EXCLUSIVE: Barry Bonds' Home Run Record Tainted by Mechanical Device
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| Caffeinated Confines found this 8/6/2007 on www.editorandpublisher.com [flag] |
Tags:
MLB
Barry Bonds
Comments (8)
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McLovin +1This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen. -
KidUterus Some of his points are valid and interesting, but his assertation that the elbow armor added 100 homers to Bonds' total shows that he knows little about baseball. -
chone Might this be more than a little inspired by the Craig Biggio article from The Onion? Does the writer's thesis mean that if I somehow got my hands on one of these magical "elbow pads", I could tear up NCAA Division III baseball and get drafted? -
studes The Bonds bashing has jumped the shark. Regardless of any of the writer's points, any player can wear what Bonds wears (and he might have some good ones). There's no "duplicity" at all.-
meech.one this article isn't as nonsensical as youse are making it out to be (and I don't give a shit about Bonds)
@ chone:
I don't think the writer is saying if you wear that, you'll be able to hit better - or hit at all for that matter. But if you happened to be a HOF hitter who added a piece of equipment like that, you'd be that much better.@ studes:
Those "elbow armor" devices are illegal in major league baseball. In order to wear one now, you either have to be "grandfathered in" (ala Biggio) or have an "injury exemption" because you got hurt getting hit in the elbow.The writer's 4th point, about the Home Run Derby, is pretty much useless - but the rest are fairly valid.
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studes I didn't know that, meech. Thanks. But I still don't see how the elbow armor of Bonds' can be called "duplicity." He's following the rules, right?
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Crookednose And when did Bonds stop wearing his cross earring? Has he abandoned God? Someone needs to track his home-run ratio with and without the earring. Frankly, I think it's an unfair advantage to have God as your co-pilot.
Links (33)
More powerful than the juice?
Published 8/6/2007 by Rick Michels at Caffeinated Confines
... http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003621797 ...
Performance Enhancing Armor?
Published 8/6/2007 by Shyster at ShysterBall
... Mechanics expert Michael Witte argues that Barry has had more artificial assistance than the cream and the clear: ...
It’s the Body Armor, Duh!
Published 8/6/2007 by TheBigLead at The Big Lead
... You see that massive contraption on the elbow of Barry Bonds? It looks like something out of the Transformers, right? Anyway, now some guy is claiming that’s the real reason Bonds broke the home run record. Forget performance enhancing drugs - it’s the apparatus, silly! ...
Barry Bonds, Inflating His Home Run Totals With ... Arm Protection?
Published 8/6/2007 by Rob at 6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog
Michael Witte thinks so:
For years, sportswriters remarked that his massive "protective" gear – unequaled in all of baseball -- permits Bonds to lean over the plate without fear of being hit by a pitch. Thus situated, Bonds can handle the outside pitch (where most pitchers live) unusually well. This is unfair advantage enough, but no longer controversial. However, it is only one of at least seven (largely unexplored) advantages conferred by the apparatus.
He goes on to attribute to the elbow armor swing consistency, better weight distribution of the bat-arm lever, improved wrist speed, and better coordination of all parts of Bonds' swing with his body. He further cites Bonds' failure to perform well in All-Star Game home run derbies — where he does not have access to his armor — as proof that this changes his swing. It sounds like something f ...
Bonds and the elbow pad
Published 8/6/2007 by DMZ at The Cheater's Guide to Baseball Blog
... The hot cheating story of the day is Bonds and his elbow pad. Over at Editor and Publisher, Michael Witte argues that it’s actually a mechanical aid that helps his swing. Check it out, he’s got six ways he thinks that monstrosity affects the swing. It’s interesting speculation: ...
LinkGasm 8-6-07
Published 8/6/2007 by Hank Worrell at EPIC CARNIVAL | SPORTS NEWS WITH A TWIST
... - You thought steroids were what helped Barry hit all those homers? No way. It was the elbow armor. C'mon, this Bonds hating is getting really out of hand now. I mean, ask Andres Galarraga how much elbow armor helped him. (Editor and Publisher) ...
Does Bonds have a mechanical advantage?
Published 8/6/2007 by insomnyuk at SportsFilter
Michael Witte provides a pretty interesting analysis of the possible impact of Barry Bonds' elbow armor apparatus, and how it might benefit his swing. Read Story. ...
Giants Roundup: * Edition
Published 8/6/2007 by Say Hey at Say Hey: A Bay Area Sports Blog
... Some mechanical expert puts forth a pretty good argument on how Bonds’ arm-guard has helped him more than you might think. [Editor & Publisher, via ...
Z105: And We’re Baaaaaack!
Published 8/6/2007 by The Sports Culture at The Sports Culture
... BONDS’ CHEATING II: A very intriguing piece at Editor & Publisher digs up Bonds’ use of his body armor and its unfair advantages. Here’s a small expert: ...
