Comments on: Home Run King http://pribek.net/2007/08/08/home-run-king/ Trouble Ain't Over Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:26:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Pribek http://pribek.net/2007/08/08/home-run-king/comment-page-1/#comment-2225 Pribek Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:20:01 +0000 http://pribek.net/2007/08/08/home-run-king/#comment-2225 Andy D, This is why I say the record is tainted. All of the records and all of the statistics are really for the fans. Even though there are always conditions that affect the numbers from era to era, the numbers are a place to start the dialogue of comparing players from different times. Steroids are not the only outside factor that affects the high amount of homers in the modern era. Weak pitching, small ballparks and a lively ball are definitely part of the equation. How many more would Ruth have hit if he didn't play pitcher and took his swings at a dead ball during the first part of his career? How many would Ted Williams have ended up with if he didn't spend his best years in the miltary? How many would Aaron have hit if he wasn't facing Drysdale, Koufax, Seaver, Gibson, Palmer and the like on a regular basis? This done in the huge cookie cutter ballparks of the day. In conversation, we can make some sort of compensation for factors like these. The differences with steroids are; 1. All of the other variables are something that the ballplayer has no control over. Steroids are the first variable that the ballplayer brough on of his own volition. 2. Because we have no proof of who used and who didn't, we don't know which numbers are valid. Bonds record is tainted but really, he is the poster boy for an entire 15-year period that is tainted. Andy D,
This is why I say the record is tainted.
All of the records and all of the statistics are really for the fans.
Even though there are always conditions that affect the numbers from era to era, the numbers are a place to start the dialogue of comparing players from different times.
Steroids are not the only outside factor that affects the high amount of homers in the modern era. Weak pitching, small ballparks and a lively ball are definitely part of the equation.
How many more would Ruth have hit if he didn’t play pitcher and took his swings at a dead ball during the first part of his career? How many would Ted Williams have ended up with if he didn’t spend his best years in the miltary?
How many would Aaron have hit if he wasn’t facing Drysdale, Koufax, Seaver, Gibson, Palmer and the like on a regular basis? This done in the huge cookie cutter ballparks of the day.
In conversation, we can make some sort of compensation for factors like these.
The differences with steroids are; 1. All of the other variables are something that the ballplayer has no control over. Steroids are the first variable that the ballplayer brough on of his own volition.
2. Because we have no proof of who used and who didn’t, we don’t know which numbers are valid.
Bonds record is tainted but really, he is the poster boy for an entire 15-year period that is tainted.

]]> By: Andy D http://pribek.net/2007/08/08/home-run-king/comment-page-1/#comment-2221 Andy D Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:06:43 +0000 http://pribek.net/2007/08/08/home-run-king/#comment-2221 I stopped following baseball around 2000, when the league started talking about getting rid of a few teams. However,.. I don't think the record is tainted. He may or may not have used steroids, and like you said, many of the pitchers he went up against may or may not have used steroids. If the steroids were a huge advantage, more players would be chancing the home run record. The record is special because there aren't more players able to reach that milestone. Good article though. Very interesting. I stopped following baseball around 2000, when the league started talking about getting rid of a few teams. However,..

I don’t think the record is tainted. He may or may not have used steroids, and like you said, many of the pitchers he went up against may or may not have used steroids. If the steroids were a huge advantage, more players would be chancing the home run record. The record is special because there aren’t more players able to reach that milestone.

Good article though. Very interesting.

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