Barry Bonds Passes Babe Ruth With Home Run Number 715

[RamsFan4ever]

Just go to aol.com
It's on the front page

SAN FRANCISCO (May 28) - Barry Bonds stands alone at No. 715.

Bonds Hits No. 715

Bonds Makes History:
· Who's Next to 700?
· Bonds vs. Ruth
· Milestone Balls Lose Value
· Pujols Keeps Up Pace

Talk About Baseball:
· Post Your Thoughts
He hit the milestone home run with a two-run shot to center field Sunday, moving past Babe Ruth into sole possession of second place on the career list behind Hank Aaron.

Bonds homered off Colorado's Byung-Hyun Kim and in front of his home fans - where he wanted to do it all along - and before the San Francisco Giants headed on a road trip.

The ball glanced off a fan's hands about 15 rows up and then dropped onto an elevated platform beyond the fence. The souvenir sat there for a few minutes before rolling off the roof to an unidentified man waiting for a hot dog, and he was quickly ushered away by security.

Bonds circled the bases as streamers fell from the upper deck.

Now, the list looks like this:

Aaron 755.

Bonds 715.

Ruth 714.

Bonds connected at 2:14 p.m. in the fourth inning, then immediately raised his arms and clapped his hands together before beginning his historic trot. Kim became the 421st different pitcher to surrender a home run to the 41-year-old slugger - yet another meaningful drive Kim has given up, having allowed a pair of monstrous World Series homers in 2001.

Bonds embraced and kissed his 16-year-old son, bat boy Nikolai, as he crossed home plate, then was greeted by his teammates at the top of the dugout. He took one curtain call in which he tipped his hat and raised both arms and blew a kiss to the crowd.

Moments later, he came out again and waved.

The homer traveled about 445 feet, and the Giants quickly unfurled two banners from the light towers on either side of the main scoreboard in center field: One of Bonds on the left side and the other of Hammerin' Hank's 755.

Bonds, who had walked on five pitches in the first inning, went five games between 714 and 715. He hit 714 on May 20 at Oakland, a span of 17 at-bats and 24 plate appearances.

Bonds is still loved at home despite the steroids accusations that surrounds his home run pursuit.

This is the first time in nearly 85 years that Ruth hasn't been in the top two on the career home run list, according to David Vincent of the Society for American Baseball Research. He passed Sam Thompson to move into second on June 20, 1921, when he hit his 127th career home run.

Bonds has hit most of his other milestone home runs in San Francisco: 500, 600, 700 along with 660 and 661 to tie and pass godfather Willie Mays. In 2001, Bonds hit the final three of his 73 homers at home to break Mark McGwire's single-season record of 70.

Aaron passed Ruth in April 1974 - and now Aaron is the only one left for Bonds to chase.

This was Bonds' last chance during the six-game homestand before the Giants left town for another week on the road.

[RamsFan16]

Great Job Barrry! I love you man! One of the all time greats!

[RamsFan4ever]

Originally Posted by RamsFan4ever

The souvenir sat there for a few minutes before rolling off the roof to an unidentified man waiting for a hot dog, and he was quickly ushered away by security.

How lucky is that!!

You can get a baseball even when your waiting to get a hotdog!

[RAM-BO]

I am very happy for Bonds. Get these steroids accusations out of my face for one god damn second, they are just that, ACCUSATIONS. Congratulations Bonds, raise your kids well and enjoy a good life.

[RamsFanSam]

Wow.

Big deal.

The Babe was first.

Babe Ruth was never accused of steroid use.

[AvengerRam]

The only steroids that Ruth ingested were those that were injected into the cows and pigs used to make the hot dogs he ate.

Bonds is a fraud.

[Fortuninerhater]

I'd like to know how you know that Avenger, your profile says you're only 38.

[dgr828]

40 MORE HOMERS TO CATCH THE GREAT HENRY "HAMMERIN' HANK" AARON (755 HRs)
FOOTBALLS' EQUIVALENT: THE GREAT ERIC DICKERSON (2,105 YARDS RUSHING IN ONE SEASON)
I WONDER WHICH RECORD WILL BE BROKEN FIRST?

[Milan]

Does it really matter? There should be an Asterisk next to his name in the record books.

How in god's name does a 37 year old get 70+ home runs in one season, when getting 49 and 34 the previous years. Since 2000 to 2004, he has gotten above 40 home runs in each season, but suddenly when he gets accused of taking illegal performance enhancing drugs, it drops to 7.

Over 2 years his home runs went from 45, to 7. I realize there's still games to be played but hell we all know he'll be lucky if he hits 25 home runs this season.

[txramsfan]

All steroids does is make you hit a ball 415 feet or more instead 410. When he was juicing up, MLB said it wasn't illegal.

You still have to have fantastic hand/eye coordination, I'm not so sure steroids helps out in that aspect.

[txramsfan]

Babe Ruth was never accused of steroid use but Babe Ruth didn't have these obstacles like modern day players:

1. Relief pitchers throwing 100+ MPH coming in late into games. Pitchers in Ruth's era usually started and ended the game but the were gassed and still threw to Ruth.

2. Intentional walks weren't the norm like Bonds had to endure lately.

3. Traveling west went as far as St. Louis and south was as far as Washington D.C.

4. Ruth didn't see some of the best pitchers of his era due to segregation.

You can place an asterisk by almost every MLB stat. You still have to have the skill to connect the bat to the ball and to me what Bonds has done is remarkable. Not saying he isn't a horses behind, but I am saying as an athlete he has accomplished a major feat.

OK, slam into me.

[badmoforamfan]

Your right TX, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you couldn't find a bigger jerk to pass up the Babe.

I think that alot of the scruntinty that he endures is a result of him being a horses ass!

[rams_fan81]

I think you're right TX.

I think one reason nobody like Barry is because of his problems with the media. I really don't think that people should hate someone for wanting some privacy.

[Goldenfleece]

First off, let me say I agree with Tx that stats from different eras aren't really comparable. I'll agree that Bonds has gotten the lion's share of blame in all of this, too, because he hasn't come off as a very likeable sort.

Bonds' numbers really were good all along. By the the time in his career that accusers say he started steroids, he could have left the game with a very productive 12 year career. However around '98 OBP and SLG shot up quite dramatically. His HR numbers improved, but aside from '01 weren't that much higher than previous years...maybe as much as 8-10 more/year than the previous average. It does seem strange that they would improve at all that late in his career, though. Bonds always could connect with the ball, and that is reflected by his average. However, he certainly became a different type of hitter around that time. At the same time, his stolen base numbers halved and stayed low the rest of his career. Clearly he bulked up and clearly it changed his game.

He has admitted to taking the cream and the clear at the very least...but he says he didn't know any better. So we know the accusations are not totally baseless. For me, it's not a matter of Bonds personally. I never kept up with the Giants enough to know what kind of person he was. It's a matter of integrity. I'm just as disappointed in Palmero for going back on his word and McGuire for not being able to deny the accusations as I am in Bonds.

[r8rh8rmike]

Barry Bonds is a cheat, a fraud and a jerk of epic proportions. He has benefited from using steroids, as have many others. All the hand/eye coordination in the world is not going to get you 70 plus home runs in a season. Strength gets you big home run numbers, and steroids give you strength. Look at Bonds as a Pirate, and look at him as a Giant. That should tell you all you need to know.

That said, MLB is just as guilty as Bonds in creating the whole steroid mess. For years, they buried their head in the sand and refused to acknowledge the problem. They knew full well what was going on and chose to do nothing to stop it. Any talk of an asterisk has zero credibility.