Barry Bonds 756 Entire at-bat, Message from Hank Aaron

Barry Bonds 756 Part 2/ Hank Aaron Speech

HANK AARON'S MESSAGE:

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on becoming baseball’s career home run leader. It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination.”

“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.”

Good for Hank and good for baseball. It's too bad that all those erroneous reports documenting and interpreting Aaron's feelings regarding Bonds and the record turned out to be so close to the mark.

It just goes to show that you can't read what is inside a man's head or his heart merely by what he says. I'm sorry for the way these jokers made me feel about Aaron given the way the reports of his "feelings" were broadcast as fact. It was totally irresponsible to speak for the man by many who portrayed themselves as "insiders" and people who "knew" exactly how he felt, even when his spoken word conflicted with what they were reporting.

It seems like in hindsight as if many "responsible journalists" felt free to throw in liberal doses of their own personal animosities toward Bonds when speaking on behalf of Aaron. Yet you won't see any step up and offer any apologies. You won't see any retractions, you won't see any shame. But in fact, they all should be ashamed of themselves.

And it won't be too difficult to go back and find out who spoke out of turn and when. That's the fun part of the modern world, it's hard to run away from your record. That would be a fine research project to indulge in, wouldn't it?

Barry Bonds #756

My Immediate Reaction:

BONDS IS THE HR KING.

I guess all those in the media who reported that they
"knew" what Hank Aaron was saying when he tried to
avoid saying anything about being at the game, choked
on their morning coffee when they heard Aaron's
tribute to Bonds and secondarily Selig's kind words.

Face it haters, you have almost nothing left.
Using Aaron as your last tool to bash Barry and Seligs
non-commitment as "evidence" that he must "know"
something is coming down as far as the Federal investigation is now being shown as the shaky house of cards it may have always been. RIDICULOUS.

I wish people would start using their heads for more
than a hat-rack when they try to think these things
through.

Do you honestly believe if Selig "knew" or was privy
to evidence uncovered by the Feds or Mitchell, that he
would allow Bonds to approach and overtake Aaron.

Can MLB in good conscience (and I use the term loosely
here for them) charge people the money they are
charging for this Home Run Tour and then have it blow
up in their faces weeks or months later.

Do you not think that what they "know" is that
whatever "case" there was is melting away so fast,
they don't know how to backpedal fast enough.

The purists and those who are mourning the loss of the
meaning of "numbers like 714 and 756" can go cry in
their pillow like they did when their Mommy threw away
their baseball card collection and grow the F-up.

Or not, I don't care. In fact, I hope they live a
miserable, painful existence waiting for their new
knight in shining armor, the fair A-Rod from the Bronx,
to gallantly rescue them from the great scourge of
Barry Lamar Bonds.

DROP DEAD HATERS.

And from the Money Talks and BS Walks Dept:
Courtesy of Gwenn Knapp SFGate.com

In several gatherings with the media since Bonds drew
close to Aaron, Selig had avoided uttering the
slugger's name aloud. But his conflicted reactions
didn't extend to the profit motive.

On its Web site, MLB had already arranged to sell
apparel commemorating No. 756. The T-shirts and caps,
unlike the commissioner, actually say the words "Barry
Bonds,'' and at $19.99-$29.99 a pop, they will repeat
the name as often as you want.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday called to congratulate Barry Bonds, the new home run king, but didn't weigh in on the steroids controversy surrounding the slugger's smashing of the major league record.

On Tuesday night in San Francisco, the Giants' outfielder hit his 756th career home run, breaking Hank Aaron's record of 755.

"You've always been a great hitter and you broke a great record," Bush told Bonds on the phone, according to White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

Bush could see WMD half a world away, that as it turned out may not have been there. But he couldn't see steroid use in his own team's clubhouse. Selective vision. But he did the right thing. Further evidence that the Fed "case" against Bonds may not be all that strong. If anyone would "know" and presumably be briefed as to whether or not it would be a good PR move or not, you would think it would be the President.

