By John Klima
Staff Writer

“I never saw a man who could beat you so utterly – and do it every day, virtually – with his mere presence on the field. The fact that he was apt to break up any game with one home run swing was only half the story.”

This is not a quote about Barry Bonds, but it might as well be.

“Think of the psychological effect of having him go against your team. Your pitcher always feared to walk the man who batted ahead of him for fear he would drive him home. That meant that the pitcher had to work hard and worry excessively about that man. Then by the time he was through that ordeal, up he came, and the pitcher went through another exhausting few minutes. When he batted, he helped the man in front and the man behind.”

This is not a quote about Bonds, but it describes the exact same attributes that make him a once-in-a-generation impact player. Instead it is Ty Cobb discussing the influence Babe Ruth had on a game. Cobb dictated this passage in his 1961 autobiography, only months before he died, but his words are as relevant to Bonds as they are to Ruth.

This is not a question of love or hate, but of evaluation and judging a player’s overall place in the history of the game. To examine Bonds in this light is difficult and, like pitching to him, creates a dilemma. What is the measurement and definition of a great historical player? And if Bonds matches such criteria, where does he fit into the game’s pantheon? Does his era diminish his achievements? Is he one of the top five players in the history of the game? Or is he the product of his generation?

“He’s top five all time, at least” believes Dusty Baker, Bonds’ manager for a decade. “That’s only if he’s not top three.”

There are many ways to judge a player, but there are three traditional methods. One is to rely solely on statistics. One is to evaluate his skills. Another is to measure that which cannot be measured, the psychological affect Bonds, like Ruth, wrought upon a game.

“In all the years I’ve caught, I’ve only heard the ‘whoosh’ of the bat from three hitters,” veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. observed. “Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds.”

Bonds is not the first player of historical stature to have his numbers called into question, but in placing Bonds within a historical context, it is important to strip emotion from the subject, something that makes ranking Bonds difficult for some observers.

“Some of the things, Barry helped the situation himself,” Baker said. “If the fans and the media like you, they’ll give you a pass on certain things. If they don’t like you for whatever reason, you won’t get a pass. And I don’t really know if Barry cares or not.”

The statistical

While the game struggles with its collective conscious on where to place Bonds, it can be argued that Ruth’s numbers are inflated because he did not face black pitchers nor enhanced defenses with black players in skill positions.

It can also be argued that Ruth never faced fresh arms from the bullpen. He used a 44-ounce bat, which means Ruth was either unusually strong, or the pitchers were throwing unusually soft.

Conversely, parks were larger, the same ball was kept in play for long periods of time, and Ruth only played day baseball. There were only 16 teams, so competition for pitching jobs was fierce, but there was also no bullpen specialization.

It can also be argued that Bonds faced more power arms than any other significant player in history for the very reason that he is vilified.

History has relegated Cobb to slap-hitter status, but in fact, recent research has proven that he was considered a power threat in his era.

Statistics are not always the easiest way to make a call, because numbers are based on countless variables. But there are some basic guidelines that suggest Bonds – at the very least, as a hitter – belongs in the discussion. Though he may never catch Aaron’s career RBI mark of 2,297, Bonds (1,972 RBIs) is right behind Ruth (1,989) and Gehrig (1,996). On the contrary, had Gehrig never become ill, would Aaron hold this record?

Bonds is 52 extra base hits away from Aaron’s career record of 1,477 extra-base hits. Bonds is also three doubles from becoming the 14th player with 600 career doubles. His walk total (2,520) is first by 330 passes. He’s also within 100 hits of reaching 3,000.

By virtue of those walks, Bonds has reached base more times than anyone in history except for Pete Rose and Ty Cobb, suggesting that Bonds’ knowledge of the strike zone and his own plate discipline deserves to be mentioned with that of Ted Williams, who, according to popular folklore, knew the strike zone better than anyone who ever lived.

“There had to be a time where he decided that to be successful, that’s what he had to do,” veteran scout Gary Hughes, 66, said. “He saw that if he let him get himself out, than he would. I think he decided he wasn’t going to be the kind of hitter who would consistently get himself out.”

Hughes, one of the most respected scouts in baseball in the last 30 years, is a student of baseball history. He doesn’t dispute that Bonds is among the top players in history, but said he struggled to place him in the top five.

Bonds, with 122 total bases this season, now has 5,906 career total bases, moving him past Ruth and Cobb. When he reaches 6,000 total bases, Bonds will join Aaron, Stan Musial and Willie Mays as the only players to do so.

Other factors that sway an argument toward Bonds include the fact that he plays in San Francisco, a city that also taught Mays that he could not pull each pitch, where wind, sun, cold and fog hinders performance. And while Aaron, Ruth and Mays became synonymous with the hitters that protected them in the lineup, Bonds had perhaps one future Hall of Famer – Jeff Kent – protecting him during his 22-year career.

