Comments on Rockin' the Red: Why we need to take a good, long look at Barry Bon...

It's fair to assume that he'd be a cancer (for lac...

2008-07-11T16:41:22.151-05:00

It's fair to assume that he'd be a cancer (for lack of a better word) in the clubhouse, given what we know from his dealings with the media. But, then again, I've never really gotten the vibe that he was affecting his fellow teammates. His main beef was with the media, who wanted to pry and probe Barry Bonds and BALCO for all it was worth. From what I remember, his teammates, especially Jeff Kent, had no real problem with him. If Pujols and the rest of the team signed on to the idea before the deal happened, I see no reason why he'd negatively affect the other players, even the young ones. After all, I bet we have quite a few prima donnas on our team already - Joel Pineiro strikes me as one.

Maybe you could argue that adding someone with the magnitude of Bonds could throw the clubhouse chemistry out of order. But, as you say, the team has overachieved, so isn't the risk alleviated a bit by our "fringe status" as contenders? Why not take a chance on him and see if he gets you somewhere? If not, cut him loose and nothing was lost in the meanwhile. He'd be gone at the end of the season anyways, leaving the future of the team in the hands of Rasmus and Co. Why not make the most of this season while it's here? There's no guarantee that next year will be any better.

Kujo - at this point, I don't think the issue is s...

2008-07-11T15:06:19.741-05:00

Kujo - at this point, I don't think the issue is steroids. It's that Bonds is an a**hole.

I certainly agree, that in terms of not giving away anything to add a bat behind Pujols - it's enticing. But what effect does Bonds have on the youngsters by sulking around the clubhouse every day because he's been "mistreated"?

If Bonds signs a contact that says "I'll defer to Pujols, et al, and keep my mouth shut, or agree to a release" (I know, I know, CBA yadda yadda) then I might feel differently.

Right now, the negatives outweigh the positives. The team has overachieved. Leave it be at that and be hopeful for next year, now that we've learned a lot about the youngsters that hadn't played full-time until now.

We might as well let him wear #25 too ... its only...

2008-07-11T09:47:51.255-05:00

We might as well let him wear #25 too ... its only fitting ... I don't know if the Cardinals have big enough helmets for his big old cantelope ... that's probably the bigger problem with signing him.

It's great to finally get some discussion on this ...

2008-07-11T09:29:38.819-05:00

It's great to finally get some discussion on this interesting topic. The fans are going to be the toughest to win over, but I predict that when this ballclub starts producing 5.5 runs a game (or at least improves offensively) the fans would start to care much less about the past and much more about the present. After all, we don't have a bunch of cub scouts on this team. Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, Ron Villone, and Ryan Franklin have all been connected to steroids in some way. It was rampant among all major leaguers, and there's no way of wiping that clean. We have to be forgiving.

I agree, JKemp, that Bonds protects the future of this team by preserving our top prospects. He's gone at the end of the season. Colby Rasmus takes his place. There can't be a better scenario.

I just can't see Bonds being in a "Play like a Car...

2008-07-11T09:08:54.730-05:00

I just can't see Bonds being in a "Play like a Cardinal" ad ... but then again Ankiel was juicing ... and he is in an ad ... so maybe that's what "Play like a Cardinal" means ... OK cool, bring BB onboard for 1/2 the league minimum, have him donate his salary to Cardinals Care, have him tested regularly, really not much to lose, except your fan base.

You make a good argument. I am not a fan of Bonds,...

2008-07-11T08:43:47.570-05:00

You make a good argument. I am not a fan of Bonds, but it couldn't hurt the way our offense has been going lately. Especially if he donates his salary to a great charity. Just as long as the top players such as Pujols and Molina are ok with the signing. I agree that is better than giving up some top prospects depleting our farm system, when we will def. be a better team next year.

While the performance certainly could (and I can...

2008-07-11T02:13:15.059-05:00

While the performance certainly *could* (and I can't stress *COULD* enough) be there - it's certainly not worth the risk and/or bad blood in the clubhouse.

Just don't do it.