Let's face it. The Feds set a "perjury" trap before barry Bonds testified before them by not allowing him to see the evidence they had, AS ALL THE OTHER PERSONS WHO TESTIFIED WERE ALLOWED TO DO. AND AS IS ROUTINELY DONE IN GRAND JURY TESTIMONY. Apparently the trap snapped on the wrong target. They have a case that is weak at best and will likely, if it ever gets to a trial stage, would get tossed on procedural issues. Which would actually be a negative to Bonds as well as the Feds, since although the Feds would lose in court, Bonds would lose in the infamous Court of Public Opinion.

That's why this is taking so long, IMO. How to get around the "cheating" issue. Delicious little irony don't you think?

Happy 76th Birthday to Willie Mays

Might still be the greatest all around baseball player of all time. ESPN's Peter Gammons interviewed him for last night's Giants-Phillies broadcast and Mays brought up an interesting point. When Gammons asked him if had Willie played in more favorable hitters parks than Candlestick and the Polo Grounds, would he have hit possibly 800 HR's, Mays reminded him that he lost nearly 2 years to a stint in the Army that may have cost him 70-80 HR's. I'll leave it to the SABR crowd to calculate the park-adjustments, but Mays certainly never played in a park that was nicknamed "The Launching Pad".

Absolutely, one of the most awesome packages of speed and power in the history of the game. Along with Barry and Bobby Bonds, Ricky Henderson and even Joe Morgan.



One of the best qualities about Mays was he had an infectious joy for playing the game. In his earlier years in New York, it was one of his more admirable and marketable qualities. It didn't seem like he had as much fun in the game in his later years, for a variety of reasons.



Given the circumstances (1954 World Series), one of the greatest catches of all-time, and the throw afterward to keep the runner from scoring makes this catch an even more remarkable defensive play.



Always seemed poised to deliver a big strike, a big play, whether it be at-bat, on the bases or in the field. I loved watching him play. To me, like Ted Williams, Mays is baseball royalty. As far as RH hitters: Mays, Frank Robinson and Aaron were the best I've ever seen. LH Hitters: I'd rank Bonds, Ruth and Ted Williams in whatever order you'd like. Among switch hitters: Mickey Mantle and Ricky Henderson. All were great all-around players as well.

HAPPY 76TH BIRTHDAY TO THE SAY-HEY KID.

Records are made to be broken, Even this one

With all this angst about Bonds breaking Aaron's "hallowed" record, I started thinking about what records in sports nowadays are truly beyond approach.

For some reason, Sean Kemp's record of 7 children with 6 different mothers (as of 1999, the number could actually be significantly higher by now) came immediately to mind.

It's not a sports record, but given it apparently is held by a sports figure, I'm willing to grant an exception in this case.



So in honor of the man who gave more hernias to mailmen on Father's Day, the incomparable Shawn Kemp, we have the Official Las Vegas Odds on various celebs to break this amazing record.



Prohibitive Favorite:

2:500 Former President Bill Clinton (off the board if his wife wins Presidency)
the only thing that could possibly stop him is if Hillary is able to garner support for her little-known bill to sterilize all former Presidents.

3:1 Kobe Bryant - has proven in the past that he can take it strong to the hole, both on and off the court. His contract may prove to be an impediment as it is not large enough, as currently structured, to buy enough "I'm sorry" diamonds to get over the hump. Apparently has sufficient ignorance of the word "No" to give him a real chance. Maturity could stand in the way, but most close friends and observers doubt this will be an impediment. Current events seem to bear out this feeling.

5:1 Brian Uhrlacher - nicknamed "Girl-Sacker" provides a delightfully provocative nickname to initiate conversation with most fertile, young potential panty peelers. Scouts rave about his ability to plug the hole. Good hands (shown below) leave him in the game against the run and the pass. First to lay pipe in the now scandal ravaged Paris Hilton gives him a certain amount of skank cred..



7:1 Sydney Crosby - anyone who scores more on and off the ice than Gretzky and who inspires women to hold up signs at games saying "Hey Sydney, put it in my five-hole" (thereby risking a frisking by $7.50 / hr.stadium security) has enormous future potential.

