Top 10 All-Time Home Run Hitters Options

[impala454]

1. Barry Bonds*
2. Hank Aaron
3. Babe Ruth
4. Willie Mays
5. Sammy Sosa*
6. Ken Griffey
7. Frank Robinson
8. Mark McGwire*
9. Harmon Killebrew
10.Rafael Palmeiro*
















*CHEATERS

[impala454]

ok but being racist or doing coke doesn't help you hit home runs.

but yeah will you're right on the newer guys, except i'd say maybe a little smaller year range... maybe about 94-01. it's just my opinion though. some of you see it as taking advantage of a loophole... steroids were illegal at the time, so while yes, there wasn't a baseball rule against it, I still see it as the players using illegal drugs to improve their performance. maybe some don't have a problem with it, but again imo I think it has no place in professional sports. especially for the example it sets. hopefully we're done with it now that they've cracked down on it some.

[Oasis]

ok but being racist or doing coke doesn't help you hit home runs.

UGH

I'm not talking about hitting home runs, I'm talking about gaining a competitve advantage over the competition. Or, in Bonds' case, history.

Racism helped a lot of ballplayers establish a lot of records that will never be broken. Do you honestly think Rogers Hornsby would have hit .424 if he had to face Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, or Pedro Martinez? Hell, one step further, if he had to face specialized middle relief pitchers? Of course not.

And yes, coke gives you a huge competitive advantage. Darryl Strawberry had a huge competitive advantage over Ray Knight (assuming there was at least one player on the '86 Mets team who didn't use blow) because of cocaine. Imagine a day-night doubleheader in NY, followed by a cross country trip for a 1 pm (10 am NY time) game against the Dodgers. Would you rather face Fernando Valenzuela and his 100 MPH fastball on 4 hours sleep or coked up and completely functional and alert?

It's funny how no one talks about the competitive advantage Babe Ruth had. He demolished the all time home run record (714 to Roger Connor's 137 or something). Why? Because he was the best hitter after the dead ball era. How is completely changing the makeup of the baseball not a huge competitive advantage?

I'm not defending steroids nor what Bonds did. Just saying that I can't fault him for using something to gain an advantage, when the practice has been going on for 125+ years.

The only thing constant throughout baseball history is statistics. Everything else - the game, the players, etc - evolves.

[impala454]

Racism helped a lot of ballplayers establish a lot of records that will never be broken. Do you honestly think Rogers Hornsby would have hit .424 if he had to face Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, or Pedro Martinez? Hell, one step further, if he had to face specialized middle relief pitchers? Of course not.

But Hornsby faced the same pitchers everyone else did at the time... how come everybody else didn't hit .424? And look at A-Rod, he'll easily beat Bond's record if he has a healthy career. I can't stand the guy but at least his record will be legit.

And yes, coke gives you a huge competitive advantage. Darryl Strawberry had a huge competitive advantage over Ray Knight (assuming there was at least one player on the '86 Mets team who didn't use blow) because of cocaine. Imagine a day-night doubleheader in NY, followed by a cross country trip for a 1 pm (10 am NY time) game against the Dodgers. Would you rather face Fernando Valenzuela and his 100 MPH fastball on 4 hours sleep or coked up and completely functional and alert?

That's just baseball. All players have to go through it. Lack of sleep is not a valid excuse to do coke. Darryl Strawberry was just as in the wrong as Bonds is.

It's funny how no one talks about the competitive advantage Babe Ruth had. He demolished the all time home run record (714 to Roger Connor's 137 or something). Why? Because he was the best hitter after the dead ball era. How is completely changing the makeup of the baseball not a huge competitive advantage?

How is this an advantage when every hitter that walked up to the plate got the same ball??

I'm not defending steroids nor what Bonds did. Just saying that I can't fault him for using something to gain an advantage, when the practice has been going on for 125+ years.

I guess we should just leave it at this. I do fault him. The man took illegal drugs to give himself an edge in his sport. You guys think that's ok, I don't.

Bonds was a first ballot Hall Of Famer long before steroid accusations. Think up a better argument, please.

Please take what I'm saying in context. I was responding to cmac, who was claiming it's more Bond's skill getting the ball out of the park than the 'roids. I didn't say he wasn't a great player or a skilled hitter. He had a high .290s average for most of his career, stole a lot of bases, hit a lot of homers (even before the 'roids). IMHO he would have been a hall of famer easily without the 'roids. He wouldn't have broke the all time HR record, but he'd have still hit 600+ at least.