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Thursday, June 07, 2007

SF Gate Blog: Ostler: Bench Barry?!?!

While Bonds is suffering from painful Ostleromyelitis...I doubt it.

At what point does Bonds become a liability to the Giants’ shaky playoff hopes?

He’s in a slump and he’s ailing. He has complained of various leg problems, he sat out Tuesday’s game in Arizona with shin splints, after an ugly oh-fer Monday. He’s tired, he took four days off in one recent six-game stretch. And it’s not even midseason.

Bonds isn’t hitting, not getting the borderline calls, not laying off borderline pitches, so his on-base percentage is going to drop, and when that happens, you have: A power hitter not hitting, with power or otherwise, sucking the offense into a black hole in the four-spot.

Repoz Posted: June 07, 2007 at 06:56 AM | 15 comment(s)
Related News: General, San Francisco

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1. AROM Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:17 AM (#2395999)

When I write stuff like that, which I did last July or August, Bonds gets hot and hits .350/.600/.900 or whatever. Sorry Giants fans, I'm not providing the reverse jinx this year.

2. David Nieporent Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:25 AM (#2396004)

When I write stuff like that, which I did last July or August, Bonds gets hot and hits .350/.600/.900 or whatever. Sorry Giants fans, I'm not providing the reverse jinx this year.

You're telling me. I (I think it was on RSB) proclaimed Barry to be done sometime around July or August of last year; he hadn't done anything except walk in about two months. And then he finished the year on fire.

3. AROM Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:40 AM (#2396017)

I checked my archives. On 8/21 last year I compared him to the dying Darth Vader when Luke takes off his mask. Using David Pinto's database, from that day to the end of September Bonds hit .366/.482/.753.

As I posted in the comments there, I won't write that kind of stuff again until Bonds puts me on his payroll.

4. Moscow Hiding In The Shadows Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:40 AM (#2396019)

Boys, if you ain't got that silver dagger, you ain't gonna get the job done. This ain't no ordinary Children of the Night you're talking about.

5. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:42 AM (#2396020)

It's like the Red Sox getting hammered for having given a seven-year deal to little bitty Pedro and his spindly arm. If you keep saying a player's doomed, and doomed, and doomed some more, eventually you will be proven right.

I do agree that broken-down Barry is stealing at-bats and developmental time away from the Giants' prospects of the future, like Mark Sweeney.

6. Bangkok9 eschews 1 from Column A Posted: June 07, 2007 at 09:48 AM (#2396027)

You play Barry until Roberts, Lewis or Ort-cloud is a better hitter. Which will be... never.

7. xbhaskarx Posted: June 07, 2007 at 12:12 PM (#2396168)

the giants have playoff hopes??

8. AJM Misses Brodeur Posted: June 07, 2007 at 01:30 PM (#2396237)

sucking the offense into a black hole in the four-spot.

That would just make the four-spot the same as the other spots in the lineup.

9. TomH Posted: June 07, 2007 at 06:45 PM (#2396855)

1. check NL batting leaderboard
2. Bonds is, as usual, LEADING THE LEAGUE IN OPS
3. Suggest benching stooopid writer

10. EddieA Posted: June 07, 2007 at 07:10 PM (#2396878)

Bonds kinda sucks when his legs are in pain.

It is better for him and for the team to play half the time healthy than to play all the time semi-crippled. His cumulative runs above average would be far greater.

11. AlouGoodbye Posted: June 07, 2007 at 07:21 PM (#2396897)

It is better for him and for the team to play half the time healthy than to play all the time semi-crippled. His cumulative runs above average would be far greater.

I hear this a lot, but what about the team's cumulative runs above average? Because as is alluded to above, the guys who are going to step into the outfield to replace him are not going to hit like league-average left fielders.

12. There's a chill wind blowing in Misirlou's soul Posted: June 07, 2007 at 07:24 PM (#2396901)

1. check NL batting leaderboard
2. Bonds is, as usual, LEADING THE LEAGUE IN OPS
3. Suggest benching stooopid writer

That may well be, but he is slugging under .300 for the past month, so the suggestion is not totally without merit. What he hit in April will not help the team in June.

13. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: June 07, 2007 at 07:35 PM (#2396920)

Scott Ostler's "point" seems to be this: Barry Bonds isn't able to be on the field lately... so they should bench him. And he should be kept there until he's healthy enough to play.

I like the logic. As punishment for not being able to throw a thousand innings, the Giants should only let Zito pitch every fifth game.

14. 1k5v3L Posted: June 07, 2007 at 07:47 PM (#2396935)

I also feel the Giants should bench Barry tonight.

15. Jim Wisinski Posted: June 07, 2007 at 08:55 PM (#2397024)

At what point does Bonds become a liability to the Giants’ shaky playoff hopes?

The Giants' playoff hopes will not even qualify as shaky if Bonds doesn't play and hit. All they can do is play him when available and hope he hits.

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SF Gate Blog: Ostler: Bench Barry?!?!

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