9:1 Matt Leinhart - building on pipe laid by Urhlacher (and many others) at the Paris Hilton. Only lefthander in current crop.

10:1 Tom Brady - Nothing says pantie peeling like 3 Super Bowl rings and a huge contract. Playing in tight pants help. Developing ability to go through supermodels like Bill Parcells goes through chicken wings.

15:1 Derek Jeter - his eyes say no-no, but his daring play and Yankee captaincy scream F_ _ _ Me!! F _ _ _ Me! to baseball fans of all ages throughout the major leagues.

20:1 Alex Rodriguez - growing tired of Jeter's sloppy seconds in NY. Seems poised for a breakout year. If you think he was mad about being dropped to eighth in Joe Torre's lineup in the playoffs, he's really going to be pissed about being eighth in this order.

25:1 Tony Parker - never discount the French in a competition like this.

30:1 Michael Jordan - may tire from writing too many zeroes on checks's to ex-es. May eventually be a precursor to impotency down the line. Not proven scientifically, only anecdotally from numerous ex-husbands.

100:1 Harold Reynolds - spends too much time at the petting zoo. Needs more sack time. Currently getting "Chick" lessons from Salisbury.

1000:1 John Kruk - (Slim Fast version) - If his wife thinks he's less disgusting now, wait until she sees him kiting child support checks for the tobacco-spitting Little Kruksters.

Million:1 John Kruk - (If weight yo-yo's back up to pre-diet levels)

Infinity:1 John Kruk - (With Weight Back Up and Mullet Hairdo Back)

Infinity * Infinity:1 - Sean Salisbury - both pre and post diet levels and with or without portfolio of "Little Sean" phone photos. This sleaze would stand out in a convention of strip-club owners. Wouldn't bet on him scoring if perpetuation of the species were at risk. Even then, insemination by apes and setting the evolutionary clock back about a bazillion years would be more palatable to all women.

Get your bets down!!! Note - all present and future NASCAR drivers were ruled off the board for obvious reasons.

Aaron vs. Bonds Career Statistics

To pick up the conversation, so to speak, from my previous post dated February 24,2007 and titled "Steroids? And the HR King? Say it isn't so Hank!":

Around the time that Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth and starting making his move towards Hank Aaron, I wanted to take a look at both men's home run path throughout their careers and put it into the context of both the era in which each man performed , as well as historically. Were Bonds career numbers or career path or trajectory similar to Aaron's or were they significantly different in some way?

The method I thought would be the fairest to answer the most relevant questions was to compare the rate at which each man slugged home-runs (HR Rate or HR/AB) vs. the League Average (Total League HR's/ Total League AB's). In this way, we would see how well each man performed vs. the "average" player in his league that year. Pretty simple, right? This is basically how your IQ score is computed, your score is compared to the entire population of scores to determine a mean-adjusted score.

I took each year's statistics (from Baseball_Reference.com) and charted the results.
What I expected to see was Aaron being the better home-run hitter from age 25-32 and Bonds overtaking him in the latter stages from age 35-40.

First, I took a detour and wanted to get a look at how other "great" players and home-run hitters performed to see what the "normal" path should look like. This is similar to what some of the SABR guys are referring to as "career trajectory" and is used to find out at what age most players peak and when skills decline. Some of the work I've seen here indicates that players generally peak statistically around age 27 and their skills begin to decline around age 32-33. This is a generalization for the entire population of players. I wanted to see if the same thing applies to the smaller population of elite home-run hitters.

When we charted the data, we looked at what age did a player showed his best years (peak) and when did he show his last improvement (decline) and I also looked at when the player had the best two year periods in his career to look for when they were able to put long-term sustained excellence together. Looking at some of the SABR career trajectory graphs of the great sluggers of the past, we did see quite a few different looking career trajectories. In other words, there isn't a clearly defined "norm" for elite players, who by their very nature are not normal. They are freaks of nature, superstars. That's why we watch them.