“You don’t have to be a Hall of Famer to be a protector,” Baker said. “Somebody behind you is important, but Hank Aaron had me behind him for three years. I’m buying some of that, but a good patient hitter, it doesn’t matter who hits behind him. Look at Vladimir Guerrero. After a while, it doesn’t matter who hits behind him once he got to a certain point.”

Numbers and the factors that produce them change with the times. It takes a veteran player to understand that perspective.

“There’s going to be guys 20 years from now that make these numbers look different,” veteran Dodgers outfielder Luis Gonzalez said. “Look at the numbers that used to win guys an MVP award. Guys are hitting those numbers at the All-Star break now. Maybe Alex Rodriguez breaks all of Bonds’ records. Does that make Bonds less of a player?”

One record, however, that may never be broken speaks clearly to his era. Bonds hit 32 “splash hit” home runs into the waters of McCovey Cove, completely out of AT&T Park. This year, in what can be considered the first year of the post-steroid era, he has one.

The observable

“He looked a little like Ruth, played a lot like Cobb, covered more ground than grass, and ran like the wind.”

This is not a quote about Bonds, but it could be.

“But if I had to name the best all-around player in the Negro Leagues, I might just blurt out ‘Oscar Charleston.”

Few people saw Charleston, but the late Buck O’Neil did. O’Neil, a player, scout and manager made the case that Charleston was at least the equal of Mays in his 1996 autobiography.

As Bonds’ numbers add up, it forces the question of how does Bonds, who is the only player to have more than 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases, match up skill-for-skill with the elite players in history, including those, like Charleston, who were segregated?

Hughes graduated from Serra High in San Mateo long before Bonds did. Growing up in Northern California, Hughes often saw Mays.

When Hughes began his career as an area scout for the Yankees, Bonds was a high school outfielder in his territory and the top player on his list. Today, he says both Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez were better high school hitters, a consensus among veteran scouts.

But it also begs two questions: if the only high school hitters better than Bonds were Griffey Jr. and Rodriguez, how can that possibly be viewed as a detriment? And, had Griffey been healthy or never left the American League, would Bonds be chasing Griffey instead of Aaron?

“Bonds has the quickest hands, from start of swing to point of contact, of any hitter I’ve ever seen,” Alomar said. “Jose Canseco, sometimes you would hear the ‘whoosh’ of the bat, but not all the time. Not Alex Rodriguez. He has a very even swing.”

Hughes’ heart is with Mays.

“Defense, Mays,” Hughes said. “Baserunning, Mays, by a lot. Arm, Mays, not even close. As a runner, a defender and arm strength, Mays was an ‘80’ at his prime.”

An ‘80’ is a scout’s way of canonizing a player. The traditional scouting scale is 20-80, with 80 being Hall of Fame caliber. A 50 is major league average.

“Mays had the best instincts of any player I’ve ever seen,” Hughes said. “Bonds was a very good left fielder, Mays was an outstanding center fielder.”

But when asked who he felt was the better hitter, Hughes relented.

“As for being a complete hitter,” Hughes said. “You might give it to Bonds.”

Therein lies the difficulty of accessing where Bonds belongs. Hughes thinks that the power comparisons between Mays and Bonds are similar for each at the age of, say, 28, when Bonds hit 46 home runs in 1993 and Mays hit 34 in 1959. The age of 28 is a time when hitters usually begin to realize their power potential.

“He doesn’t need to guess,” Alomar said. “His bat speed is so quick that he can sit back and still hit the fastball. Barry can be late on one pitch, and on the next one, crush it. It’s like he sets you up. It could be an adjustment or he could swing late on purpose to make you come back with the same pitch again. He would swing real early on a fastball. You’d throw him a change-up and he’d crush it. That’s weird. It’s setting you up. Paul Molitor would do that, too. It’s (toying) with the catcher.”

Bonds elevated his power game with the Giants, while retaining his plus speed for several years.

“When I played against him when he was with the Pirates, he was one amongst many good players,” Gonzalez said. “Then, when he left for the Giants, he took it on his own. He kind of went on an island.”

Bonds’ career, from 2000 to 2004, produced 258 home runs. He hit more than 40 home runs once before he was 30. He did it seven times before he was 40, becoming a player where correct contact almost always ensured a home run.

“There’s no questioning Bonds is elite,” Hughes said. “The only thing I’m questioning is if he belongs in the top five of all-time. If he didn’t have the power numbers he has, we wouldn’t be talking about this. Now, if we say, forget about the last seven years, what does that do to his power numbers?”

Bonds has been able to add to his power numbers because he plays for an ownership that values his box-office clout, supported him in later years as a one-dimensional player because of his potent bat, and built the team around his power. He has long since ceased to be a multi-skilled player and has 27 stolen bases in the last six years. Mays, on the other hand, managed to steal 23 bases at the age of 40 in 1971.

