“The Story Of Baseball’s Controversial Single-Season And All-Time Home Run King” | Barry Bonds Documentary Coming To HBO

“The Story Of Baseball’s Controversial Single-Season And All-Time Home Run King” | Barry Bonds Documentary Coming To HBO

by | Jun 6, 2023 | THE THREE SPOT

When you think or talk about baseball there’s no way you don’t mention Barry Lamar Bonds, arguably the greatest hitter we’ve ever seen take the field. And while his accomplishments are indeed deep, it’s all marred by controversy and scandal from alleged steroid use. Yet-in-still Bonds’ ability captivated an audience and kept the attention of the masses.

 

 

From his record-breaking 73-homer season in 2001, where he shattered Mark McGwire’s record of 70, to his home run chase in 2006. Baseball brilliance that saw him pass Babe Ruth for second all-time with 715 homers and eventually Henry “Hank” Aaron one year later in 2007 for the most all-time with his 756th dinger. 

Bonds could swing that bat.

In all, it was a spectacle to see at beautiful Oracle Park in San Francisco, as long fly balls constantly landed in McCovey Cove, named after Giants great Willie McCovey.

 

 

 

Baseball fans can never forget the scenes of people who paid thousands to rent Kayaks, desperately paddling and even fighting to snatch a Bonds homerun ball as he got closer to the record.

Now HBO is putting together a documentary about Bonds, arguably the greatest single talent we’ve ever seen on a baseball field, who’s also still the central figure in MLB’s steroid scandal that still lingers to this day and has influenced Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

One that involved BALCO, a Bay Area supplement company that allegedly helped players cheat by dispersing steroids and many other banned performance enhancing drugs and supplements. That has held up Bonds’ induction into baseball immortality aka “Cooperstown.” He’s not the only all-time great player to suffer from the effects of the PED era. 

 

Documentary To Be Executive Produced By “Last Dance” Producers

 

In an effort to make this a hit, HBO has entrusted the trio of Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made In America) along with Connor Schell and Libby Geist to executive produce the documentary. Together they produced the very popular “Last Dance” documentary on ESPN which featured Michael Jordan and was released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’ll be directed by Keith McQuirter who’s claim to directing fame is his work done on “By Any Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem”

 

“The untitled HBO Sports Documentary will tell the story of Barry Bonds, baseball’s single-season and all-time home run king, from his beginnings as the son of Bobby Bonds, and godson of the iconic Willie Mays, all the way up to the meteoric rise in the 1990s and 2000s,” notes a release about the project. “Using archival footage and original interviews, the film will chronicle Bonds emergence as one of the game’s most talented all around players with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants and then his years as a superstar with the San Francisco Giants when he rewrote the record books in his late 30’s amid controversy.”

 

According to a press release the documentary will reportedly feature a multitude of things.

 

“Will include a diverse cast full of influential figures from Barry Bonds’ life and career.” While there’s been no word of Bonds appearing in the documentary himself, he’s definitely welcomed to.

“The opportunity for Bonds to actively participate and share his firsthand experiences remain available.”

 

If this is anything like the “Last Dance,” HBO has a hit on its hands. To make that happen they’ll need Bonds to do as Jordan did and be front and center. We all know that’s not Bonds’ personality so that may be farfetched.

 

Bonds’ Accolades Alone Are Enough To Write A Book About: Baseball’s Only 500-500 Guy

 

What Bonds did on the field was simply amazing, home runs aside, because he was so much more than a home run hitter. He’s still the only player with 500 homers and 500 stolen bases. His seven MVPs are the most all-time for an individual player. A regular at the midsummer classic, Bonds also picked up 14 All-Star nods during his 22-year MLB career. His 162.7 WAR (Wins Against Replacement) ranks second all-time for hitters behind Babe Ruth.

 

 

 

The list of accomplishments and accolades for the great Barry “US” Bonds and his deep, historic family tree is a part of baseball lore. He and his bloodline have been as big part of shaping the game, especially for MLBbros, as anybody to ever do it. Hopefully this documentary will give us a little more insight into the daily life of one of baseball’s best ever.

MLBbro.com Investigates Mookie Betts’ Fast Track to Barry Bonds’ Historical Numbers

MLBbro.com Investigates Mookie Betts’ Fast Track to Barry Bonds’ Historical Numbers

by | May 31, 2023 | 6TH SLOT

MLBbro great Mookie Betts has already established himself as one of the top players in all of baseball. His Los Angeles Dodgers are in a familiar position residing at the top of the National League West, with plans to make a run at another World Series title — the team’s first since 2020. 