Recall that Willie Mays power hitting skills diminished around age 34-35 and seemingly fell of a cliff thereafter, whereas Henry Aarom seemed to continue on strong even after age 35. McGwire's career seems to mimic Mays (partly due to injuries) whereas Bonds appears to look more like Aaron and Ted Williams. Small sample by definition, but you clearly have to start somewhere.

Here's a look at some of the all-time elite home-run hitters and when they peaked in their respective careers: (click to enlarge)



Not much in the way of surprises, although its interesting that both Bonds and Aaron had "peak" years in the early stages of their careers (25-28 age) and then a resurgence of sorts late career (35-38 age).

Next, we looked at the Average players and the Elite players home-run rate to see what changed from the 70's to 90's. Clearly, the rate of home-runs changed (chicks dig the long-ball) for a variety of reason that are noted. Those changes seem to have occurred across the board, indicating that they were the result of changes that would effect virtually all players somewhat equally.

Comparison of "Average" Players and "Elite" Players from the 70's vs. the 90's with factors which could contribute to the change in rate of HR's: (click to enlarge)



If you notice the comparison of players with 500 AB's, the Average players fly under the radar going from:
5 to 6 HR's for your basic banjo-hitter
10 to 13 HR's for your slap-hitting middle infielder
15-20 HR's for your decent hitters
20-26 HR's for your lower tier sluggers
and 25 to 33 HR's for your budding superstars.
Not very noticable differences and certainly not "hallowed record" threatening numbers.

But the guy from the 70's who was
hitting 30 HR's jumps to 40 HR's in the 90's,
the 40 HR guy becomes a 50 HR guy,
and the career year guy who hits 50 HR's in the 70's,
jumps right up to 66 HR's in the 90's.

So it seems as if, at least perceptually, the effect was more pronounced among the upper-tier sluggers. If a guy has a career year in the 90's (as Maris did in the 60's
and certainly Ruth did in the 20's when he socked 60 HR's) that guy is going to challenge history.

This is based on comparing the Mean League HR Rate throughout Aaron's career (2.225%)
to the Mean League HR Rate throughout Bonds' career (2.835%). An increase of approximately 27% on Average. In other words, the AVERAGE player hit home-runs at a 27% higher rate during Bonds years than during Aaron's years.

And if the AVERAGE player increased 27%, how much would you expect the superstar sluggers HR rate to increase? I'm not sure that the approximately 40% higher rate that Bonds stroked HR's throughout his career than Aaron (9.436% Bonds vs. 6.473% Aaron) is totally unexpected or unrealistic under the circumstances.

The 90's became the "chicks dig the long ball era" and attendance rose accordingly. And it had to after various labor pissing matches and a cancelled World Series. SO more than anyhting else, Home Runs saved baseball, not Sosa and McGwire exclusively, but HR's throughout baseball. Sosa and MGwire would only change attendance at Wrigley and Busch, for the most part. But attendance increased throughout baseball with some minor exceptions.

And so not only did chicks dig the long-ball, but owners did too, because when attendance rises, revenue rises. And when revenue rises, profits rise and when profits rise, owners bank accounts rise. And when owners bank accounts rise, that makes something else rise for owners faster than when they take those little-blue pills and without any of the nasty side-effects. Just a little Economics 101 for you, on the house.

If you don't believe me, go to BaseballGraphs.com and look at the graphs for Home Runs and attendance and see if you don't notice a close correlation between the two.
It's how baseball pulled itself out of the Black Sox scandal and it's how they did it again after the scandalous and ill-advised World Series cancellation.

Is this conclusive proof of owners hands in manufacturing higher home-run rates to increase attendance? NO. Is it the equivalent of a positive steroid test? NO. But does it meet the same rough equivalent, circumstantial evidence that has been used to convict many current players i the court of public opinion? YES. So, I would have to say, if you're willing to live by the sword of innuendo, you should be willing to die by the same sword.

Here is the graph comparing Aaron vs. Bonds career numbers by age: (click to enlarge)



You can see from the graph that the two players career paths move in fairly close lock-step. Some years Aaron jumps up and overtakes Bonds, other years Bonds is ahead, never by too much. In fact, if you look at the mean-adjusted HR Rate and compared each guy at 25, 26,27, etc, throughout until age 40, Aaron wins the competition 8-7. He was a better HR hitter on a relative basis for more years in his career than Bonds.

