People seem to think that if you take steroids you automatically become a better player, and its not all like that.
People need to learn to compare records to the competition in their time period. It's not like the Babe was hitting it 400 feet every time. They Yankees at one point had the right-field porch moved in to like 150 feet out just so Ruth could hit it farther. He faced competition that for the most part was shoddy, and none of the Spanish or Negro League stars were allowed to play (Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, et al). Not only that, but there were no splitters or sliders or anything, just a general palmball, changeup, fastball, and curveball (although doctoring the ball was still in rampant use, but hey). There was the Depression, a lack of food, scabs, and WW2 all adding to Ruth's advantage. Hank hit his home runs in an era when amphetamine use was as rampant as it is today.
That being said, Ruth is still the greatest, imo. He changed the game, Aaron didn't, Bonds didn't. Of the three, Bonds is still the best player out of them (as he's the most well-rounded in all the facets of the game), but Ruth is the most legendary and will remain that way for his ability to realize that hitting with your heels was the key. Aaron had longevity and just recently has become pretty overrated, to say the least. That's not to say he wasn't a great player because he was, but I don't know that he'd be able to out-hit, say, Griffey, or the Babe, or Josh Gibson, or Sadahuru Oh if they all were playing in the same timeframe in the same type of ballparks and such. I'm just stating that longevity is what got him the crown.
I guess the one thing that bothers me is how bad this situation has become. People seem to think that taking steroids simply makes you great, that's not the case at all. I t requires the same amount of work ethic, if not moreso, and the same ability to hit the ball or throw the ball. If you sucked before, you're not going to suck much less afterwards (Just ask David Segui or Jason Grimsley!). Not just that, but people seem to think that what Barry did makes him a terrible player. Not so. He's been one of, it not the, greatest of our generation for a long time, whether we like it or not. He may not have the warm personality of a Babe Ruth or a Lou Gehrig or a Ken Griffey Jr., but that doesn't detract from his talents. He was a surefire HOFer beforehand anyway.
Regardless of what people seem to think and have been swayed to think by Selig, the press, and Bush, even if you believe he cheated, he was the best player in baseball before he cheated, and the best player in baseball after he cheated.
Oh, also, before I finish up here, has anyone noticed the hypocrisy of Bush, even on fucking sports? The man was the General Managing Partner of the Texas Rangers and was responsible for bringing up Sosa and trading for Canseco, not to mention having both Juan Gonzalez and Pudge Rodriguez on the team, AND saying he trusts Rafael Palmeiro's word on steroids ("Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period.). Fine, no big deal. But then to be the man to singlehandedly call out baseball on steroids and then curtail his opinion on Bonds as though he wasn't aware that Bonds willingly jacked up the roids for the record, and to say after he left baseball that he was completely against the usage of steroids...why, the hypocrisy just slays me.
By the way, Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins is 24 and could end the season with about 145 career Homers... People aren't talking about him now, but if he keeps his current pace up he'll come close to 700+ before his career is over.
