What if Barry Bonds had played with no bat?

Barry Bonds was a scary baseball player, with a bat. What if he had no bat when he went to the plate? How good would he have been if he [unbeknownst to the pitcher] had simply stood in the batter's box, waiting for a base on balls, a strikeout, or to be hit by a pitch?

This is a very entertaining video about exactly that. A lot of fun for any true baseball fan. Watch it if you are.

http://kottke.org/17/04/what-if-barry-bonds-had-played-without-a-baseball-bat

Enough of politics, men, it's APRIL. That means BASEBALL. Don't tell me none of you old *farts* are baseball fans. I may have to move to a new site in that case.

I'd really like to know what you think of this analysis.

Loose "the Boys of summer!"
(My favorite Nick name in all of sports! ":O}

For me baseball Is Miss. Ide my 4th grade teacher sneaking a radio into class everyday of the World series.
How cool was that!! She was a Red socks fan whose passion could not be denied, Not for something as comparatively trivial as my education!

Everyday I watched a transformation overtake her. The first hours she crammed everything she could into our little heads. Her eyes shifting between the wall clock at the front of the class and the radio "casually covered" by a coat the weather didn't require her to wear at the back of the room.

Once the game came on she would turn out the lights. As an entire wall was made of windows we we hardly plunged into darkness. But it did bring us a few steps closer to home plate,

I don't remember who the Red socks played or even if they won. I do remember Miss Ide standing in the back of the room by the door. Only occasionally able to sit in a chair she placed there for her self. Her pretty young face awash with excitement, A lovely red head who flushed her freckles with every movement in the game.

About a half hour into the game they began to arrive. Teachers came around every 15 mins. I don't know if they time themselves or just knew!

One would open the door a crack and Mrs. Ide would give them the score in a loud whisper At lest once it was the vice Principle in need of the numbers!

I was astonished! all law and order was being casually cast aside! But I liked it!

No I can't say I'm a fan, but I'd go anywhere to watch Miss Ide while a home run ball was sailing out over
all conventions and established norms.

To see her leap in slow motion tight skirt down to mid calf restraining her legs together. Both of her lovely hands balled and buried between her breasts. Her short high heeled toes pointed down and back towards Earth.

A real tear of joy falling into
her excited short laughs

. I was for the first time seeing a woman flower within herself then blossom at the peak of her fearless leap, I was afraid and I was trilled to see beneath her teacher face.

When a week or two later she announced that she had married and from now on would be addressed as Mrs Kredermen...I alone was not surprised.

Or...
Giving Gary a bat is all that gives balls and strikes their meaning. Gary with a bat is the much needed answer to every pitch fair or foul...IMHO

Here's a little nutshell summary of the video:

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/...till-dominated-without-ever-swinging-the-bat/

Unless I've missed something in the math, he is right to say that Bonds's on-base percentage would have been practically the same as what he actually achieved.

That's actually not that surprising, when you consider then central thesis of his argument: That those balls were thrown in fear. Fear is a powerful motivator, and strategically it can make a lot more sense to walk a hitter like that when the bases are empty and try to get the next guy out than to take the chance he'll hit a home run. Even bases empty, that's still a run you might have been able to avoid.

I've often described baseball as "15 minutes of pure adrenalin punctuated by 3 hours of sheer boredom", but that's not actually fair, because there's an awful lot of strategy going on behind the scenes.

No Gary, no fear. Worse, no Gary no fans. Nobody is going to pay to see a players stats scroll up or down the screen... Even on a t screen...Gary makes an impression.":O}

Lolz, and that other guy, Barry, too.

Were you thinking of Gary U.S. Bonds, of 'A Quarter To Three' fame? His hair was too high to play baseball. He couldn't fit the batting helmet over it.

I did say I wasn't a fan...But yeah, my bad, I meant Barry.":O}

[I knew dat, jus' havin' fun wit'cha]

"I'll be better, I'll be better just as soon as I am able."
Rocky Raccoon or someone there abouts.

I think it's one of those very British games they only play in India. So Indians will know they aren't allowed to play.
It's not how the game is played that counts, It's who isn't allowed to play it that sets it a part!!

Would anyone watch womens tennis if say Kaitain was allowed to play it? Ok Sure we would, but would anyone one who matters in womens tennis watch?

But have a womens tennis tournament in which Kaitain is not allowed to play and well, that's a world class competition...as long as K. doesn't show up in white shorts and a racket. Sorry K. but that's why we have rules, so you can't play.":O}

Any one else notice that Adults completely suck a playing games for fun, yet never stop trying to tell the short legged masters of all gaiety how it's done?

I don't know why kids put up with us!!

Not exactly, George. He can't have a batting average with no bat. The .608 generated by this imaginary scenario, which is just shy of his ACTUAL .609 in 2004, was his OBP [on-base percentage].

The real benchmark of a player's batting ability, if you had to choose one stat, would probably be his OPS, which is his on-base percentage + slugging percentage.

To give you an idea of how good Bonds was, only 3 players in the history of the sport have achieved a 1.250 OPS: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Barry Bonds. Williams did it twice, and The Bambino did it 5 times. Bonds did it 4 times in 4 consecutive years, and 3 of them were higher averages than any in history; in 2004 it was 1.422, which is an other-worldly stat [.609+.813]

This is where the fear that Chris mentioned comes in. Pitchers were literally shitting their pants with men on base and Barry in the box. Clubs were intentionally walking the guy with no one on base, even. That is respect.

The 2001-2004 Bonds was so good, and so feared, that another like him might never be seen, ever. Certainly not in our lifetimes.

Small wonder some one wanted to take his bat away...for all the good it would do...what can you say
The man is loved by the gods of baseball.
"God gives to whom so ever he may.,"
The rest of us just better accept and get use to it ":O}