So maybe, it's time for Aaron to be the classy gentleman he is alleged to be and understand that the old saw "records were made to be broken" applies to all records, including this one.

Also, maybe it's time for any jackass who refers to this record as "hallowed", almost as if it were some sort of religious shrine or icon that's never to be disturbed, needs to either get a life at best or a better understanding of religion at worst.

These records are not a deity and neither are the person(s) who set them or break them. And neither are they the devil personified.

And maybe it's time for the owners to start stepping up and taking some of the heat, some of the tar and feathering, some of the public lynching for this so-called scandal. As I recall, our current President was at the epicenter of some of the most egregious "alleged" usage. And most, if not all of them profited from the popularity of the efforts of guys like McGwire and Sosa. Now, they want to publicly run away from them as if they didn't know what was going on. Scattering like kids caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

For these scumbags to remain silent on the sidelines, letting the players twist slowly in the wind in this public lynching is beyond repugnant, in my opinion. Where are the beer-baron Busch's, who pocketed gate receipts from fans eager to see McGwire perform? Or the corporate giants like the Wrigley's and the Tribune Company in Chicago, who benefit ted immensely by having Sosa as the marquee player for the lovable losers known as the Cubs? They sure knew how to cash the checks when the money was flowing their way.

There's always been a symbiotic relationship between owners and the press in baseball. The press (local or national) has often been used as a tool by the owners to whip up a public frenzy against individual players or the entire union when it suits ownership, either individually or en masse. That's been true throughout the history of baseball. Anyone who denies it or is either naive or lying.

I don't know why it's so hard to see the fingerprints on the smoking gun on this one.
But the issue gets clouded more and more each day by some of the willing co-conspirators in the media in my opinion.

It's high time for people to stop banging the drum against the game of baseball. Baseball hasn't been as popular as it is now in quite some time, certainly not in my lifetime. I think it's time to get off the issue or at the least give it the same relative importance that is attached to football players who cheat. Cheating is cheating. And the effect on our nation's youth is the same regardless of the sport. Can't have it both ways. You can't have the hypocrisy of crucifying one sport and letting the other one have a pass. And save the lame excuses about the strength of each sports respective drug policies being a factor, that's insulting people's intelligence.

Just look at the recent Orlando case. Gary Matthews gets whipped publicly every day and by proxy baseball does also. The Pittsburgh Steeler team doctor puts enough HGH on a personal credit card to juice an army and says it's for his nursing home patients and weekend warriors, not the football team. And the media is like Sgt. Schultz in Hogan's Heroes, "I see nothing, nothing".

As the kids say today, whatever. I guess the nations youth aren't influenced by football after all, even though we constantly hear that it, and not baseball, is the new national pastime. And that the participation numbers are higher in youth football than any other sport. And we don't see HS offensive and defensive lineman weighing 300+ pounds and running sub 5.0 40 yard dashes. Not sure I need much testing to you what's going on there.

These are Bonds career numbers: (click to enlarge)



These are Aaron's career numbers: (click to enlarge)



Many thanks for all the help in providing the stunning visual effects (charts, graphs) have to go to my wife, who by the way, is my personal favorite stunning, visual effect. Thanks, honey.

Steroids? And the HR King? Say it isnt so Hank!

From the Website www.protrade.com comes this interesting piece. We are often told by pundits that we need to connect the dots of circumstantial evidence in order to convict one Barry Lamar Bonds of steroid use in his assault on Hank Aaron's HR record. This article brings up some valid points using some of the same logic and methodology to circumstantially indict one Henry Aaron. Wow!!!

Interesting to note the use of Tom House quotes, which came and went without much of a furor. Why wasn't there the same level of moral outrage or consternation or ex-post facto indictment of players from the 60's and 70's? We know that recreational drug-use was a major social problem at this time. Why wouldn't we believe this extended to baseball? And why do we feel it was limited to recreational, non-performance enhancing drugs? Oh sure, these guys were doing cocaine and amphetamines, but steroids, Nah!! Players were well-paid and had an interest to protect back then as well, didn't they?

