.

Bonds has called Ecko "an idiot."

"I don't think you can put an asterisk in the game of baseball, and I don't think that the Hall of Fame can accept an asterisk," Bonds said. "You cannot give people the freedom, the right to alter history. You can't do it. There's no such thing as an asterisk in baseball."

Hall of Fame vice president Jeff Idelson declined to comment Thursday night.

Hall president Dale Petroskey has said accepting the ball doesn't mean the museum endorses the viewpoint that Bonds used illegal substances. He said the museum would be "delighted" to have the ball.

"It's a historic piece of baseball history," Petroskey said in September.

So, if the Hall goes through with the asterisk display?

"I will never be in the Hall of Fame. Never," Bonds said. "Barry Bonds will not be there.

"That's my emotions now. That's how I feel now. When I decide to retire five years from now, we'll see where they are at that moment," he added. "We'll see where they are at that time, and maybe I'll reconsider. But it's their position and where their position will be will be the determination of what my decision will be at that time."

Giants general manager Brian Sabean reiterated Thursday that the team won't bring back Bonds next season. The seven-time NL MVP, who has spent 15 of his 22 major league seasons in San Francisco, was asked whether he will retire as a Giant.

"Yeah, it's my house. No matter what that's my house, no one's going to take that away, no one ever," Bonds answered. "No one's going to take the love of that city of me away, ever."

Bonds, who has 762 homers, broke Aaron's record with a shot into the right-center seats off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik at San Francisco on Aug. 7.

Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle holding the ball. He said he decided to sell it because he couldn't afford to pay the taxes required to keep it.

Bonds told MSNBC he hoped to reach 764 homers because he was born in July 1964. He said he's been working out and still is considering whether to play next season.

"I may hit two home runs so I can go home. I just think that I have a lot of game left. I think that I can help a team with a championship," Bonds said. "I'm a hell of a part-time player, too."

Bonds said he won't talk to George Mitchell's staff looking into steroids use in baseball while he is under investigation in the BALCO case. A grand jury has been investigating whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.

"I know it ends in January, so a couple more months. But I haven't been keeping up with it. Not at all," Bonds said. "I have nothing to hide. I have said that before and I will say it now and I will look you in the face. I have nothing to hide, nothing. So look all you want to."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

I'll be the first to say that this sounds good to me.

Cheater doesn't deserve to ever be in anyway.

[JR2004]

Don't show up Barroids. You won't be missed or wanted there for that matter.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by ASUFrisbeeStud


Cheater doesn't deserve to ever be in anyway.

Then kick out Gaylord Perry, Whitey Ford and all the other pitchers who doctered the ball

[lakers]

Thats seems rude to me...

I dont like the guy, but that is going to far.

[neck_06]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
Then kick out Gaylord Perry, Whitey Ford and all the other pitchers who doctered the ball

i'm with you on that one. people don't like barry bonds because the media makes him out to be a terrible guy....they make him out to be a terrible guy because he doesn't talk to them and when he does he's pissed off.

ps - steroids or not you still have to hit the ball out of the park 756 times....putting an asterisk on it would be a disgrace to the hall of fame and the game of baseball....so would barry bonds not being included.

[zebrablue2]

just tell the truth BB.

[JasperDog94]

How about instead of a asterisk they brand it with a syringe?

[DU_stud04]

Originally posted by JasperDog94
How about instead of a asterisk they brand it with a syringe? or a bunch of syringes forming an asterisk

taking steroids does help you hit the ball further, but you've got to first have to skill to hit the ball which barry bonds obviously has. i haven't liked this guy since childhood, my dad bought me a baseball glove and it had bonds name on it, we took it back and got another one, but im not about to say that this guy isn't a great baseball player.

[Old Tiger]

Barry Bonds is an arrogant @$$hole. :)

[Darren]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
Then kick out Gaylord Perry, Whitey Ford and all the other pitchers who doctered the ball

This is a useless argument.

You can't let Bonds slide because you feel that others were let slide in the past.

The question is did he use preformance enhancing drugs? If he did then he shouldn't be in the Hall.

It's Black and White. Quit trying to complicate it.

[Gobbler Fan]

I agree with Bond's ...the guy is an idiot .

