The History of Now - By Hodaka Kajita for SBS 

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Hodaka, You idiot! A person gains WEIGHT as they get older. Particulary as they approach their middle and late 30's. They do not gain MUSCLE at that age. At least not through traditional muscle building processes (i.e. weight training). Men's testosterone levels decrease in their 30's. Testosterone is a driving factor behind muscle building. A 190lb man, doesn't magically become a 240lb (that's right, he's 240, if he's a pound) muscular speciman, seemingly overnight. NOT AT HIS AGE....Idiot!

Bonds is not the best player, ask yourself these questions, better yet look at a Baseball encyclopedia and think about these factors: Babe Ruth played 3 positions, has many pitching records, and of course is the greatest hitter. (records do not lie, do they not, Barry, ever try reading ?) Here is my reasoning about the latter, first of all they had no "armor", not even a helmet, Bonds would never be gutsy enough to do that, secondly, the pitching has been watered down now for most of his career, (high e.r.a's) thirdly, the Babe hit all his home runs when nobody else was doing it, everybody hits home runs now, leading me to beleive that maybe it isn't as hard as it used to be. Lastly, hitting is all he works on, likes to do, and should be all he is credited with, "Being a good hitter," yes, I said a good hitter, he deserves recognition for that, but not all the other. Ask yourself this too, Did Babe Ruth have all the benefits of legal or illegal steroids, an abundance of food, vitamins, fitness trainers? Of course, he didn't ,so if it was harder to hit home runs,( and be a multi position player way back then when pitchers really threw at you, keeping you from leaning out over the plate) without all these advantages, how in the world is Bonds the greatest player? No one is going to forget all about Babe Ruth, Barry, at least not the" real baseball lovers." Barry Bonds you area fake, conceited, over-rated, spoiled,(I dare you to hit without a helmet) self-seeking, and a big part of why baseball is deteriorating. All you care about is your own hype. "Have fun dreaming Barry, keep living in your imaginary world." jennifer

As to the claim that Bonds is the greatest player, I say, " How many positions does he play," oh, that's right, only one. Who played like a little leaguer in the World Series last year? ( Bonds, sometimes didn't even know where to throw the ball, looked completely lost and let the ball drop in for a hit simply because he was clueless as to how to play it. Never got a decent jump, if you don't beleive me count all the times Mike Scioscia sent the runner from first base and they scored!) In case you don't know, this hardly ever happens except with the biggest imaginary Pre-Madonna in baseball history. Rest easy Babe Ruth a loser like Bonds will never steal your limelight or ever be the Baseball icon you are, even in his dreams. Enjoy watching a loser blow his own horn! jennifer

Aren't hamstring injuries really common among steroid users? I've heard that around. I don't want to think he uses steroids (I love Barry and agree with your praise of him), but I also think that the change in physique is a little bit "unnatural"-looking...

This is a well-plotted and thorough article. The only point of which I find peculiar is the steroid thing. Maybe it's not testosterone, but he must be enhancing with some powerful stuff. His head is huge, which I've heard indicates growth horomone. I'm not saying he's the only one, and even if the guy wants to play for a team whose been known to beat on superior competition with their bats, the guy still has to hit the ball, a none to easy task if that's little league I'm remembering right now. He's like watching a freaking video game. As close as anyone to claiming best ever, for sure.

Well, first... I do think Women should be able to use steroids, because they're going to do so first, and second, it's necessary to be able to reach a higher level of athletic performance. I am stating that some drugs are "almost" steroids. Lastly, I believe that Barry Bonds did not use illegal drugs but he did use legal substances that increased his performance. He did this for economic gain. Does this diminish his status as "One of the greatest?" No.

Keith and Zennie, I thank you both for commenting, somewhat, on my topic. As for your Barry is the greatest hitter, baseball player, or athlete of our generation (yes, you have used all three categories), why don't you just say he is? I understand your reasons for wanting to limit your argument to the last 20 years, but come on, be a man and just state it if you say you want to! Hahahaha, now, I'm just playin' with you but seriously, I'm not ashamed to say he is the greatest player of all time, hands down. Statiscally, he will reign king (except for pitching stats) and the way he hits balls out of the park...come on, no Babe Ruth could have done that, even with supplements...hell, even with steroids, the Babe would never have been able to KILL the ball like Barry does. And while I'm ranting, I'll say that to put pitchers in the same category as everyday players is stupid. Pitchers are not players, they're pitchers and that's why they get a Cy Young and not an MVP. Hey, I can appreciate history...Babe Ruth, Koufax, DiMaggio, Mantle, but I appreciate watching history in the making more. Screw them old-timers...they got nothing on Barry. Take pride in our generation by saying it is the best! Yeah, so there are so many looming variables: steroids, corked bats, juiced balls, etc. And while I'm at it, I'll say that players in the first 40 years of baseball were not athletes but just that, players. Baseball players. Tell me I can't outrun Babe Ruth around the bases.

