If you had one HOF vote....

[ROC]

Clemens, because of the ability and those World Series rings.

[sahyder1]

Winning the World Series isn't a HOF stipulation. Even if it was.....Clemens didn't take the Red Sox or the Jays to a title he took a Yankee team that had already won the World Series. So technically.....he didn't even take them.

[Sabu]

Barry Bonds, UNLESS, he is caught on taking Steroids.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yea, why though? Sure he won all of those titles and shit, but it's tainted. Clemens=pure animal.

You ever see Clemens workout either? Nuts. He's truely devoted.

←

The way I see it, Clemens is just as likely to be on the juice as Bonds until someone can give me conclusive proof otherwise.

[Ron]

While I love what Clemens has done, If I only had One HOF vote, it would go to Bonds.

I mean even before his ALLEGED steroid use, he was all ready a great player with the Pirates. I mean sure today people think of him as PURELY a great hitter, but he also did a lot more, including stealing 400+ bases.

[thuganomic]

This was on Sportscenter the other afternoon and I'll steal an answer from there as well.  I vote Barry because when his career's over, you will be debating whether he was the greatest hitter of all time.  Nobody will ever wonder if Clemens is the best pitcher of all time.

←

Why not?

[sahyder1]

Why not?

←

Because he's far from being the #1 in all the major categories. Something like 1700 K's, 200 something wins. How about the ERA? Bonds has great at shot at all time HR record, Walks, RBIs

Edited May 11, 2004 by sahyder1

[Lowerdeck]

Bonds. One of the best hitters ever. Unless of course he's on the juice.

[HailtotheYo]

including stealing 400+ bases.

←

you mean 500+

Even if Bonds did use steriods, they didn't make him a great hitter. His work ethic is unparalleled .... the steriods didn't give him his eye at the plate, or make him a ten times more disciplined hitter ... steriods didn't give him his 6 gold gloves ... steriods didn't give him his quick bat and fluid swing ....

The debate about steriods is stupid anyway .... the steroid usage would hurt his performance just as much as help it .... if anyone knows anything about steroids and how the body works, then you'd know what I'm talking about ...

If only given one vote and these two are the choices, I go with BONDS ...

[Guest Sean O'Haire]

Clemens. He is 42 years old and 6-0...

[sahyder1]

Clemens.  He is 42 years old and 6-0...

←

since when does only 1 year matter?

Bonds is 40+ and he's the most feared hitter in all of baseball. Clemens is not the most feared pitcher anymore.

[Sabu]

Bonds is 39 actually. And Clemens is Pitching like his old self.

[ACCBiggz]

If he was on Steroids, it still wouldn't help his game like people want to believe.

It'd made him more prone to injury, and more power... but it wouldn't help his judgement of balls and strikes, the knowledge of hitting, etc. Jose Canseco for example, early in his career he was one of the best... then he broke down.

If you have follwed Barry you'll see his gradual increase in size and he always got help from two great players, his dad and Willy Mays. Steroids does have an effect, but if I were to take them, or Rafeal Furcal, we still wouldn't be jacking out 70+ HR's.

[Stevie B]

Barry Bonds.

He has the cooler name, and is the only one ive heard of.

[naiwf]

This was on Sportscenter the other afternoon and I'll steal an answer from there as well.  I vote Barry because when his career's over, you will be debating whether he was the greatest hitter of all time.  Nobody will ever wonder if Clemens is the best pitcher of all time.

←

Exactly. Clemens isn't even the most dominant power pitcher from Texas in the last 30 years.

[GhostMachine]

Clemens. He's now in second place on the all-time strikeouts list, and holds the record for most strikeouts in a game (20). (Yes, Kerry Wood also struck out 20 in a game, BUT.....Clemens not only did it first, but he did it TWICE)

The only possible question about Clemens would be which hat he wears in the Hall, and its obvious it'll be the Red Sox.

If Bonds in indeed juiced and the truth eventually comes out, I hope its before he's enshrined. Whether or not it comes out before or after he's in the HOF would be embarrasing to him and Willie Mays, but it would be even MORE embarrasing if he happened afterward, because he'd likely be the first person (I think) to be kicked out of the Hall.

And even if the truth about whether he is or isn't juiced never comes out, there will always be doubt about him.

(For the record, they both definitely deserve to go into the HOF, but as long as there's any doubt that Bonds is clean......)

[sahyder1]

holds the record for most strikeouts in a game (20). (Yes, Kerry Wood also struck out 20 in a game, BUT.....Clemens not only did it first, but he did it TWICE)

How does this make him a HOFer over Bonds? How about making Mike Cameron a HOFer since he hit 4 HRs in a game?

The only possible question about Clemens would be which hat he wears in the Hall, and its obvious it'll be the Red Sox.

Eventhough the majority of his wins and K's were in a Red Sox uniform he'll go in as a Yank.

Clemens is just as likely to be juiced as Bonds is. He's doing stuff at his age which you don't see too often from pitchers.

[GhostMachine]

Clemens is just as likely to be juiced as Bonds is. He's doing stuff at his age which you don't see too often from pitchers.

←

Wrong. There have been a lot of pitchers who still remained dominant into their early 40's. Nolan Ryan comes to mind, for instance. He pitched his last No Hitter as a Texas Ranger and was over 40 at the time. Hell, I think Walter Johnson was still owning chumps in his early 40's before he retired!

But Bonds is at a point in his career where his offensive output should be going down, not up. You just don't see batters who hit like he does at that age - sure, they might have a decent batting average, but their home run production deteriorates. True, there have been exceptions, but I still find it amazing that he's hitting the # of homers that he is this late in his career.

(For the record, Clemens is my favorite pitcher, so I'm a bit biased, but still.....)

[sahyder1]

Nolan Ryan is a major exception to the rule. There have been RPs that have gone on to pitch well into their 40s....but SPs tail off.

Walter Johnson retired at 39. He only pitched 15 games that year.

As far as Bonds is concerned I heard last week that the year before he set the record he had gone out and changed his batting stance and swing. I don't have that verified with old footage....but that's what I've heard.

Edited May 13, 2004 by sahyder1

[Typical Phenom]

If he was on Steroids, it still wouldn't help his game like people want to believe.

It'd made him more prone to injury, and more power... but it wouldn't help his judgement of balls and strikes, the knowledge of hitting, etc. Jose Canseco for example, early in his career he was one of the best... then he broke down.

If you have follwed Barry you'll see his gradual increase in size and he always got help from two great players, his dad and Willy Mays. Steroids does have an effect, but if I were to take them, or Rafeal Furcal, we still wouldn't be jacking out 70+ HR's.

←

Why is it nobody understands this? It would actually make him less flexible and less able to turn on the balls he does. His bat speed is amazingly quick, steroids would decrease that more than anything.

And if steroids are responsible for his homeruns, what's responsible for his batting title? Gold gloves? Stolen bases? Exactly.