They'll also be remembered for some of the records they set. Lou Gehrig still holds the record for most career grand slam home runs with 23. He also earned the nickname "The Iron Horse" for his durability. Between 1925 and 1939 he played in 2130 consecutive games. That record stood for 56 years until it was finally broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 seasons and his fastball was regularly clocked at over 100 mph. The Ryan Express holds the record for career strike-outs with 5,714 and he is also the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher.
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio played his entire career with New York. The Yankee Clipper achieved a 56-game hitting streak in 1941 that has been called the top American sport feat of all time. After going hitless for one game, DiMaggio hit in the next 16 consecutive games, for a total of 72 out of 73.
Ted Williams, also known as The Splendid Splinter was a pure hitter. He had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. He is the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941).
And then there's The Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth and Hammerin' Hank Aaron who were both best known for their ability to knock the cover off the ball. Ruth left the game with a career .342 batting average and 714 home runs. His record of 60 home runs in the 1927 season stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris with 61 home runs in 1961.Maris' record would probably still stand today if not for players using performance enhancing drugs. Arron is the current holder of the Major League Home Run record of 755 dingers. He also holds the records for RBI's at 2,297 and career total bases with 6,856. He achieved all of this without having to inject steroids.
As a fan of the game I have great respect for those players mentioned above and many others who competed day in and day out through injuries, during times of war and many other forms of adversity. They were able to compete at the highest possible level in the great game of baseball without having to seek out the help of artificial stimulants and muscle builders.
This is why I will not be cheering when Barry Bonds breaks the record for most career home runs. He'll be tainting one of the greatest records to ever stand. Bonds is a great player but when he surpasses Hank Aaron, I can guarantee the record will not be covered with as much enthusiasm as it might have had the steroid allegations not surfaced.
When "Hammerin' Hank" Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record, it was a thrilling moment. The mere thought that Barry Bonds will one day soon break Aaron's record is disturbing. Using steroids to attain a record is like jumping on a bike to improve your running time. But I don't blame Barry alone. I also fault the Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig for allowing the use of steroids to continue in the league as long as it did. Every record broken during the "Steroid Era" should have an asterisk beside them in the record book.
Mark McGwire beating the record of Roger Maris*Sammy Sosa hitting 600 home runs*
Barry Bonds breaking McGwire's record and hitting 73 home runs*
If Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are banned from baseball and from entering the Hall of Fame then these players should also pay a similar price...but they won't and can't because the league blew it on this one. Baseball looked the other way during the roaring '90s and now they want to stand up and lead the investigation and ban all performance enhancing paraphernalia. Because no one blew the whistle when they needed to, all of these records will stand.
The writing was on the wall when the number of 50 plus home run seasons began to jump and nobody clued in that these guys were doing more than just lifting weights. Or perhaps they just turned a blind eye as these records started to fall during a dark time for baseball when the fans were staying away from the ballparks.
It was OK to do the drugs when it helped the game but now that it's looking bad it's time for the league to clamp down and bring the problem under control.
As for Barry Bonds and his record breaking home run, I'll probably be joining Hank Aaron on the golf course or some place else when it finally leaves the park. I'd rather spend time with the real record holder any way. To watch how a real champion breaks a record, check out the video below.