As for the rest of the 'Big Z' argument. Even Z has changed his ways. The argument that started on my blog and has transferred to this blog was that Women should use illegal steroids. Somehow Z is arguing that nutritional supplements are the same as illegal drugs. Barry's use of nutritional supplements are not the same as illegal drugs and any confusion thereof blurs the very line we have been arguing over...

The 'Big Z' and I will continue to argue so long as we continue to misquote one another. I have yet to argue whether Barry is the best hitter of alltime, although it is an argument that I would love to have. So why not begin now... I do believe that Barry is the greatest hitter of our generation. He combines the power of McGuire and the contact ability of Tony Gwynn. However, I am still unable to label him the greatest of alltime due to my age and lack of knowledge of pitchers from earlier generations. Until someone creates a time machine that allows me to travel back and watch Babe Ruth and the pitchers he faced, I will be unable to label Barry as the greatest hitter of alltime. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron faced the likes of Koufax, Drysdale and Gibson. All hall of famers, and all known as some of the greatest pitchers to have played the game. But do they compare with our modern day hall of famers such as the Big Unit, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Which brings me to my final point of comparing the generations. I come from a long line of baseball fans. My Grandfather grew up in New York as a Yankee fan. He even saw the Babe play, as well as other great Yankees such as Lou Gehrig. However, till the day he died he stated the greatest player he ever watched play the game was Joe Dimaggio. My dad grew up a Brooklyn Dodger Fan. He watched Jackie Robinson play. He also saw other players of that generation such as Willie Mays. Yet, my dad always contended that the best player he ever watched play was a pitcher named Sandy Koufax. He said that the six year stretch where Koufax won 4 Cy Youngs was the greatest stretch of play he had ever watched a player have. My dad said that Greg Maddux came close when he won 4 straigh Cy Youngs. And I think that he would have reconsidered had he been able to watch Barry's last three years. The point is that it is not completely possible to compare the generations. By the way, I hear that Sadaharu Oh was a fairly good player as well...

Well, as usual, Keith only picked up half of my argument. Let me fill in the other part. I did not say that Bonds absolutely used steroids, but he has used "performance enhancing" drugs, by his own admission. To remind the public, the "bar" recording what a steroid is and is not, is being moved such that there's more permissiveness. I also did not imply that Bonds practice diminished his feats in any way. Indeed, Bonds used tools available to improve his play and as a result increase his earnings from his salary and endorsements. Remember, Bonds was not even in the "notable" catagory of endorsements until his home run record chase. Now, his name ecilipses that of Mark McGuire, who was also the focus of an investigation regarding performance-enhancing drug use. I still don't see what's wrong with that, given the economics that drives it. But that's for the other blog column, ran by Keith. As for this one, Bonds as carved his place, and as I think about it, he doesn't need a "ring" to claim the throne of "Greatest Hitter Ever."

As I stated in my first response, there are going to be people who I left off my list. That includes soccer players such as Mia Hamm who is the alltime leading scorer in international play. Track star Carl Lewis, who was once the worlds fastest person and won golds in multiple olympics even though the US boycotted the 1980 games. Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong in cycling. Mark Spits won 7 golds... The list continues. Athletes who compete in individual sports, such as golf, track and tennis, are measured by victories. The same should hold true in team sports. I do realize that in team sport, victories are harder to earn. Specifically in Football and Baseball where an individual is unable to guide a team to victory by himself. However, Micheal Jordan took average teams and made them champions. Barry Bonds is the reason that Jeff Kent hit 37 homeruns two years ago and only 22 last year. Bonds is the reason that the Giants won 100 games. Using the thought that victories are not necessary to determine greatness would place a player such as Ricky Davis, who averaged over 20 points a game last year, would be a great player. But as the saying goes, somebody has to score on a bad team. So the answer may lie in how an athlete compares with other athletes of the same generation. Is the difference between Bonds and the number two player in MLB during the same period greater or less than that of Babe Ruth and the second best player of his generation? Finally, in regards to my list of the greatest athletes of this generation, there are numbers to back it up. Gretsky has twice as many carreer points of any other player to play hockey. Rice has scored 70 more touchdowns than any other player and has nearly twice as many receiving yards. Michael Jordan is the alltime scoring average leader and has more MVPs, First Team NBA, First defensive team awards than any of his contemporaries. And Barry Bonds has over 100 more homers than anyone who played during the years he has played. Over the past three years, the difference between Bonds' slugging percentage and the second place finisher is the same as between number 2 and number 100 in slugging... However, the difference between Bonds, Rice, Gretsky and Jordan is that Bonds does not have a ring.

I'm sorry, I meant to say, "Excelling in one person's specific sport makes him/her a great player not a greatER athlete than the next."

