Barry Bonds Breaks Home Run Record

Hank Aaron, Baseball Commissioner No Shows For Big Moment

(CBS/AP)  Barry Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home the point: Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball's new home run king.

Bonds broke Hank Aaron's storied record with one out in the fifth inning, hitting a full-count, 84 mph pitch from Washington's Mike Bacsik 435 feet to right-center field.

"Thank you very much. I got to thank all of you, all the fans here in San Francisco. It's been fantastic," he said shortly after crossing home plate, his godfather, Willie Mays, at his side.

Conspicuous by their absence were the commissioner and Hammerin' Hank himself.

Though he was on hand for the tying homer three days ago, deciding to put baseball history ahead of the steroid allegations that have plagued the Giants slugger, Bud Selig wasn't there for the record-breaker.

Instead, he sent two emissaries, Major League Baseball executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

"While the issues which have swirled around this record will continue to work themselves toward resolution, today is a day for congratulations on a truly remarkable achievement," Selig said in a statement, released after he spoke to Bonds by telephone.

President Bush has yet to call the baseball star with congratulations, reports CBS Radio White House reporter Mark Knoller.

White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters this morning that the president congratulates Bonds for breaking "one of the most treasured records" in all of sports. Asked if the president believes the record was compromised at all by allegations of steroid use, Snow noted there's a league-wide investigation of steroid use which the president commends. Snow said he didn't know if Bush would be calling Bonds.

In his State of the Union message in 2004, Knoller notes, President Bush denounced steroid use by athletes calling it dangerous and saying "it sends the wrong message -- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character."

As for Aaron, he said all along he had no interest in being there whenever and wherever his 33-year-old mark was broken. He was true to his word, but he did offer a taped message of congratulations that played on the stadium's video board.

"It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination," he said.

"Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.

"My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams," he said.

A woman who answered the phone at Aaron's home in Georgia shortly after Bonds' homer said that Aaron was asleep.

[humansense]

CONGRATUATIONS BONDS!!

[samthetvcat]

Whoever breaks Bonds' record in the future, I hope they aren't tempted to dabble with steroids to get there - better to do it naturally or not at all. A.Rod's a lock for the Hall of Fame - why juice up just to get your name one up over Bonds' if it's going to cloud your reputation in the process?

PS Geez, the Giant's were leading by 2 a minute ago, and now the score's 6-5 . . .

[samthetvcat]

omg - single and the runner from 2nd was safe at home tying 6-6 . . . ugh!

[mbburch06]

Why is anyone giving this steroid-using cheater the time of day? Landis was stripped of the Tour de France just on the suspicion that he was cheating, and yet Bonds is given a total free pass.

[samthetvcat]

**** - runner on 2nd stole third then scored - score is 7-6 . . . the Giants need to get rid of the Bonds distraction ASAP and start playing ball again. Too hard to concentrate . . .

[randalds]

*

[shanev137]

big deal....who cares.

[tbweb]

Barry Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home the point: Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball's new home run king.

Is there anything else to add? Many baseball experts agree and acknowledge that Bonds is a great player and would have probably broken Hank Aaron's record without "juicing up", it just would have taken Bonds a few more at bats, a few more years to do it. Despite the uproar over cheating, despite the controversy, Barry Bonds was always a great player anyway and in the end no one can deny that. The point is, it's not like Barry Bonds was a bum and became great due to "juicing", like Mark McGuire it just make a great player greater. The real test on this issue will be if Barry Bonds makes it into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it remains to be seen if the Baseball gods will be forgiving and look the other way!

[phil-in-fin]

The message: cheaters win ...

But then, that is the message from professional sports anyway, so why not acknowledge Bonds as a hero ...

(from the story)
"A woman who answered the phone at Aaron's home in Georgia shortly after Bonds' homer said that Aaron was asleep."

Ahhhh ... nothing more needs to be said, really ...

[nishaboston]

Oh Gesh leave the *** man alone and get off your media bandwagon. Americans are such media ******!!!!

[keithle1]

There is no joy in Mudville.

[shoujoboy-2009]

Good on the guy. Records are meant to be broken and that includes the sport of baseball. Baseball is long known to hold it's records and history close and resist change from the "good old days" but thats the nature of sport. Argue how you want that he cheated but until you give me a failed drug test then he is innocent and just a huge friggin dude. Good job Barry and keep destroying those baseballs.

[usayesterday]

LET EVERY PRO ATHLETE TAKE AS MANY STEROIDS AS THEY WANT!

Perhaps a few well known pro athletes need to die, during a game on TV, in front of millions of fans (including their younger fans), in order for society to realize that steroids are bad.