We know that the Hall of Fame is slowly being littered with the busts of those whose recreational use of cocaine during their careers stained the game and provided a less than sterlng example to our nation's youth. Where was the "integrity of the game" litmus test when these guys passed muster? Oh, I guess we can pick and choose which law-breakers we want in and which we choose to exclude. Isn't that special?

Maybe Mark McGwire might have been better served if that reporter found some lines of cocaine on a mirror instead of a bottle of andro, right? Shameful, disgustingly shameful.

It is ironic that Tom House is the player who caught Hank Aaron's 715th home-run.
The evidence forms a neat little circle. Also, effective use of Davey Johnson's unusual, Brady Anderson-esque home-run production. What happened there, chief?

I have graphs that clearly show that when one looks at home-run production, relative to the the production of the rest of the league (to adjust for different eras and conditions), the line showing production by age of Mr. Bonds very closely matches that of Mr. Aaron in terms of late stage of career productivity.

In other words, the rising tide of factors (like expansion diluted pitching, smaller stadiums, tighter baseballs, etc.) that lead to increases HR production will be reflected across the entire population by examining the change in the mean. Hence, the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats". Comparing the individual's production relative to the mean would show unusual spikes in production that might be a cause for concern. You have to do both or you get an obscured visual image. To look at one to the exclusion of the other is like trying to hit with one eye closed. You might be able to do it, but it wouldn't look good nor would it be as effective as trying to do it with both eyes open.

Aaron's and Bonds' path of productivity as shown in these graphs, are not all that unusual for superstars and clearly not any more unusual than that of Davey Johnson's and Brady Anderson's among others. A one year spike is clearly more questionable.

You also have to remember that not too many power hitters play beyond age forty. Mays, Williams, Aaron, Bonds, etc. are exceptions to the rule. Many HR hitters like McGwire and Ruth are not playing at age 40 or more, so we are looking at a relatively low sample size which means we really don't know what normal is. Especially for a group (superstars) who by definition are not normal. That's important to remember also. Anyone who says they know what's normal and what's not regarding this sub-group is not being totally truthful or pushing an agenda or worse.

Bonds is usually indicted, tried and convicted by many on the basis of his late career jump in productivity, however when you compare his productivity jump vis-a-vis that of the rest of the league (his peers), his gains are not to be unexpected from a statistical standpoint.

One would and should expect that the productivity of the elite stars (Bonds, Sosa, McGwire) would jump a little higher then that of the "Average" player.

In fact if you compare Bonds' career HR productivity relative to the league average vs. the same statistical comparison of Aaron's career year-to-year, for each chronological year of age Aaron vs. Bonds, they run virtually neck and neck from the beginning of their career until at least age 40.

I will post the graph as soon as I master the technology.


http://www.protrade.com/content/DisplayArticle.html?sp=S8687c664-c2d1-11db-9291-83f05e1a00a7

Steriods. And the HR king. Say it isnt so Hank!
Smart 3 Not Smart 0 Comments 2 | Feb 22 2007 04:05 PM PST By BayAreaBaller
Topics: barry bonds hank aaron bud selig mlb jose canseco steroid steroids baseball home run king

STEROIDS GROUND ZERO: 1973 ATLANTA BRAVES
(Or what you will NOT read in Game of Shadows)

One of the more distressing fabrications which has emerged from the BALCO case has been the erroneous contention that the so-called 'Steroids Era' began in 1991 with Jose Conseco as its architect.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The San Francisco Chronicle, in a May 3rd 2005 article quoted former Major League pitcher Tom House of the Atlanta Braves as saying that steroids were rampant in the game in the late '60s and throughout the '70s.

House, perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball in 1974 in the Atlanta Braves bullpen, said he and several teammates used amphetamines, human growth hormone and 'whatever steroid' they could find in order to keep up with the competition.

"I pretty much popped everything cold turkey', House said. "We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding."

