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Posted by jchetwynd on Sunday, March 26, 2006 -• More

• Administration about Josh08:32 AM Chetwynd• Site Stats

• Logoutl/'" '\ Since the end of the World Baseball • News byr : Classic, the talk of baseball has been jchetwynd

• Topics l... . ... 1 Barry BO~,ds.Detailed allega~ions fro.m

• Sections\{JOSH CHETw\'tmv/ the book Game of Shadows are being

Most readdescribed by some as the smoking gun• Recommend Us that ties Barry Bonds to steroid use. Some pundits story in

have argue that what makes Bonds' alleged steroid Josh• Forums intake so tragic is that he was a first-ballot Hall-of- Chetwynd:

• Live Chat Famer before he supposedly started juicing. GreatBritain

While this is likely true, a look at Bonds compared to and theAuthors III a contemporary - Fred McGriff - illustrates that any Major

• David Lengel steroid use has not just slightly padded the stats of a Leagues

• Jon Pearce future Hall-of-Fame star but has made all the

• Erik Janssen difference in his legacy.

• Jonathan Gould• Josh Chetwynd For those of you who don't remember Fred McGriff,

he was a premier slugger in the 19805 and 19905

Sections IIIwho was less than a year older than Bonds. Duringthe first 15 full years of his career, which effectively

• Biographies started one year after Bonds broke into the Big• MLB on TV Leagues in 1986, McGriff hit more than 30 home runs• Guest Authors nine times in a season. That's just one fewer than• Last Week in Bonds in his first 15 years. McGriff also drove inBaseball more than 90 runs eleven times during that span. In

contrast, Bonds topped that number just nine times

Info III(although Bonds did have two more 100-RBI years

Iduring that period.) McGriff also did something Bonds

• About has still failed to do: he led a team (the 1995 AtlantaBraves) to a World Series championship. Such a title

Quotes IIIremains elusive for Bonds.

There is little doubt that during those 15 years,I never thought Bonds was a more complete player. He won eighthome runs were all Golden Gloves and stole at least 20 bases in all butthat exciting. I still three of his first 15 seasons. (McGriff never earned athink the triple is Gold Glove and never tallied double digits in stolenthe most exciting bases in any season.) Bonds also won three MVPthing in baseball. To awards. (That said, McGriff did finish in the top-ten in

! me, a triple is like a MVPvoting six times in his first 15 years - just fourIguy taking the ball times fewer than Bonds.)on his l-yard lineand runninq 99 Still, despite Bonds' obvious advantage, it wouldn'tyards for a be too much of a stretch to say as late as 1999 ortouchdown. 2000 that Bonds and McGriff were somewhat similar

http://www.baseballfan.co.uklmodules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&... 20108/2006

Why aren't we talking more about Fred McGriff? :: UK MLB Supporters Club :: Get ... Page 2 of 5

-- Hank Aaronoffensive contributors. Bonds was better, but itcertainly could be argued that his career numberswere a lot closer to McGriff's than to his godfatherWillie Mays.

http://www.baseballfan.co.uklmodules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&... 2010812006

Of course, after those 15 years, their careersdiverged. This is the period when Bonds allegedlyengaged in steroid use. We all know what BarryBonds did on the field during those seasons. He setthe single season home run record and began anastonishing assault on Hank Aaron's career home runmark.

In contrast, during those seasons McGriff would beamong the last players to be accused of abusingsteroids. He was a lanky six-foot, three-inch playerwho weighed a relatively light 215 pounds. McGriffkept on hitting home runs into 2004 but, like mostpre-steroid players, his numbers tailed off as heentered his late 30s. Sadly, despite his quest to getto 500 home runs - a benchmark that used to assureHall-of-Fame enshrinement - McGriff ended with 493homers.

To me, McGriff's career puts Bonds and his allegeduse in perspective. If Bonds did in fact take steroids,it did make a world of difference in his place inbaseball history. Fred McGriff is a borderline Hall-of-Famer. Bonds was almost undoubtedly a Hall-of-Famer during his first 15 years, but not miles aheadof guys like McGriff. Now, Bonds is one of thegreatest to ever play the game. If steroids played apart, it's hard to argue that it didn't playamonumental part in his success.

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Re: Why aren't we talking more about Fred McGriff? (Score: 1)by MiracieMets on Mar 26, 2006 - 09: 28 AM(User info I Send a message) http.y/www.qreasylake.orq/(IP: 86.144.113.120)

Josh, a lot to think about there! As you say, the main reason peopleare focussing on Bonds is precisely because of his future candidacyfor the Hall of Fame - and of the Hank Aaron 755 thing. This iswhat dominates our thoughts, and will continue to do so for someyears after Bonds retires as his HOFvote closes in.

One point I'd like to raise - if Selig is planning on an investigationinto these allegations, he really does need to get on with it. Thisentire steroids-Bonds soap-opera is likely to dominate baseball andthe baseball media constantly from now on to the detriment of all