Babe Ruth was a great player in his day.  I say in his day because to deny that it was a different era in baseball is to be ignorant of facts that are indisputable.  Facts like the short porch in Yankee stadium where he hit most of his HR’s or facts like his lack of top quality pitchers to hit against.  I can not say how great he would be today facing middle relievers, setup men, and closers that were non-existent in the 1920’s, but he was one of the best who ever put on cleats and swung a bat.  To deny that would be absurd.  Ruth will always be a legend and in some people’s eyes he is the only player that matters: 714

Henry Aaron was also a great player.  "Hammerin Hank" as he was called was a model of consistency, hitting 20 plus homeruns for 20 of the 23 seasons he played.  Most seasons he had over 30 HR’s.  He also endured the kind of hate from racists that no man should have to encounter.  Aaron had to live and work under the cloud of hate that threatened his very family.  As he approached the record that Babe Ruth had left, the hatred for this man increased exponentially.  755

Barry Bonds is still a great player.   The fact that a RF with a good arm can throw him out on any normal single to that field and yet pitchers still walk him is unbelievable.  He has had 2 hits in his last 22 at bats and yet he was walked 9 times.  He bat is still feared.  Whether you like Barry or not, his numbers prior to the steroids era were HOF and he will enter in as a first ballot hall of famer.  His numbers speak for themselves.  713

So where does “racism” rear its ugly head in this whole debate.  I have seen many people who deny that racism should even be a part of the discussion when it comes to Bonds.  They say things like he is egotistical and his blatant disregard for the fans is why he is disliked.  I am sure that Barry’s actions are responsible for some of the hate that is out there but there is still another component of racism lurking just beneath the surface that many refuse to see.  The fact that as Barry has approached 714 and as he passes it by, which he will, people still regard Babe Ruth as the all time HR leader is an example of covert racism.  People will not acknowledge it and I am sure others will deny it when they read this post, but the fact is that when people say that Babe Ruth will always be the leader they are dismissing the accomplishments of Hank Aaron and not Barry Bonds.  The racism is not directed towards Bonds but toward Aaron.  The mere fact that Bonds is still compared to Ruth with each at bat shows that the world has not accepted the feat that Aaron established back in 1974.  It is time we moved on and put an end to this charade.  Aaron is the real HR champion and who knows if Bonds will ever pass him.    We know he will pass Babe Ruth for the number TWO spot sometime soon, probably this month.  Barry may play one more year as a DH and have a shot at the all time record, but that is not a certainty.  Personally, I would love to see George Steinbrenner fork over 20 million a year and have Barry DH for the Yankees.  Talk about poetic justice! 75?

SoCalSportsFan