Another factor which, depending on your point of view, elevates Bonds or detracts from Bonds is how the standards of longevity have changed. Last year, with an Opening Day age of 41, Bonds hit 26 home runs and drew 155 walks in 130 games.

At 41, Mays was cast off to the Mets and hit only eight home runs. Aaron was playing out the string in Milwaukee, where he managed 12 home runs. Ruth was pushed out of baseball.

All of this leads back to the question, not of numbers and history, but of skill. Did Bonds have help maintaining his skill level? And if he did, didn’t he have the skill to begin with, allowing him to elevate his numbers?

“You don’t know who was on what,” Baker said. “Nobody knows, pitchers and players both. That’s the problem. You could look at that skinny guy over there, find out he was on it, and you would say, ‘Really? I would have never guessed.’”

This forces the question: Does a players numbers alone make him great? Does his skill make him great? Or should it be a combination?

“I think he’s one of the most dominant players ever,” Gonzalez said. “He’s done something incredible in this game. Guilty or not guilty, you still have got to go out there and play and hit.”

The psychological

“There came a point where he recognized fear. He fed on it. He did all this, despite the fact that he hasn’t been pitched to in the last ten years.”

This time, there’s no mistaking who this quote refers to. It is Baker’s view of Bonds. Baker, though his last at-bat came 20 years ago, never lost his playing soul.

This is the feel that ballplayers use, one that more to do with skill and performance and less to do with numbers. It refers to the pure ability for one player to beat an entire team.

This is the code of ethics that allows players to celebrate others. In this regard, it’s difficult to find a dissenting opinion that says placing Bonds on an impervious level is a fallacy.

“Even against us last week, he was 0-for-12, but on the field, you’re saying, ‘We’re up three runs. If they only get one guy on base and Bonds pops one, we’re still up by one,” Gonzalez said. “Guys are on the field constantly calculating when this guy is coming up, how many guys before he gets back up? To me, that’s a guy that has an impact on a game, and those guys are few and far between.”

Bonds, like Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Charleston and Cobb, has the ability to change a game by his mere presence. Not every hitter can do that.

“He made a team, a manager, and a pitcher get out of his game,” Alomar said. “I’ve never seen a guy who can change a whole game like that. Other top guys you can pitch to. At the beginning of my career, Griffey Jr. was the best hitter I had seen to that point. He had power, he had bat speed, he hit for average, he comes in and he’s a threat to hit home runs. Griffey Jr., had he stayed healthy, he could have been in Barry’s class. Bonds stayed healthy for many years and every year he got better.”

Only the players who are complete on a rare level change the way other players play. In this regard, there can be no question, no matter the feelings, no matter the suspicions, that Bonds belongs in the elite in the history of the game. And if you argue that he had help, you have to accept that others did, as well.

“You have to manage the game around him,” Alomar said. “You have to call the game around him. You have to make sure that nobody is on base before he comes up. When you do meetings, you have to revolve around Barry Bonds because he dictates how you are going to pitch in front and behind. You have to predict situations with him in your mind before he comes up because you can’t wait to the last minute with him. You have to plan it out before.”

Perhaps the greatest sign that Bonds’ historical significance has grown beyond the BALCO years lies in the fact that he is now synonymous with argument that will likely outlive him.

“If people don’t like something in somebody, they will find negative in whatever they do,” Baker said. “Ty Cobb wasn’t the most popular player. Ted Williams wasn’t the most popular player.”

This is the mark of a truly significant historical figure and it not defined simply by a seven-hundred digit number attached to the home run column.

Bonds, no matter what happens, no matter if he ever hits another home run or joins Rose and Joe Jackson as players ostracized from the Hall of Fame, already belongs to the ages. He evokes passion and conviction from all sides, and this, too, is a mark of importance. Simply put, Bonds evokes significance.

Where he ranks in the historical pantheon of the game’s elite resides with the individual. But his body of work, his statistics, his personality, his influence on the way the game is watched, covered, and the emotion he stirs cannot be contested. Like Ruth, Bonds will be recalled for his conspicuous consumption, and like Ruth, he will be forged into American memory for generations to come.

“Ruth was feeling for his balance. Pretty soon, he started hitting them high and far. He wasn’t hitting them over the fence. He was hitting them into the trees across the street. What an exhibition he put on! He froze everybody, ballplayers and fans. Everybody stopped and watched him. And the last one he hit, gee, what a belt, and he dropped the bat and ran the bases. You got goose bumps watching him.”

That quote, from former major league third baseman Dario Lodigiani, who saw Ruth hit, matches Bonds as well. Like him or not, Bonds has hit his way to a rare altitude. If you hurt your neck looking up at him, well, so be it. He might not care, so long as you look.