Baseball What ifs.

[B1GTide]

Regarding Jeff Kent and Bonds, wasn't their feud with each other a public thing? I don't think either one of them made an effort to hide it.

They were both jerks.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

The difference in Bonds and the Yankees era Reggie Jackson is that Jackson thrived on controversy and pulled the pressure of playing in NY onto himself and loosened up his teammates; Bonds did the opposite, which is why Reggie’s teams finished in 1st in 10 of 12 seasons (71-82) and won 5 rings and Bonds won diddly.

 

[DogPatch]

In a way I’m hoping Freddie and Acuna pass Bonds just to put it back to classy naturally talented guys.

As the all-time HR leader?

 

[81usaf92]

As the all-time HR leader?

Yes

 

[81usaf92]

The difference in Bonds and the Yankees era Reggie Jackson is that Jackson thrived on controversy and pulled the pressure of playing in NY onto himself and loosened up his teammates; Bonds did the opposite, which is why Reggie’s teams finished in 1st in 10 of 12 seasons (71-82) and won 5 rings and Bonds won diddly.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Bonds the biggest choker in the NLCS and WS eras. I’ve heard from many Giants fans that Panda and Posey were better Giants players than Bonds

 

[DogPatch]

Yes

Acuna may have a shot, but Freeman will never make it to 762.

 

[81usaf92]

Acuna may have a shot, but Freeman will never make it to 762.

The reality is that no one is probably hitting 763 or even getting close to it. In a way I wish Pujols would stay on until he breaks it. I usually hate the Emmitt Smith type people who stay on just to break records when they are way pat their prime but Barry doesn’t deserve that record and he damn well knows it.

 

[DogPatch]

The reality is that no one is probably hitting 763 or even getting close to it. In a way I wish Pujols would stay on until he breaks it. I usually hate the Emmitt Smith type people who stay on just to break records when they are way pat their prime but Barry doesn’t deserve that record and he damn well knows it.

To me the record is 868.

 

[81usaf92]

To me the record is 868.

I really don’t watch Japanese baseball so I go by MLB records. But hitting that many in the Tokyo Dome is impressive

 

[DogPatch]

I really don’t watch Japanese baseball so I go by MLB records. But hitting that many in the Tokyo Dome is impressive

I have, and will, use it until someone makes 763 or better in the MLB. Not giving you know who any credit.

 

[81usaf92]

I have, and will, use it until someone makes 763 or better in the MLB. Not giving you know who any credit.

Personally I just say Hank is home run king. I purposely threw a trivia tournament on the question because I refused to say Bonds

 

[BamaInBham]

I thought this would be a fun thing to start. Post a “what if question” or I will and we will see where it goes. I look forward to seeing the responses

What if #1: What if Barry Bonds doesn’t start to use steroids and ends on his pre 2000 trajectory in Home Runs? Is he a HOF.

Okay this is assuming a lot of things. Namely if there was a point where he wasn’t using. I think most would say 2000 is when he clearly started using since he had a spike in home runs that you don’t typically see in a 14 year player. So for argument’s sake let’s just assume that 2000 is the point he started using. So he has 445 at the end of the 1999 season and was averaging 32 HRs. It’s hard to say when he would end or how much the home run numbers would go down with age. I’m really unfamiliar with the old candle stick park. So that maybe an @selmaborntidefan point.

But I think the bigger question is “before 2000 was Barry Bonds having a HOF worthy career?”

He was a HOF first ballot lock. In the prime years of his career Bonds was easily the best overall player in the game. Offense and defense and base-running. His only shortcoming was a weak, though accurate arm. It was a pity that McGwire's power exploits, greatly aided by steroids, IMO, provoked Bonds to take them too. He was jealous, though he acted as though he didn't care what the fans or media said. Two frauds in completely different ways: McGwire and Bonds. McGwire couldn't hold Bond's jockstrap as a baseball player though.

 

[81usaf92]

What if #5: What if Steve Bartman never interferes with Moises Alou?

