[ls7plus]

Gee, I would have thought that most of us would have long since lost our sense of naivite about ten years ago, so these responses utterly shock me. Name one other player who laid down such a solid albeit purely mediocre base of talent (or decided lack of same ) for six years in a row, thoroughly establishing himself to be marginal major league quality at his very best, then all of a sudden blossoms at age 29-30 to apparently become one of the best players there's ever been, literally towering above Mt. Olympus. Better than Cabrera, better than Pujols, better than anybody else! And if you buy that achievement, I got some bridges to sell you C-H-E-A-P-P-P!!! (could use the cash to start my E107 set in style!).

Seriously, this never happens in nature, and I can save you considerable research time--its never happened before, and it never will in nature, because it is against nature, just as it was for Bonds to continue to dramatically improve year after year past the age of 35. Since this combination of non-productivity laid down consistently over a number of years followed immediately by immense productivity, with no transition in between simply doesn't exist in nature itself, it must, therefore, have been produced through other than natural causes. Supreme talent nearly always makes itself known at a very young age (check the minor league and early major league stats of Mantle, Mays, Williams, DiMaggio, Gehrig and even Griffey and Chipper Jones, if you don't believe me). Old Jose, with who knows what tricks are up his sleeve (or down his britches) is truly one of a kind.

Let's hope for the good of the game he stays that way!

Larry

Gee, D. Bergin, I would have though that you'd have known that George Foster was far from mediocre before hitting 52 homers in 1977, as he hit 29 homers and knocked in 121 runs while batting .306 in 1976, and hit 23 homers while hitting .300 in 1975. Hardly fits the model of Bautista's .235-.240 with 13 or 14 homers YEAR AFTER YEAR just before the big 54 homerun year, now does he? Seems a little more like just coming into his own over a number of years, with everyting just happening to go right that particular year (Foster followed up in 1978 with 40 homers, followed by 30 in 1979).

C'mon guys, bring on more supposedly similar matches to Bautista--I'd be happy to take them on! And don't worry Jeff, I would be surprised if you as a Blue Jays guy didn't attempt to defend the undefendable with an argument like that. San Fransiscans defended Bonds throughout too. Look where that got them. Plus, that explanation reminds me of Pudge Rodriguez here in Detroit, the year he lost 26 pounds and couldn't explain to reporters the diet he supposedly used to accomplish the weight loss. Unfortunately, with it went his power, never to be regained. C'mon, you guys are better than this!!! You don't have to cling to fantasy.