MLB Playoffs -- Without Bonds? Bummer.

Since I won my 1st fantasy baseball league in 10 years, I thought I would write about baseball today.

I love the playoffs. The cold wind. The pitching matchups. The Hype. The energy. I am little sad today though as the Houston Astros have deprived us of seeing Barry Bonds play in the postseason.

Barry is a guy who is difficult to like and understand, but make no mistake....Barry is the greatest baseball player who has ever played. How can I say that? It is simply obvious. The greatest era of baseball with the toughest most conditioned athletes playing and Barry is far and away the best.

It is unfair to compare him to players of previous eras on an individual basis, because they didn't get the advantage of equipment, excerise regimes, miracle surgeries and a mature game with every style of play being tried at least 50 times. That is why this era is the best.

You might say, but we have more teams and watered down pitching and loaded baseballs.... blah blah blah.... The stat that makes Barry the greatest is a simple. With each passing season he breaks his OWN record for walks in a season. This season Barry broke his previous record of 198 with 232 walks. Barry also had the record before that with 177(Babe Ruth had the record of 170 before that). Todd Helton, Bobby Arbeau and Lance Berkman tied for the second most walks this season...127! Barry only had 104 more walks which in my mind equals 104 times MORE RESPECT. Barry had 120 INTENTIONAL WALKS. Jim Thome had the 2nd most with 26. Pitchers simply will do anything to keep him from hitting. In an era with 80% of major league pitchers capable of throwing a fastball faster than 95 MPH, they are ALL scared to pitch to Barry. Why not? .363 Batting Avgerage with 45 HRs in only 372 At Bats and an .815 Slugging Pct. and 1.424 OPS ? Don't pitch to him! For 12 straight seasons Barry Bonds OPS has been over 1. That means that he has reached base more than once for every official at bat in 12 straight seasons! Even Babe Ruth didn't do that.

There is simply NO ONE to compare Barry to. If he had 120 more opportunities to put the ball in play at his current HR pace he would have hit over 60 again. There are only 69 people who have totalled 120 intential walks in a career. 2nd most all time is Hank Aaron with 293...Barry has 604 career INTENTIONAL WALKS... 604! THAT is an impressive stat. Talk about Home Runs all you want, but 604 intentional walks is a record that will NEVER be approached, let alone surpassed. Dimaggio's 56 game hit streak is child's play compared to that. 604 Intentional walks.

Barry Bonds simply the best player ever. The playoffs without him are only a fraction of what they could be. Let's hope the Giants get Barry some protection in the lineup next season and a spot in the playoffs.