FanIQ Says ... Set Pedro Gomez Free (Barry Bonds Live-Thread)
Published 8/6/2007 at FanIQ Blog
... Speaking of Lannan hitting Bonds, it's not like it'd do a whole lot of damage. The guy has more protection than a tank. This article argues that the real reason that Barry's record has been tainted is due to his protection and "mechanical device" on the elbow. Interesting angle, if nothing else. ...
Exclusive: You’ve Got To Be Joking
Published 8/6/2007 by Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus: Unfiltered
... This article is so ludicrous that I can only read it if I hear it in ...
Barry Bonds` Brace: Orthotic Verisimilitude by Will Carroll
Published 8/7/2007 at Baseball Prospectus
... wears while batting that Silva is best known for. On Monday, an article was published regarding the brace , first at Editor and Publisher (a specialty publication covering the newspaper industry), purporting that the brace worn by Bonds was an illegal aid that helped Bonds hit home runs. The assertions of the author, Michael Witte, were on their surface difficult to believe, but I wanted to know more about this brace. What was it made of? Who made it? Could it possibly help Bonds hit? (I should note here that e-mails to Mr. Witte remain unanswered at the time of publication, and I was unable to find a phone number for him.) It took me one e-mail and one phone call to find Mark Silva. I called Mr. Silva on Monday evening, interrupting a bocce game. Silva had not seen the article nor heard the assertions made against his handiwork, but he was willing to talk to me about both. In an i ...
Back to San Francisco
Published 8/7/2007 by Nick Cannata-Bowman at Giants Cove
... While you watch Barry take on history once again, check out the newest reason Bonds is a cheater: it’s good for a laugh. ...
The Constitutional Vol. 15
Published 8/7/2007 by Chimpanzee Rage at Deuce of Davenport | Sports News, Commentary, Humor, Videos
... The real reason Bonds' home run record is invalid is not because of steroids...its because of body armor. Editor & Publisher ...
Barry Bonds Arm Apparatus
Published 8/7/2007 by ryan at Friar Forum
... . In his comment, Travis provides a link to an editorial alleging that Bonds' elbow armor not only unfairly gives him access to outside pitches without fear of injury, but also improves his mechanics. We haven't studied that massive elbow armor in detail, but the article does bring up another interesting angle that has been bantered about between myself and my father. Inexplicably, my father has become a Barry Bonds defender (in my estimation, his argument is that if Tony Gwynn says Bonds is okay, he's okay - but he can log on and attempt to explain himself). A popular theory aimed at protecting Bonds from asterisk status in the record books is that steroids weren't technically banned (and were actually passively encouraged) in baseball while Bonds (and others) were allegedly using them. This conversation turned into a debate about what's worse - performance enhancing drugs or ...
Green-360, on One
Published 8/7/2007 by Paul Lukas at Uni Watch
... (kudos to Matt O Brien ). … We ve all heard about how the armor worn by Barry Bonds and others allows hitters to lean over the plate with impunity. But according to this analysis Bonds s armor may also aid the mechanics of his swing (thanks, Vince ). … Speaking of Bonds, several people have mentioned to me that he had his fly unzipped while on deck about a week ago. I couldn t find a good shot, but it s plainly visible in ...
Barry Bonds: Have Barry Bonds' Arms Really Not Grown?
Published 8/7/2007 by Leitch at Deadspin
... Yesterday, Editor & Publisher, of all places, ran a column saying Barry Bonds' elbow brace gives him an unfair advantage. Over at ...
The Griddle: The Bonds 'advantage'? Probably not
Published 8/7/2007 at The Griddle
In the wake of Michael Witte's article in ...
Barry's Armor: Brace Yourself
Published 8/7/2007 by E.L.M. at El Lefty Malo
... Yesterday Editor & Publisher, a mag that covers the publishing biz, posted an article that chastisted Barry Bonds for cheating… with his elbow brace. You know, that humongous piece of Darth-Vader-ish plastic and velcro strapped to Barry’s right arm when he stands two inches from home plate. ...
Does Bonds Have a Mechanical Advantage?
Published 8/7/2007 by Matt Watson at FanHouse
... Forget "performance enhancing drugs," does Barry Bonds have an unfair "mechanical advantage?" That's the assertion put forth by Michael Witte of Editor & Publisher. Witte lists six reasons why Bonds' elbow brace is being used not only for protection but also as a "mechanical assistant." For example: ...