[chugbug]

I don't like the guy. But, He is not the problem here. Baseball did not have a policy on steroid use. Bart and Bud are the problems and now they are trying to cover their asses. Well I guess that Bart's ass is already covered. Just a thought.:eek: :eek: :tongue: :weeping: :weeping: :weeping:

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by chugbug
Baseball did not have a policy on steroid use. But baseball did have a policy about obeying the law and last I checked taking a controlled substance without a prescription is illegal.

The fact that this controlled substance also enhanced his performance on the field makes him a cheater on top of a law breaker.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by Darren
You can't let Bonds slide because you feel that others were let slide in the past.

The question is did he use preformance enhancing drugs? If he did then he shouldn't be in the Hall.

It's Black and White. Quit trying to complicate it. I agree 100%!!!:clap:

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Darren
It's Black and White. Quit trying to complicate it.

And you can be rest assured that if Bonds DOESN'T get to the Hall, you'll hear that exact same statement....

[Emerson1]

Originally posted by Darren
This is a useless argument.

You can't let Bonds slide because you feel that others were let slide in the past.

The question is did he use preformance enhancing drugs? If he did then he shouldn't be in the Hall.

It's Black and White. Quit trying to complicate it.
Then why can't the question be

Did they illegally alter to ball to give them an unfair advantage thus cheating? If they did, they shouldn't be in the hall.

[HippoBaseball05]

If using steroids doesn't really help enhance performance, then why use them knowing it would just cause a crapstorm of controversy?

I'll tell you why, because Barroid believed or believes they help his performance. That's why.

Don't want to get into the HOF? Oh well.

Pete Rose should be inducted light years before 'enlarged cranium' Bonds should anyway.

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

Breaking the all time home run record takes stamina and endurance year in and year out. Y'all are all right, steriods don't help you hit the ball any better. Bond is one of the greatest hitters of all time, don't get me wrong. He however did most likely take steriods which gave him the ability to stay healthy and play ball alot longer than he should have. It's just a shame that he had to have an added advantage to beat the best of all time. I know it's apples and oranges to compare Ruth and Bonds because of the eras but what could Ruth have done with the technology available today? I guess we'll never really know but I still hate Barry.

[its_n_D_water]

I voted for the Asterisk

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by HippoBaseball05
...Pete Rose should be inducted light years before 'enlarged cranium' Bonds should anyway.
Simma down now, killa, Bonds was ten times the player Rose ever was loooong before he juiced. He was every bit the contact hitter Rose was with more power, better defense, and a better arm. Bonds was easily one of the two greatest players of his generation, Rose wasn't even the best player on his own team.

I love the way Rose played. Player like Rose... Lenny Dykstra, Aaron Rowand, etc are/were my favorite type of player to watch because of the way they played, but I don't let my own prejudice cloud my judgement. The only thing that Rose did better than Bonds was hustled. Bonds was better in every other way except for their ability to hit the ball, which was a wash.

On top of that, gambling is the single biggest sin in sports. It's one thing when you're cheating in an attempt to win, but it's another thing when your cheating to lose. When you're trying to win or succeed, there will always be obstacles in your path. When you're trying to lose, there's nothing stopping you.

I know everyone says that Rose always bet on the Reds, but I'm still a much bigger opponent of gambling than steroids. Steroids is just the en vogue thing to hate right now, but it's takes someone who has exceptionally low character to gamble on sports.

[Stownhorse]

Gambling and breaking the law is what players sign off to not do when they sign that contract. They are both equally wrong.

Rose is the better player IMO because he hustled all the time and he was tough as nails. If a player busts his tail all the time he gets my respect. Bonds was a great player but I'd take Rose over Bonds any day.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Stownhorse
Gambling and breaking the law is what players sign off to not do when they sign that contract. They are both equally wrong.

Rose is the better player IMO because he hustled all the time and he was tough as nails. If a player busts his tail all the time he gets my respect. Bonds was a great player but I'd take Rose over Bonds any day.
Rose may have been a better teammate, but like I said, he was the third-best player on his own team (Bench, Morgan). He's overvalued as a player because of the hits record. Ichiro's a much better player than Rose ever was.