Okay before we start we have to acknowledge that Bartman was nowhere the only one going for the ball, and if replay existed the call would most likely been out. But a lot of Cubs fans contend that had Bartman never came to the game that they would’ve been high stepping to the WS and would’ve been whacking the dreaded Yankees. I have my doubts on the latter, but you could potentially make a case for the former.

 

[81usaf92]

What if #6: What If the Expos never get rid of Randy Johnson?

I still think that the Expos never saw the potential in the Unit, and got rid of him way to soon. Granted they improved afterwards in the short run but you gotta ask the question to how the Expos found both Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez but never did anything with them.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

What if #6: What If the Expos never get rid of Randy Johnson?

I still think that the Expos never saw the potential in the Unit, and got rid of him way to soon. Granted they improved afterwards in the short run but you gotta ask the question to how the Expos found both Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez but never did anything with them.

If you go back and look at the players that Montreal had come through their system, it is astonishing they couldn't recognize the potential talent and keep them in-house to build a WS caliber roster.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

What if Ted Turner never buys the Braves and puts the on TBS?

Do they still have the national following that they do? I doubt it. The reason I became a Braves fan was because they were always on TV (TBS). They were the team that I could see every game, so I became a fan by default. I am sure there are others that did the same.

 

[81usaf92]

What if Ted Turner never buys the Braves and puts the on TBS?

Do they still have the national following that they do? I doubt it. The reason I became a Braves fan was because they were always on TV (TBS). They were the team that I could see every game, so I became a fan by default. I am sure there are others that did the same.

Ted Turner more or less made the Atlanta Braves. I think without him the Braves are probably the Texas Rangers in terms as a franchise. Maybe @selmaborntidefan has a different opinion, but Ted, Bobby, and John made the Braves who they are today.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

What if Ted Turner never buys the Braves and puts the on TBS?

Do they still have the national following that they do? I doubt it. The reason I became a Braves fan was because they were always on TV (TBS). They were the team that I could see every game, so I became a fan by default. I am sure there are others that did the same.

The Braves would probably be playing in Seattle or Denver because Turner bought them to keep the cheap programming on his network.

==========================

Turner actually began airing Braves games on channel 17 in 1973 when it was called WTCG (Turner Communications Group). You have to remember that this wasn't in the usual channel lineup of channels 2 through 13 on the old dial TV, you had to lock in on the UHF channel and turn to channel 17. It was actually WJRJ before he bought it and got the other call letters. Prior to 1973, the Braves games that showed locally were on WSB, which was an NBC affiliate at that time - that's why if you lived in GA back in the day, you got the RADIO broadcasts on WSB, and I heard many in my old Grandfather's transistor. Turner took over in 1970 and the station was a mess. (There are A LOT of parallels between Turner and a certain former President). Turner decided to purchase the rights to the Braves right as he was finally breaking even (they'd lost money for years).

He bought the Braves in 1976 and then - most importantly - he found out it would cost "only a million dollars" to be linked to a satellite. THAT was the key moment right there. Folks without cable discovered baseball through the Braves.

Without it? The Braves are probably somewhere out West.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Let me explain the Seattle remark.

In 1969, baseball awarded Seattle the Pilots franchise, and they went bankrupt in less than a year. A used car salesman named Bud Selig bought them and moved them to Milwaukee. Seattle felt hoodwinked and their Attorney General - Slade Gorton, a Republican who later both won AND lost BOTH Washington Senate seats - raised a ruckus. Everyone knew when baseball expanded in 1977 that Seattle was going to get one of the teams.

It is highly likely baseball would have told Atlanta-La Salle (the owners before Turner) that they HAD to sell it to Seattle or they couldn't do it since they'd only been in Atlanta for ten years at that point. In a related story....Charlie Finley wanted to move the Kansas City A's to Atlanta in the early 60s and they denied him.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Larry Walker
Tim Raines
Andres Galarraga
Tim Wallach
Pedro Martinez
Randy Johnson
Vladimir Guerrero

A lot of talent has worn an Expo uniform at one time.