[stwainfan]

I think among the young players. That Trout may have the best chance of breaking some of the records. If he stays healthy and continues to play at the high level he has played so far in his career.

[Hofcollector]

oh, unless they change rules to allow ped's, no one is getting close to Bonds.

basically, any record that is more determined by longevity than greatness is more like to be broken

rose's 303 career average is good, but 173rd all-time. longevity is the reason he has the record

I would argue that longevity broke Ruth's homerun record. While I know you know, some don't. Hank Aaron never hit 50 homeruns in a season. I believe 47 was his best season. He had more 20's and 30's homerun seasons mixed in than he did 40 home run seasons. I believe he hit 40 or above 8 times. That is amazing to think about. The greatest homerun hitter ever never hit 50 in a season. Remember, Bonds only hit 7 more than Aaron who did it naturally. With the players today coming in at an earlier age and being supreme physical specimens, it's not out of the question to think it's a real possibility.

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I think among the young players. That Trout may have the best chance of breaking some of the records. If he stays healthy and continues to play at the high level he has played so far in his career.

Well, I'm going to have to side with the champ on this one. When a reporter asked Hank Aaron recently if he thought anyone could break the all time record he replied that only 2 players had a legitimate possibility in his mind. Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton.

[petillo64]

The whole dumping on the roiders thing is getting a bit old... MLB is to blame, plain and simple. MLB's shaming of these players despite their complete lack of regulation and absolute willingness to benefit from all the record breaking is what is truly shameful.

I would bet the farm that if you told Mickey Mantle that there was a pill he could take to allow him to drink like a fish, hang with the ladies until 3 a.m. and then feel refreshed like a 21 year old the next day in the field, that he would've taken it in a heartbeat. Hell, I doubt there is a single one of us (or at least an extreme minority) who wouldn't take the best quality of performance enhancers under the guidance of top-notch medical care to increase our lifetime earnings by 100+ million. I don't know... Just my two cents I guess.

Do I dislike A-rod? Absolutely! Nothing to do with his use steroids though. Has to do with the fact that he has always been a pompous ***** and has played for in-division teams vs. my A's, or the evil empire for his entire career. That being said, he appears to have entered his return with some sort of humility (however false it may be), and him returning after a year off, and putting up this level of performance at his age lends some credibility to an entire generation of players who roided-out and entertained the heck out of me.

[Hofcollector]

The whole dumping on the roiders thing is getting a bit old... MLB is to blame, plain and simple. MLB's shaming of these players despite their complete lack of regulation and absolute willingness to benefit from all the record breaking is what is truly shameful.

I would bet the farm that if you told Mickey Mantle that there was a pill he could take to allow him to drink like a fish, hang with the ladies until 3 a.m. and then feel refreshed like a 21 year old the next day in the field, that he would've taken it in a heartbeat. Hell, I doubt there is a single one of us (or at least an extreme minority) who wouldn't take the best quality of performance enhancers under the guidance of top-notch medical care to increase our lifetime earnings by 100+ million. I don't know... Just my two cents I guess.

Do I dislike A-rod? Absolutely! Nothing to do with his use steroids though. Has to do with the fact that he has always been a pompous ***** and has played for in-division teams vs. my A's, or the evil empire for his entire career. That being said, he appears to have entered his return with some sort of humility (however false it may be), and him returning after a year off, and putting up this level of performance at his age lends some credibility to an entire generation of players who roided-out and entertained the heck out of me.

I dont believe this issue will ever get old. The fact that the issue is still extremely relevant and dingles like arod are surpassing records and milestones is going to make this a topic for years to come. The MLB isn't to blame. The players made up their own minds. Alex Rodriguez got obsessed with becoming a member of the 800 home run club to which there would only be a party of one. The MLB is just a mindless giant machine of a corporation aimed at making money. Like every other corporation. Do I think your right about your scenario with the Mick and the other greats? Most likely. But it wasn't an issue. It's hypothetical. Hell, Mike Schmidt said if they were available in his day he would have taken them. But they weren't and he didn't. Would I take those top notch enhancers under professional medical care to make 1/2 a billion? Yup. If it didn't kill me and wasn't illegal. Of course there's no record books in what I do.

Just to be clear, I can look past the steroid thing with some of these guys. I don't believe they should get in the hall but I don't believe it makes them bad people either. Rodriguez is a bad person. My distaste and opinions come from his actions and personality, not the fact he used PED's.

[stwainfan]

One thing I did notice. When A Rod hit the HR to pass Mays. The reation was diffrent. When he got the hit for 3K his teamates huged him. There was more of a celebration.

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I would argue that longevity broke Ruth's homerun record. While I know you know, some don't. Hank Aaron never hit 50 homeruns in a season. I believe 47 was his best season. He had more 20's and 30's homerun seasons mixed in than he did 40 home run seasons. I believe he hit 40 or above 8 times. That is amazing to think about. The greatest homerun hitter ever never hit 50 in a season. Remember, Bonds only hit 7 more than Aaron who did it naturally. With the players today coming in at an earlier age and being supreme physical specimens, it's not out of the question to think it's a real possibility.

---

Well, I'm going to have to side with the champ on this one. When a reporter asked Hank Aaron recently if he thought anyone could break the all time record he replied that only 2 players had a legitimate possibility in his mind. Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton.

Trout has had a great start to his career. If he stays at the same level for a few more years. He can break some big records.

[Hofcollector]

One thing I did notice. When A Rod hit the HR to pass Mays. The reation was diffrent. When he got the hit for 3K his teamates huged him. There was more of a celebration.

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Trout has had a great start to his career. If he stays at the same level for a few more years. He can break some big records.

You are correct. I suppose it's because many believe Mays is the greatest all around player. Passing one of his milestones almost seems unholy. Keep in mind, Mays was number 2 on the all time home run list for years.

[randall44]

The whole dumping on the roiders thing is getting a bit old...

+22

[nolan5000]

1. The whole dumping on the roiders thing is getting a bit old...

2. I doubt there is a single one of us (or at least an extreme minority) who wouldn't take the best quality of performance enhancers under the guidance of top-notch medical care to increase our lifetime earnings by 100+ million. I don't know... Just my two cents I guess.

1. There's tons of players, across all sports, that I hate. Not just aroid.

2. I feel like you put this there, thinking of me. Thank You!!

[pjrussell529]

This is an interesting debate. Here is my two cents. Medical technology is much different now than 20+ years ago which now helps these young players get back on the field faster and possibly lead to longer healthier careers. Meaning that many of the young stars have a good shot of approaching these records. On the flip side however how many times have we seen it where a player puts up better numbers in the last few years of his contract then signs a huge deal only to falter. I hope I'm wrong but the passion for the game isn't what it once was. It's more about how can I make more money rather than I want to win. Plus if a player has a few rough seasons teams will give up on them faster. Look at most HOF position players, they played for 1 maybe 2 teams most of their career. It's hard to transition to another "job" at first and you lose some rythmn. So by that thought some records are not going anywhere.
Overall I think most records are going to be tough to surpass and many are untouchable because of the game itself. 3B's, SB's, and pretty much all pitching records aren't going anywhere.
So congrats to Arod for 3000...dbag

[Hofcollector]

I had to laugh a little at that last line.