Thursday, November 17, 2016

Sports Card Trifecta #24: Barry Bonds

First off... congratulations Kris Bryant and Mike Trout for taking home this year's National League and American League MVP Awards.  Bryant's plaque will go nicely with his 2015 NL ROY Award and the 2016 World Series ring he'll receive sometime next season.  Trout's has plenty of accolades himself as his 2014 AL MVP Award and 2012 AL ROY Award will need to make room in his ever growing trophy case.

With two under his belt at the tender age of twenty-five, Trout is already on pace to break Barry Bonds' record of seven MVP Awards.


Will he actually break the record?

It's easy to bet against him, but it's not impossible.  In his first five full seasons, he's won the award twice and has been the runner-up the other three seasons.  Assuming he stays healthy... it wouldn't surprise me if he won the award six more times over the next ten to twelve years.

I guess only time will tell.  Regardless he'll hopefully be entertaining fans with his bat and glove for many years to come.

While we're waiting to see if Trout (or even Bryant) can approach Bonds' record... let's check out the Sports Card Trifecta I built of Barry.


Rookie Card1987 Topps #320


This card is without a doubt my favorite rookie card of Bonds.  The perfectly timed and centered action shot go perfectly with the wood grained border to make a great looking rookie card for one of the best hitters I've had the privilege to watch.


Autographed Card2001 Topps Gallery Autographs #GABB


The second cog of the trifecta is an on-card autograph from one of my favorite products:  Topps Gallery.  I had been looking for a Bonds autograph for years, but they were always a little too pricey for me.  Then two years ago, I ended up snagging this card for less than the price of an unopened wax box.  The insane thing is... this card was an insanely tough pull back in the day.  Topps inserted the Group A signatures (Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds) into packs at a rate of 1 per 1,066 packs.  That's one of these cards in every 44 boxes.  Gotta love the days when pulling an autograph was something special.


Memorabilia Card2002 Topps 206 Relics #BB2


I own eight different Barry Bonds memorabilia cards, but to be honest... none of them are that rare or unique.  I decided to use this one for my trifecta, because I do have a soft spot for framed relics.  The downside?  It's a piece of game-used uniform... which means it's likely a piece of his pants instead of his jersey.

Well there you have it.  This is officially the twelfth baseball Sports Card Trifecta in my collection.  If you'd like to check out the other eleven, click here.



Okay... now that the election hype has died down... let's get controversial:


If you had a Hall of Fame vote, would Barry have your support?

Whatever my response is... there's gonna be people who don't agree.  That's what makes this such a great topic to discuss.  With that being said... I'd let him in.  Plenty of players used PED's during that era and if Cooperstown allows guys who used greenies or doctored balls into their club then I feel that they should let one of the greatest hitters of all-time in as well.

As usual... I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.  I hope all of you are having a great week.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

12 comments:

Laurens said...

Put him in already - a majority of the reason Bonds isn't getting into the Hall is because he was an ass to the media and his supposed PED usage is something the writers use to be petty after the fact.

Brian said...

Bonds yes, Clemens yes - McGwire/Sosa/Palmiero? I think they were borderline cases in the first place, and PEDs push them out.

Sure Bonds used PEDs in some form or another, but so did Dan Naulty, Manny Alexander, and Juan Rincon. If you're struggling to remember those guys, don't worry, they weren't among the greatest of all time. The point is that Bonds still had to hit all those home runs, some of them against guys that also used PEDs, so I view him in the context of the era in which he played. Drugs or not, he was a much much better hitter than every other player on the field in those years.

RAZ said...

I guess Bonds should probably get into the Hall of Fame. It's too hard to know who did and who didn't use, and to what extent they used, so you just have to go by the numbers. And the numbers say he should probably be in there.

night owl said...

Really dislike the guy, but, yeah, he should be in.

Greg Zakwin said...

I mean, Trout should already have 5 MVPs, so....

And yes, Bonds would have gotten my vote the first chance he was eligible.

BobWalkthePlank said...

Bonds has to be in. One of the least likable players in my lifetime, but the numbers are crazy.

GCA said...

Bonds was a HOF caliber player, but I think he'll have a long wait to actually get in. I believe character counts for something, and Bonds didn't show good character in his usage, and his denials. Clemens is the same way.
I don't think PEDs is what enabled them to be the players they were, but it tarnishes their legacy as players and people.
I think the guys who admitted what they did should get in before these two. And Pete Rose as well....

Tony Burbs said...

I'll also chime in and say Bonds should be in and I think the reasons have been fully covered above. However, I think the real crime is that Mike Trout should been closer to breaking that record already. I mean, he should have, at least, one more MVP to his credit.

Oh - and nice trifecta! That auto is pretty sweet.

Man said...

He isn't the nicest person-but let him in-the Gallery auto is sweet and I am a sucker for mini framed relic cards

Mike Matson said...

Any time someone mentions character as a reason someone shouldn't be in I like to point to one of the original inductees to the HOF... Mr. Ty Cobb..

The Snorting Bull said...

Bonds should be in.

Fuji said...

Wow. I'm pretty surprised by the support Bonds has received.

GCA - I'm a strong supporter of "character" education, so I know where you're coming from. And once upon a time, I felt the same way. My opinion changed after finally accepting that athletes are entertainers and not role models. But I think you're right... it's gonna be awhile before he gets in.