 

 

Not only is Mookie Betts one of the most consistent and reliable outfielders in the game, his knack for making timely contact with the baseball driving it all over the diamond is one of the more underrated yet impactful parts of the game. But when MLB Network made statistical comparisons to MLBbro icon Barry Bonds, even the staff of MLBbro.com was surprised…

 

 

Over the first 1,161 games of their prospective careers, both MLBbros Mookie Betts and Barry Bonds basically are neck and neck in production. Betts, started out with the Boston Red Sox back in 2014, was a four-time All-Star and collected an American League MVP by 2018. 

Sadly, many MLB fans only recognize Barry Bonds after his career exploded in San Francisco when his home run bombs dominated teams on the field, commanding allegations of PED use.

Many forget that Bonds was a highly skilled MVP candidate with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, during the first seven years of his career, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds won two MVP awards and finished second another season. 

 

Let’s compare these two MLBbro superstars between the ages of 23-26:

 

Mookie Betts: 

 

 

In 597 games –

  • 33.8 WAR (Measurement of a player’s value by figuring out the worth of wins over a replacement player)
  • Hitting splits of .305/.382/.535
  • 116 home runs
  • 375 RBI

 

Barry Bonds:

 

 

In 607 games –

  • 32.0 WAR
  • Hitting splits of .280/.383/.497
  • 101 home runs
  • 346 RBI

 

The accumulated numbers of Betts at this point of his career compared to Bonds is astounding.

Mookie eclipsed the All-time Home Run King in batting average, slugging percentages, home runs and RBI. Even though both players won an MVP in this timeframe, our current MLBbro star has something that the MLBbro icon does not. A World Series title.

Mookie Betts helped the Boston Red Sox win the title in 2018.  Then won with the Dodgers in 2020. 

 

Coincidentally both players’ tenures with their first teams would be ending around age 27. 

 

Mookie’s Two-Strike Ability Keeps Him Tracking Bonds

 

Moving on from that three-year period to game 1,161, what keeps Mookie Betts’ stats so similar to Bonds at this point is his ability to navigate an at-bat with two strikes. In 2018, for example, take a look at the success of Betts and his discipline of selecting pitches in and out of the strike zone.

 

 


It shows that Mookie had taken his at bats to the next level in identifying pitches in the strike zone, thus cutting down on swinging at bad pitches. In the 2018 season, Betts improved his in-zone swing rate by four points and cut back his out of zone rate by 15.  

 

To put this in simpler terms, our MLBbro put together a routine of swinging harder at strikes while cutting back on protecting zone edges. Betts looks for strikes to swing at and hits them hard.

 

Let’s look back at what Mookie Betts said to NBC Sports when the adjustments were made. 

 

“My at-bats are a little bit different. I don’t really care about striking out that much,” Betts said. “I still want to be able to drive the ball with two strikes, the same way I do if it’s 2-0. So, I think I’m just keeping that same, aggressive, drive-the-ball mindset throughout the whole at-bat.”

 

How did it work out? Look at the comparisons to all time two strike greats at the plate. Betts was at the top of the list with other MLBbros dominating the chart with Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas and Rickey Henderson. 

 

 

Even though this is a small sample size of the 2018 season, it does illustrate how Mookie has continued the consistency that Barry Bonds had in his prime. It also shows that this was the year where Mookie began to put everything together at the plate. The combination of quick hands and a sharp eye that ranks near the top of the major leagues, has our MLBbro in control of every at bat no matter what the count is.

Meaning that even when pitchers have two strike counts, Betts can still make them pay for mistakes… Just like Barry Bonds!

 

Mookie is unlikely to match Bonds power numbers and walk numbers, especially during his alleged PED period, but as far as consistent production is concerned and ranking amongst his peers, Betts has a lot of 2023 Barry Bonds in the way he approaches his craft.

All Rise ! The Judge Is Back | Comparing Aaron Judge’s Early MVP Follow Up Season With Other MLBbro Hall of Famers

All Rise ! The Judge Is Back | Comparing Aaron Judge’s Early MVP Follow Up Season With Other MLBbro Hall of Famers

by | May 10, 2023 | THE THREE SPOT

Some believe that playing baseball with projectiles traveling 100 miles per hour around the ballpark is the toughest skill facing a professional athlete in any sport.

Being the best player over the course of  a 162-game marathon of a season — and then possibly a postseason — is next to impossible to 99 percent of the globe.

Now that Aaron Judge has returned from his 10-game absence due to injuring his wrist, the MLBbro slugger can get back to business and help the Yankees dig themselves out of a hole that has them nine games out of first and sitting at the bottom of the tough AL East division.

It takes a special player to conquer what Judge and the Yankees have in front of them over the last 130 or so games.

Aaron Judge Wins MVP

 

Well, Aaron Judge became one of those players last year winning AL MVP on the strength of breaking the American League home run record with 62 Bro bombs. A record held by Roger Maris for decades.

 

Judge’s accomplishments transcended the baseball diamond. He became the storyline of the entire season, the face of the sport with a special ability that MLBbro.com covered in detail last month.