Winning may measure a player's greatness but not his/her athletic ability. That whole "athlete" category is too ESPNish and pretty myopic. Isn't greatest PLAYER good enough? Excelling in one person's specific sport makes him/her a great player not a great athlete. Too many variables between each sport. And how could you leave out great soccer players from your list? Pele? Ronaldo? Beckham?

I think I'm just replying because I'm used to debating Keith. But, I'm not sure winning championships should be considered part of the primary measure of "best athlete." I do offer that Barry is a "performance enhanced" athlete, considering the drugs he's used. I see nothing wrong here, as it has an economic benefit, but it's important to note. Now, returning to the matter of "best athlete," I offer Gale Sears, of the Chicago Bears, who never won a "ring" yet is generally considered one of the best running backs in NFL history.

Keith, I see your point. But I am arguing he is the best player in history based on his stats. History includes the past 100+ years the game has been played. My argument can easily be rebutted, and therefore justifies its written existence. No doubt, Barry is the best baseball player of this generation, but even then, people will find reasons why he is not. About your best athlete discussion: It seems your criteria for determing "best athlete" is based on individual and/or team success. But what exactly is your definition of best athlete? In my opinion, it's impossible to say who is the best athlete because each sport is so different, and therefore each player is built differently. If anything, Bo Jackson might have been the best athlete because he dominated in both sports he played during his short professional tenure. It's hard to determine the athleticism of a professional player because stats and public image mar it. Can't we say a triathlete or some track and field athlete is the best athlete in our generation? The only problem with your list of top 4 athletes is that they all played professional sports and had an good amount of team success (i.e. championships), except for Barry. If we are talking pure athleticism, then Terrell Owens blows Rice away. Kobe Bryant can be argued to be just a good an athlete as Jordan, and he has the rings to back it up. Etc., etc. Bottom line, the "best athlete" criteria is too open-ended and pretty much impossible to determine.

I am not a baseball fan, but your article kept me engaged and interested. It's nice to see Bonds' greatness not celebrated in a final championship title (for example, a world series ring), but in the work that is his career. And I liked how you showed this athlete to be succesful, and in his prime, later in life. It would also be interesting to read more about his personal history, such as his relationships with Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds.

When you watch Barry, you are watching history. It is no longer an argument as to whether Barry is the best player in baseball, ARod please sit down. And it is no longer an argument as whether Bonds is the best player of a generation. The question is... Is Barry the best athlete of this generation? First, I must state that this discussion must be limited to the past 20 or so years. Why? Well, I never saw Jim Brown run. I never saw Willie Mays play centerfield. I never saw Wilt Chamberlin score 100 points. I did not see one of Bill Russell's 13 championships. Never saw one of Babe's 714 homers, nor Hammerin' Hanks 755. George Miken played for the Lakers when their name actually made sense. Jesse Owens ran in front of Nazi Germany. Jack Nicholas won his last of 18 majors at the 1986 Masters. Bobby Jones' pictures are only offered in Black and White. Billie Jean King beat Riggs in 1973. And Muhammed Ali lost to the toothless Leon Spinks in the 70's. With that, I offer you the breakdown of the best athletes of this generation. Football: Jerry Rice owns every receiveing record including yards, catches and touchdowns. He has won MVPs and Superbowls. Joe Montana won 4 superbowls and never threw an interception in any of them. Multiple MVP's as well. Brett Favre won three straight MVPs and a superbowl. Ronnie Lott redefined the safety position and is the hardest hitter to have played the game. Emmitt Smith is the alltime leading rusher, won 3 superbowls and is second on the alltime touchdown list. Basketball: Michael Jordan won 5 MVPs and 6 Championships. Kareem Abdul Jabbar won 6 MVPs, multiple championships and still has the most dominant shot in the history of Basketball. Magic Johnson won multiple MVPs and Championships. Larry Bird won multiple MVPs and Championships. Karl Malone won multiple MVPs, will beome the NBA's alltime leading scorer and will win his first championship this year. Baseball: Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson have each won multiple Cy Youngs and atleast one championship. Other Sports: Pete Sampras won 13 grandslams. Martina Navratilova won 58 grandslams while playing against the likes of Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Tracy Austin, Billie Jean King and others. Tiger Woods has won 8 majors. Cheryl Miller dominated women's hoops and supposedly her little brother Reggie on the home court. Wayne Gretsky dominated hockey like none other winning 9 MVPs. While I am sure there are others who I have left off the list. I cannot argue for Barry being the best player of this generation until he is done playing. Until Barry breaks Hank Aaron's record and possibly wins a championship, on my list of best athletes of our generation, I place Barry fourth. 1. Michael Jordan 2. Wayne Gretsky 3. Jerry Rice 4. Barry Bonds and ready to move up.

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