Category: MLB (Page 400 of 448)

SI.com is reporting that Barry Bonds will not participate in the home run derby.

“Nope,” Bonds said Thursday when asked about the Derby. “Especially when you’re 42. It’s not that you don’t want to, it’s that you just can’t anymore. You can’t. It’s too long. Too much waiting. Too much sitting around. You can’t do that.”

The article also reports Bonds will throw a party on Monday night along with hip-hop artist Jay Z.

Not that I’m one bit surprised by Bonds’ decision, but how the hell could his 42 year old ass be tired after participating in the home run derby – in his own park by the way – but not after throwing a freaking hip-hop party with Jay Z? Once again, not that this is a surprise and he can do whatever he wants to do, but come on Barry, if you can bust a move with Jay Z, you can swing a bat a couple times in front of your fans (your only fans) for a couple of hours.

In light of the Yankees’ Roger Clemens notching his 350th win last night against the Twins, I wondered what was more impressive – a hitter who reaches 700 home runs or a pitcher who achieves 350 wins.

All considered equal, I think the pitcher winning 350 games is more impressive and it has nothing to do with hitters possibly using roids. Winning just one game takes not only a pitcher being on the top of his game, but the catcher, defense and offense being stellar as well. A poorly called game by a catcher alone could screw a pitcher out of a win, not too mention if a guy goes out, throws a gem and still loses because lack of run support.

A 700 home run player could also be a .250 hitter, which doesn’t say much for him being well rounded. Chicks may still dig the long ball, but a pitcher who can claim 350 wins in a career is more impressive in my eyes with all that factors into a victory.

Sports agent Scott Boras wrote a two-page proposal to baseball commissioner Bud Selig about expanding the World Series to a best of nine. Part of Boras’ plan is to have the first two games of the series played at a neutral site, which he believes will create a buzz similar to the Super Bowl.

“I know from an owner’s perspective, this is a gold mine,” Boras said. “To have a World Series Weekend, WSW, I think it will create a stage that the game has not seen.”

Alright, there’s two problems with your grand plan there Boras. One, is a city like Baltimore or San Diego really going to give a crap about a Tigers-Cardinals World Series? Doubtful. Plus, if you have the first two games at a natural site and one team drops both, are you really going to ask that same team to go on the road for two more down 0-2? They could be down 0-4 before throwing one pitch in their home park. Sorry Boras, but I think this one’s a swing and a miss big guy.

Barry Bonds was officially voted into the All-Star Game by fans Sunday, leaping over Alfonso Soriano and landing a spot in the starting outfield with Ken Griffey Jr. and Carlos Beltran.

All anyone wants to talk about is how Bonds has cheated fans and the game, but then he still winds up in the All-Star Game, as a starter nevertheless. I can hear the conspiracy theorists out there right now saying, “Well, since the game is being played in San Francisco, MLB fixed the voting to get him in.” Go that route if it helps you sleep at night, but I don’t buy that, not with Bud the slug Selig making a quiet public stand against Bonds and breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record.

Are we as fans hypocrites? It doesn’t make a lick of sense how this guy is public enemy #1 in baseball fans’ world, yet he’s still voted into the All-Star Game…by us. It’s not all San Francisco fans doing the voting either, folks. This goes right in line with fans at opposing parks that boo the hell out of Bonds, yet all the while are snapping pictures of him at a Mach Three pace.