 

 

How Judge Uses Discipline and Prep For Record Breaking Dominance

 

 

After missing the Triple Crown by an eyelash in the final month, Judge’s production still had the baseball world salivating, finishing with a league-high 62 dingers and 131 RBI, which is the highest total since Chris “Crush” Davis in 2013. Add in 111 walks, 28 doubles with a batting average of .311 and we have the best player in the sport.

 

It didn’t take the MLBbro long to reintroduce the baseball world to his special talent of giving fans souvenirs to take home in Yankees openers.

 

 


Judge Was Hurt, Yankees Were Slumping 

 

 

The fans, the media, maybe even the Yankees thought the party would keep right on going. However, things have started to slow down a bit with Aaron thanks to missing ten games with a hip injury.

As Gary Sheffield Jr. states here, as Judge goes so do the Yankees who have taken a nosedive in the standings to last place in the AL East.

 

 

 

While stats like a batting average of only .261 with six homers and 14 RBI, it looks like Judge is headed towards a season of much lesser production.

Judge Can Still Have MVP Season 

Now back in the fold, Judge still has time to heat up and replicate last year’s accomplishments, or at least come close.

 

MLBbro.com decided to look back at some MLBbro MVPs of the past and compare their seasons following MVP campaigns.

 

Barry Bonds

 

Pick one. This MLBbro won seven MVP awards in his career which is the most in Major League Baseball history (1990, 1992,1993,2001,2002,2003,2004). He is the first player in history in either league to win three MVPs. The reigning MLB home run king with 762 owns so many hitting records that MLBbro.com did a feature on how he was blackballed out of the running for the Hall of Fame.

 

 

MLBbro.com Investigates the Underlying Disrespect of MLBbro Icon Barry Bonds | To Some, He’s A King Without A Kingdom

 

 

 

In 2001, Bonds broke the single season home run record with 73 home runs. But his batting average of .328, 137 RBI, and unheard of 177 walks (A ton of them intentional) made him MVP, the best player in baseball and the most feared hitter on the planet at the time. Outside of a World Series title, there wasn’t an accomplishment that this MLBbro couldn’t reach on green grass in any baseball stadium.

 

The following season:

 

The short statement would be that Bonds won the MVP again.

The long statement would be…”Man, did you know what this MLBbro did after his MVP year?”

Barry Bonds won the second of his four straight MVP awards by hitting .370 with 46 homers and 110 RBI. Why give him the MVP when he declined in the home run department?

 

No one seemingly gave the man a chance. Barry collected an absurd 198 walks that season. Couple that with his magic in the field (Did we forget to mention that he won eight Gold Gloves in his career?), this MLBbro icon owned this award for four straight years and it was not even close.

 

Ernie Banks

 

The ultimate debate around sports and the MVP conversations is the fact that MVP players have to be on winning teams. Even bad teams have one player that has to be the best on the team right?

 

Then there is Ernie Banks, considered one of the first power hitting shortstops in Major League history and easily one of the only reasons the Chicago Cubs fan base spent their money to watch a perennially awful Cubs team year after year.

 

In 1958, the man famously known as “Mr. Cub” lead the National League in homers with 47 and RBI. He hit .313 from the plate with a slugging percentage of .614. He ran away with the MVP award and possibly kept the lights on in Chicago at the time.

The following season:

 

For a MLBbro that never got to experience a postseason, Ernie Banks was the epitome of a professional that played for the love of the game. Luckily for the Chicago Cubs, they got to benefit from Banks’ joy.

 

The following year in 1959, ‘Mr. Cub” tallied 45 homers with 143 RBI and posted a .304 batting average. With this award, Banks became only the fifth player to win the MVP award in back to back seasons. When this MLBbro icon retired he finished with 2,583 hits, 512 home runs, 1,636 RBI and 1,305 runs scored. With 11 All-Star appearances, Banks was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

 

Reggie Jackson:

 

Oh the history of Reggie Jackson and the Oakland A’s. That 1973 season should have been a debacle with Reggie, the other Oakland stars and even the manager playing out public spats with then owner, Charles O. Finley, this MLBbro icon won the MVP with a batting average of .293, power numbers of 32 home runs and 117 RBI and 22 stolen bases checked off the speed of this budding superstar.

Despite all of the chaos, Reggie led the A’s to a World Series title over the New York Mets in seven games. Yes, Reggie…Reggie…Reggie…won the Series MVP as well.

 

The following year:

 

Reggie Jackson was entertaining as he was talented. In his previous year in Oakland, Reggie boldly stated that if he was playing in New York, he would have his own candy bar. The man did not lie as he had one five years later when he became a Yankee.

 

Reggie Jackson did not repeat as MVP in 1974, but that did not mean he did not put up numbers. The future “Mr. October” hit 29 home runs and knocked in 86 RBI in the campaign. Although he didn’t win the MVP this year, the A’s did defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 to win the World Series championship.