With Carlos Lee out for the season, Richard Justice thinks the Astros should sign Barry Bonds. In other words, Justice is out of his mind.
First, this would be another bizarre move from the Astros organization as they sit 12.5 out of first and 8.5 out of the Wild Card. What the hell makes you think the Astros have a chance? The Rockies? There's a reason that their run was "improbable". No one usually does it. It shouldn't give a team hope. It should tell them that it happened last year, so it definitely will not happen this year. Maybe Bonds makes them better, but that appears to be a moot point at the moment. Everyone (even the Braves right now) puts together runs at some point.
Second, why is Jeff Kent a good clubhouse guy? He gets into a fight with Barry Bonds in San Francisco. Last year, he was a problem when the Dodgers self-destructed between the "old guys who still think they're 30" and the "new guys who think they've proven themselves".
Third, one offensive player doesn't mean an automatic move up in the standings. Remember Mark Teixeira last season? He hit out of his mind for the last two months, and the Braves didn't budge.
Fourth, why do you want the entire country talking about how you're under .500 and still wasting money on a guy who will be rusty, poor defensive player, and is only playing for himself?
Fifth, Barry Bonds may be the best hitter that ever lived, but is he still that hitter? He only hit .276 last season, and his HR and RBI totals dropped from 2003 when he played in roughly the same amount of games while also hitting .341. Now, you want him to show up to the park and instantly bring you back into contention?
I'll concede that the Astros will make more money from him than they'd have lost on his salary. People would show up for games, buy hot dogs, and buy jerseys. In the long run, this does nothing to help the organization. Use the money to sign draft picks who could help the long-term health of the team. If the Rays or Red Sox wanted to sign him, I would understand, but not the Astros. At least the Rays and Red Sox have a chance to play in the postseason.
2 reMarks:
Barry Bonds is NOT the greatest hitter who ever lived.
Ever heard of guys like Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, etc?
You are creating bad juju with the baseball gods when you say things like that!!!
He did hit more HR than Aaron, and his BA was pretty impressive. They may have been better if pitchers wouldn't have wussed out so much. Still, I said "may be". I don't like him much, but I have to respect the numbers (regardless of the steroid scandal).
Post a Comment