From Out of Right Field: Unfair Advantages
Published 8/7/2007 by Ben Skolnik at Winning The Turnover Battle
... Recently, Michael Witte wrote a little piece for Editor & Publisher entitled “Exclusive: Barry Bonds’ Home Run Record Tainted by Mechanical Device?” in which he argues that Bonds owes at least some of his success to the giant protective pad which he wears on his right elbow. I applaud Witte for his efforts in exposing this instance of an athlete using a mechanical device to improve his game. However, why stop there, I ask? Witte, like the rest of the media, has ignored the most blatant of all machine-wielding offenders. What I am going to say next may shock some readers, so if you are easily offended, you may want to cover your eyes for this next part. ...
links!
Published 8/7/2007 by Angela S. at Serious Dismay Sports
... * Editor & Publisher: Barry Bonds' Home Run Record Tainted by Mechanical Device? ...
Roid Monster (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Tolerate 756)
Published 8/8/2007 by Brian Gunn at Baseball Analysts
... I forwarded these comments to a friend last week, and he emailed me back: “if pre-1947 ball was not ‘all it could be’ because of the color line (a theory I think everyone with a brain would agree with), and post-1980s ball is ‘tainted’ because some used steroids, does that mean we've only had 40-45 years of undisputed competition?” I wrote back that, in fact, every era has been tainted in some way, with statistics constantly subject to some distortion or other. One era might not allow people of color, another might be tainted by steroids or amphetamines, another by the height of the mound, another by the system of selecting and promoting players from foreign countries, another by primitive approaches to heath and recovery, another by using too much plate armor, another by weird strategies and shibboleths, like the one that says it’s unmanly to swing from the heels or take a ...
Hookshot’s America: 5 Reasons Bonds Isn’t That Bad
Published 8/8/2007 by athooks at Cardinals Diaspora
... 2. It’s the equipment silly… Editor & Publisher, the bastion of sports information they are world renowned for, recently put to press this article claiming that Barry could be juiced to the gills- but it wouldn’t make even a twinge of difference if you compare it to the advantages his 20 lb elbow shield makes on his greatness. I’ll save you my in-depth analysis of the information, but when you read the article it makes sense. Not just the fact that he was able to dive over the plate to get balls others wouldn’t dare swing at- since he had no fear of the pitcher retaliating. But the fact that the brace actually locks Barry into the perfect power swing, every swing. That’s like having an Al Cervick laser putter on the PGA tour! ...
Take Your Record And...
Published 8/8/2007 by Caps Nut at Bleatings From a Caps Nut
... Finally, not only is Big Head BALCO Barry Bonds* chemically enhanced, it turns out he's also mechanically enhanced too (I found that on ...
A Day of Further Infamy
Published 8/8/2007 by Zach at The House That Dewey Built
... Sadly, August 7th will no longer be remembered as the day of my birth, and I will forever be linked to a record no one east of Sacramento wanted to see broken. I hate Barry Bonds, but not because of his alleged cheating, because of ...
Barry Bonds Cheats Multiple Ways for HRs
Published 8/8/2007 by RizzoSports at RizzoSports Blog
... Michael Witte mechanics consultant to a major league baseball team wrote a great article about this recently. ...
Bond's Elbow Armor: A Hitting Machine
Published 8/8/2007 by Everything But the Game at Everything But the Game
... read more... ...
Linkology, vol. XXXII
Published 8/9/2007 by Doc at Balls, Sticks, & Stuff | Phillies, Eagles, golf and other matters of great importance...
... . On Monday, there was an incredibly interesting article on the benefits Barry Bonds receives from the body armor he wears on his elbow. It's not just protection. The entire discussion and debate is here: 1 , ...
Talkin' Barroid
Published 8/10/2007 by Dan at 11th and Washington
... Barry Bonds' record may be a tribute to something else. Therein rests the problem. The vast weight of evidence, some of it admittedly circumstantial, suggests his usage of performance-enhancing substances. This is, of course, unfortunate. He was going to the Hall of Fame when he weighed 190 pounds, before his body underwent a transformation in what amounted to early middle age.Michael Witte speculates that Bonds' elbow armor has helped him a great deal: ...
Buttonholier Than Thou
Published 8/10/2007 by Paul Lukas at Uni Watch
... (with thanks to Jason Adkins ). … A few days ago I linked to this article , which reputedly showed all sorts of reasons why Barry Bonds s swing is improved by his elbow armor (and not just because it allows him to sit on the inside part of the plate). That article has been widely ridiculed in baseball circles over the past few days. But the author isn t giving up he answers his critics ...
The ‘Ocracy Weekender 8-10-07
Published 8/12/2007 by Thejim at Sportsocracy.org
... Barry Bonds has a bionic arm under that body armor - Editor & Publisher ...
Raul's Off Week: Day One
Published 8/13/2007 by mondesishouse at Mondesishouse.com
... Koz sends in an article that is an interesting theory regarding the recent HR record set by Bonds. Not sure if I buy any of it, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. ...
