Will Ichiro get the * from Maris?

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Posted By: Gary B.

Could Bonds having 10 less rbi's less than Beltre and only 120 hits so far have anything to do with walking 196 times, 102 of those times intentional? I'm sorry, but there really is no argument for another player that I can buy. If he also batted .374 (an unbelievable statistic considering how many official at bats he gets with all the walks that would upset the rhythm of almost any other mortal) on just those 102 IBB's, that would be 38 more hits more right there, and his rbi total would be insane, with all the additional home runs (he'd have 12 more or 52 in that scenario), not to mention all the times he's walked with someone on base that he would have batted in. He's got 40 homers, but he's also got 25 doubles, a triple and 54 singles, he's far from being "just" home runs. You can't find fault in some of his statistics when it's due to the fact that he so often doesn't get pitched to. And why is that? Because he's the most feared, best hitter of this generation, not to mention this year. Isn't that enough to earn him MVP honors?

His numbers are just astounding, and there's no way to make an argument for someone else that isn't a major reach (no offense). The man has 40 home runs with 30 strikeouts! His OPS, which many people use to determine how good a season someone had is NUMBER ONE of ALL TIME by a significant margin. BTW, has anyone noticed his slugging percentage has crept up to .832? At this rate, that's 4th all time behind Bonds (.863), Ruth (.847) & Ruth (.846). It won't take too much more for it to be Bonds, Bonds, Ruth & Ruth.

He's not on one of the best teams in the NL, no one would question that, but they are in playoff contention one week into September. Without him... I don't think so.

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Posted By: Rob L

This topic is getting tired.

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Posted By: Gary B.

I've wondered why I've always been so fanatical about statistics, so fascinated when anyone is close to breaking a long standing record or achieve some other historic milestone. Part of me can really relate to people not wanting Aaron's home run record or Sisler's hit record broken. There seems to be something sacred about numbers that have stood the test of time for decades and generations. Also, every time before someone has threatened to break Sisler's record, all of the sudden articles appear in the news talking about Geroge Sisler and something he did over 80 years ago - it's wonderful to have these great old players remembered by young people today.

The reason I like to see records like this broken, is that because then they somehow belong to me personally. I'll be able to remember, to say I was there that season, watching day after day as these amazing accomplishments happened. As much as I admire George Sisler, I can't relate to him with the same kind of nostalgia, because I wasn't there while it was happening. Some of you remember Maris in 1961, but I wasn't even born yet. I have studied that season and admire temendously what he went through, but I was THERE with Mark and Sammy in 1998, with Barry in 2001 - one is wonderful history, and one is personal history, direct experience.

While it's true that if Ichiro breaks his record, every time someone is in contention for 257 hits, there won't be articles about Sisler anymore, there will be articles about Ichiro, maybe with a footnote mentioning Sisler. Still, there are those like us who will remember. Just because Lou Brock beat out Ty Cobb's 892 stolen bases, and Rickey Henderson went out and demolished Brock's record, I still remember Ty Cobb as being the best base-stealer of his generation, one of the very best of all time, and that his record stood for decades.

Every time these old, old records get broken, it really testifies to what an amazing accomplishment it truly is, that someone could come along and do something that thousands of players over tens of thousands of seasons over a 125 year period couldn't, just makes it astounding, and I can't help but celebrate and enjoy it, even if means one of the sacred numbers in baseball has to fall. Does the fact that Aaron got 755 diminish Ruth's 714? Will it if Bonds gets even more then Aaron? Not for me. I still look back and marvel at Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, look back and wonder what Ted Williams numbers would be like if he never went off to war. Students of the game will always remember the greats of old.