BARRY BONDS

Mark Whicker with an interesting discussion of what Barry Bond's legacy would have been if he had not started taking performance enhancing drugs after the '98 season. Up to that point, Bonds had what Whicker says, and I agree, a first ballot Hall of Fame career. Consider this resume Bond had accumulated up to this point.

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Had Bonds retired after '98, he would have taken eight 100-RBI seasons and seven 100-run seasons with him. He led Pittsburgh to division titles in '90, '91 and '92. He left after '92, and they have not had a winning season since. He turned 34 on July 24, 1998, and had 411 home runs, eight Gold Gloves, three NL slugging titles, four on-base percentage titles and three Most Valuable Player awards.
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