House, 58, estimated that six or seven pitchers per team were at least experimenting with steroids or human growth hormone. He said players talked about losing to opponents using more effective drugs,

"We didn't get beat, we got out-milligrammed", he said. "And when you found out what they were taking, you started taking them".


According to Rep. Henry A. Waxman in his March 17,2005 opening statement before the House Government Reform Committee:

"Congress first investigated drugs and professional sports, including steroids over 30 years ago. I think perhaps the only two people in the room who will remember this are me and Commissioner Selig, because I believe he became owner in 1970".

In 1973, the year I first ran for Congress, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce concluded a year-long investigation that found--and I quote--"drug use exists...in all sports and levels of competition...In some instances, the danger of improper drug use--primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids--can only be described as alarming".

Bowie Kuhn, and the powers that be at the time, quietly squashed the entire tawdry episode and with good reason: it would cast suspicions on an African-American slugger who was challenging one of baseball's most cherished records: The career record for home runs.

Compare Hank Aaron's stats at the beginning of his career and then notice how his HR% began to increase beginning when Hammerin' Hank was 37 years old.

HR% is defined as being the number of HRs per 100 ABs.

Age HRs HR%
33 44 7.3
34 39 6.5
35 29 4.8

Nothing unusual about these statistics; it is a typical profile of a slugger in decline as he ages. But then Hank began to undergo an 'enhancement.'

Age HRs HR%
36 44 8.0
37 38 7.4

What explains this spike at a latter age? Expansion? Perhaps. But then what happens?

Age HRs HR%
38 47 9.5
39 34 7.6

Hank...What's going on buddy? Aaron's HR% were TOPS in the NL in both 1971 and 1972. Hmm.

Age HRs HR%
40 40 10.2

Which leads us to 1973 when at age 40 in just 392 at bats, juiced 40 HR's for a HR% of 10.2. Once again TOPS in NL for the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR and the HIGHEST HR% in the ENTIRE 23 year career of Hank Aaron.

Hank Aaron at 40 was not the only Atlanta Brave to hit 40 Hrs that season. Teammates Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson blasted 41 and 43 HRs respectively.

Darrell Evans

Year HRs HR%
1971 12 4.6
1972 19 4.5

1973 41 6.9

1974 25 4.4
1975 22 2.8

Notice a statistical anomaly? Let's see what Davey Johnson did.

Davey Johnson

Year HRs HR%
1971 18 3.5
1972 5 1.3

1973 43 7.7

1974 15 3.3
1975 Played 1 game
1976 Did not play MLB

Notice a statistical anomaly? It would be one thing for Hank Aaron to undergo an 'enhancement', but what are the odds that not one but TWO teammates would both have career years in HR's and HR% in the SAME YEAR as when a Congressional Committee issued its final report saying that anabolic steroids were rampant in the game? Why did Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson both experience career spikes in HR's only to return to earth the following year? And how did Hank finish up?


Age HRs HR%
41 20 5.9
42 12 2.6
43 10 3.7

So what happened? Enquiring minds want to know.

The 1996 Baltimore Orioles set at the time the team HR record for one season. Brady Anderson's 50 HR season was viewed suspiciously.

The manager of the 1996 Baltimore Orioles? Davey Johnson.

The only question remains: What did Bud Selig know and when did he know it?

Fay Vincent circulated a draft steroids policy in 1991. Selig knew that if the scab of steroids was picked off, the puss of the 1973 Atlanta Braves would be oozing all over the game. The scandal of Hank Aaron's HR record being tainted by steroids use would have been a PR disaster at the time and. personally, extremely painful to Bud Selig who, after all, is a long-time friend of Hank Aaron.

Hence the boardroom coup which ousted Fay Vincent and made Bud Selig 'Acting Commissioner', while still maintaining his position as the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, a blatant conflict of interest.

So long as Bud Selig remains in charge of Major League Baseball, the American public will never get to the bottom of the steroids scandal which has sullied the game. He has too much of a personal vested interest in Hank Aaron.

Besides, after this season, Barry Lamar Bonds will BE the HR KING.

LONG LIVE THE KING!!!