Clearly, trying to sweep the steroid issue under the rug is not working. Trying to ban the substance does not work, as there are ways of getting around the ban(s) in various sports. There are several individuals in various sports with questionable 'wins' because of performance enhancing drugs.

Simply banning steroids in professional sports all for the reason of preventing kids from using the substances, is absolutely absurd! Again, if a few pro athletes need to die in order to teach their young fans a lesson, (because their parents won't do it), THEN SOBEIT!

[brianbwb-2009]

"A fan wearing a Mets jersey wound up with the historic ball. Matt Murphy of New York emerged from the stands with the souvenir and a bloodied face, and was whisked to a secure room."

Any one complaining about athletes doing anything they can go reach their goal, but not questioning how and why this man's face got bloodied?

I bet quite a few...

[brianbwb-2009]

If you promote and support the concept of unregulated capitalism, then you have no right to complain if someone "cheats" to get richer, after all, since you worship money, then any means to get closer to your "god" should be permissible.

To all who complain about steroids, it is rather the unlimited materialism that pushes people to sacrifice their future health, or, as in the case of our president, other peoples lives in order to enrich themselves financially.

So either quit whining, or do something about it,
preferably both.

[theusa1st]

Go look at Barry Bonds rookie card and look at his size. Then look at his size now...
I remember sneaking a small black and white tv up to my bedroom so I could watch Hank Aaron break the record that night. Hank Aaron was a great baseball player with class. Barry Bonds has been a jerk and has shown no class many times...he will always be a loser in my eyes. You can look at him the way you want...and I'll try not to notice him.

[bobnjersey]

congrats barry ... still crackin' them over the fence ... still a great feelin to watch them sail.

obviously you must have been taking those timed released and long lasting steroids ... how on earth would you still be able to hit homers like that?

[ike2146]

BOOOO!! He is a cheater!!

[feedback3-2009]

*

[opedanderson]

Fake, fake, fake, and more fake. It's Tour de France, East German track team, and Chinese swim team fake....He deserves nothing but an intervention and rehab.....

Hank Aaron rules!!!

[crusher1963]

On Monday Bonds was an a**-bag without a home run record. Now he is an a**-bag with a home run record.

[justfacts2]

Amazing! Truely amazing what you can accomplish with steroids these days.

[bobnjersey]

[Babe Ruth holds all time record most home runs FEWEST times at bat. ]
[Posted by rharrin1 at 08:22 AM : Aug 08, 2007]

were the pitchers in ruth's time throwing 100 mph fast balls (and possibly taking steroids too)?

[sskane]

Roger Clemens, Mark Mcgwire, Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson... All obvious juicers, but they didn't pass Hank so they are all OK?

[maccar555]

Inspite of what is being said and reported, this is still U.S. he is is innocent till proven guilty. The drug use is still only an allegation. He has not been tested positive. So I say congrats Mr. Bonds. Still love you - I'm a Pittsburgher and long time fan.

[shoujoboy-2009]

Nothing like starting your morning drinking on some of that haterade. You wonder why he's so *** mean spirited and abrasive, because nobody leaves me the hell alone. He crushes homeruns and does it well and has NEVER had a failed drug test. Start your morning with coffee or a McMuffin and put down the haterade.

[luvny-2009]

Henry Hank Aaron is the man!

[mainer601]

"Clear"...ly the home run king.

[ekucrew]

WHO CAUGHT THE BALL?

[panhandlpete]

The ONE, the ONLY GREAT BASEBALL PLAYER was BABE RUTH. Baseball can have the rest of them.

[mainer601]

ekucrew: In answer to your question about who caught the ball..."A fan wearing a Mets jersey wound up with the historic ball. Matt Murphy of New York emerged from the stands with the souvenir and a bloodied face, and was whisked to a secure room".

Maybe you didn't see it because...it's in the article.

[soldat44]

*



Posted by RandalDS at 01:23 AM : Aug 08, 2007


**

[mikealford3]

Nothing like starting your morning drinking on some of that haterade. You wonder why he's so *** mean spirited and abrasive, because nobody leaves me the hell alone. He crushes homeruns and does it well and has NEVER had a failed drug test. Start your morning with coffee or a McMuffin and put down the haterade.

Posted by shoujoboy at 08:39 AM : Aug 08, 2007



Thank you so much for the post. You are correct. American's are so quick to judge and demean because they don't want their heroes to fall off the shelf. If Hank Aaron could hit 755 home runs 30+ years ago, why is it so hard to believe a man could do that today? Why not celebrate rather than critize?