[Stownhorse]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Rose may have been a better teammate, but like I said, he was the third-best player on his own team (Bench, Morgan). He's overvalued as a player because of the hits record. Ichiro's a much better player than Rose ever was.

How can you judge a man you only see highlights on? Against a present player.

[Emerson1]

Originally posted by Stownhorse
How can you judge a man you only see highlights on? Against a present player.
That is what I hate about people trying to compare two playera. Hard to do it when you have never even seen a game played by one of them.

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

Originally posted by Emerson1
That is what I hate about people trying to compare two playera. Hard to do it when you have never even seen a game played by one of them.

I still hate Bonds.

Put him in the hall, put Pete in the hall.

They are both awesome players, crappy people.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Stownhorse
How can you judge a man you only see highlights on? Against a present player.
Baseball's not a game like basketball or football. You don't have to see a guy to know what he brought to the table. Billy Bean makes his living off of stats.

Rose didn't have anywhere close to as much pop as Bonds. I can say that without hesitation because Rose never had more than 16 HR in his career while Bonds only hit less than 33 once after 1990 (with 25 in '91, his fifth full season in the league). Rose didn't have near as much speed. I can tell you that based on the fact that Rose never stole more than 20 bases in a season while Bonds stole 25 or more 12 seasons, 30 or more nine seasons, 40 or more three seasons, and 52 during the 1990 season.

Oh, that, and the fact that I've actually seen some of Rose's games on ESPN Classic ('70 and '72 World Series come to mind when they had that World Series marathon a few years back). He also only won two Gold Gloves while Bonds won eight.

But the best measure of their greatness was this: Rose only won one MVP Award while Bonds had three before he ever started juicing. IMO, that's how you tell the greatness of players within specific seasons. Roger Maris was not an all-time great by any stretch of the imagination, but for two straight years he was the best in the majors. If you do that over a lifetime, if you're consistently one of the top five players in the bigs, then that's the best measure of greatness that I can think of.

One last thing to consider, other players were juicing long before Bonds. In the BALCO reports, Bonds supposedly told Griffey, Jr. that he was tired of watching everyone else bulk up while they (far and away the two best players in the league before that time) were being passed up. That's when he started juicing, and from then until the steroids scandal hit the fan, he was still the best player in a league saturated with the juice. He won four more MVP Awards after he bulked up against competition from guys like Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, Vladi Guerrero, and Albert Pujols, all of which (except Pujols) were suspected of juicing.

[Gobbla2001]

I think the man juiced, but he should still be in the hall of fame... the dude was on his way long before juicin'... rose should be in too... but back to the Asterisk...

that's fine what the dude did with it... it wouldn't have happened had Bonds bought the ball himself... he had to have known something was gunna happen with it that would mock him...

HOWEVER, I will boycott the hall of fame with you, Bonds... I think you're a butthole and a cheater, but I will stand by your side in this one...

The baseball hall of fame isn't a joke... you put the best of the best there, you put stuff that shines a light on the great momments of baseball... the best players, a glove, a cap, a jersey, something that shows the good, not the bad...

that ball, with an FREAKING asterisk on it will only serve to remind people 50 years later that the current homerun king juiced and most people don't believe he should have the record (That is if A-Rod doesn't break it)...

the ball, without an asterisk, just plane ole ball would be fine... but with the asterisk on it? The HOF isn't a joke...

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by Darren
This is a useless argument.

You can't let Bonds slide because you feel that others were let slide in the past.

The question is did he use preformance enhancing drugs? If he did then he shouldn't be in the Hall.

It's Black and White. Quit trying to complicate it.

Not trying to complicate it..but I am tired of baseball's almighty act towards someone who uses Roids yet they have a player like Gaylord Perry who was a KNOWN cheater..in fact he wrote a book called me and my Spitter

And IMO someone doctoring the ball has FAR more of an impact on the game than someone taking something to possibly make them better

The HOF voters should not get to pick and choose the cheaters, if one is out, all are out

[JR2004]

Originally posted by its_n_D_water
I voted for the Asterisk

I did too!

[Old Tiger]

I voted for space cause I knew Barry Bonds would be a cry baby :)