[soldat44]

[Babe Ruth holds all time record most home runs FEWEST times at bat. ]
[Posted by rharrin1 at 08:22 AM : Aug 08, 2007]

What are the 'Times At bat' stats for Aaron and Bonds? I can't seem to find it.

Thanks

[mikealford3]

Just think, Barry Bonds has more intentional walks than most MLB players have hits and nearly as many as the Babe had home runs. Imagine what the number of home runs would be without all those walks.

[mikealford3]

Just what evidence do you have that Bonds has taken steriods?

[mikealford3]

I'm fine being alone, have been most of my life. The man has never failed a test and all there is is the words of those people who are trying to hang a man to cover their own butts. Why can't we just celebrate the game and the accomplishment without all the negative guessing and accusing?

[sskane]

?

[barbaraf4]

This just goes to prove that if you are willing to break the rules and break the law, you, too, can grow up to be the "homerun king." Of course this could apply to any field of endeavor.

The fact that the idiot baseball fans eat this garbage up is a testimony to how low we have sunk as a "Simpson Society" - well, duh.

[bobnjersey]

[Why can't we just celebrate the game and the accomplishment without all the negative guessing and accusing? ]
[Posted by mikealford3 at 09:34 AM : Aug 08, 2007]

'cause that would be acknowledging their own inferiority relative to individuals like this that attain greatness ... and few people are capable of this.

it's much easier to 'pull someone else down' than it is to push yourself up to a higher level.

[soldat44]

Bonds - 9774 AB (756HR)

Aaron - 12364 AB (755HR)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/aaronha01.shtml

[usayesterday]

LET THE PRO ATHLETES TAKE AS MANY STEROIDS AS THEY WANT!

Make the locker rooms a veritable buffet of steroid choices, needles, patches, pills, powder. Inject it, sniff it, stick it, swallow it, etc.

Then we'll all have some fun watching the 'big game'! In fact, it would be far more entertaining if a pro golfer hits the golf ball into the neighboring golf course! I'd love to see a quarterback accidentally throw the football OVER the bleachers and into the parking lot beyond. It would be a hoot to see a hockey player send the puck into a goalie so hard that the goalie is knocked back into the goal net and all the way back into the wall behind.

Seriously! Sports would be far more entertaining to watch! So what if the athletes begin dropping like flies due to sudden heart failure or some other health problem....

...there's always another aspiring pro athlete to sign up for that seven-digit annual pay check!

[condumism]

Barry Bonds haters? ALL WHITE RACISTS! The same fools that vote for NAZI'S like GW BUSH!

Question to all the white trash on board: Babe Ruth was drunk when he hit some of his home runs. Any of you white trash pigs have a problem with this?

THREE CHEERS for BARRY BONDS!

[honestabe8]

Football? 10 minutes of action jammed into a 3 hour broadcast? All the hype or wrasslin'? Yeah, we know there are no steroid enhanced people in the NFL...

For the record, I am a tennis fan, and I don't know that there has been a big problem with steroids in that sport.

[honestabe8]

Hype Of Wrasslin', even

[condumism]

Posted by jh6379

Football is America's sport now.

Oh really? Football is for the barbarians and braindead in the USA, and this country has alot of braindead these days, for sure!

[usayesterday]

For the record, I am a tennis fan, and I don't know that there has been a big problem with steroids in that sport.
Posted by HonestAbe8 at 09:49 AM : Aug 08, 2007
............

Oooh! I forgot about tennis!

How about some pro tennis players taking steroids.

Imagine the tennis balls blasting through the rackets! The mesh on the rackets would have to be made from pure Kevlar in order to withstand returning a 400 mph serve!

Again, steroids for everyone! Make the game acutally worth watching!

Until then, I'll just continue watching 'Family Guy' repeats. Sheesh!

[ezillyamused]

A fake record set by a fake player! If you can't break a record without help, then you haven't broken anything but a little kid's heart that looked up to you! Hammerin' Hank is still the "King" and until someone comes along that can break his record cleanly, he will remain so!

[wiredwilly]

Build the fence closer and he can even hit more. America has become a Nation of make believe heros . What a joke.

[mtdrmbland]

I am not a fan of this record being broken. In my Opinion...I think this record will be remembered as being tainted wether it is ever proven or not.

Barry Bonds would have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame regardless if he had broken the record or not. The Hank Said it well, "It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination."

Take a look at who is in Cooperstown and WHO is NOT and notice what a high standard there is for being inducted into the most prestigous Hall of Fame....Then look at the football hall of fame and see how many drug addicts, dope heads, and criminals are in their hall of fame....NO COMPARISON !!!

Baseball, even with all the steroid problems, is still in a LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN !!!!