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Is Barry Bonds the best hitter ever?

May's was simply the greatest outfielder to ever chase down a fly. He could run like a gazelle and he had the sense of direction of a homing pigeon. His glove was where triples went to die. Bond's has won three Gold Gloves. Three Gold Gloves would have been an insult to Mays. He won twelve. Bond's your bat may be in the same league as Willie's but your glove is certainly not.

Does being the greatest mean you could out run Mays. To put you in the category as Willie on the base paths would be to compare a sports car to the family sedan. You, Mr. Bonds, was quite the runner in your youth. You were almost as fast as Willie on the day he retired. Again your bat may be as mighty as Mays but your feet certainly aren't as fleet.

But let's face it the hyperbole being used to describe Barry Bonds is born from his bat. He is an awesome hitter. By the time he retires he will rank with the leaders in almost every offensive category. In some he will rank first. In most he will rank ahead of Willie Mays. In fact he will probably pass Mays in every important category except runs and RBI's. But hey, who counts runs in baseball. Are they really that important when you are discussing the greatest single player? Why would Bonds care about runs when he could set so many personal records? So lets for the sake of argument put runs aside.

Is Barry a better hitter than Mays? On paper I would say it looks like he is. But is baseball played on paper? No! That's why I contend Willie is a better hitter than Barry.

Barry strides to the plate in the modern game and there so slugger more feared. He hovers over the plate taking away the inside pitch and daring the hurler to challenge his quickness on the inner half. It is pitching stupidity to throw Bonds in. Much more so than throwing Willie Mays inside during his day. But why? The reason you could throw Mays in and you can't throw Bonds in is easy. Barry isn't afraid. He doesn't have to be. He wears padding on his lead arm. He wears a batting helmet. It is against the rules to throw at him. Don't get me wrong Willie was never afraid but he would have been stupid to dig in and lean over the plate the way Bonds does. In Willie's day it was common practice to throw at a hitters head the at bat following a home run.

Yes that's right if you hit a home run the following time you came to the plate you were no longer a hitter you were a target. You better not dig in. Remember this was before there was such a thing as a batting helmet. You were standing in against Gibson with nothing but your cap and your reflexes to protect your scull. There was no umpire warnings. No threat of being tossed. You see this is when men still played the game. No arm padding was worn against Drysdale. They would of laughed you out of the league. But do these facts alone mean that Willie could out hit Barry. Maybe? Maybe not?

So who is the greatest player? No one will ever know for sure. We probably don't want a definitive answer. An answer would defeat some of what is good about baseball. It would slight one legend to better another in a game that has enough room for all the heroes.

But just once I'd like to see Barry hit in the old way. No padding in a game that a pitcher still could claim the inside if he is fast enough. Helmets are now mandatory and out of his control so he can not go without. But the padding he could leave in the dugout. Do it once Barry just for me. Just for me and my young sons.

For one day I'd like to grow old and tell them I once saw Willie Mays stare down Bob Gibson. I'd like to tell them that I never thought I would see anything as great until the day Barry Bonds threw aside his padding and stepped to the plate. It was near the end of his career. That day he took the game back to a simpler time. That day he winked at John Smoltz. Yes John put him on the seat of his pants but Barry got back up and hit a mighty drive. A drive so long and far that it even Willie Mays couldn't have caught up to it.

If he would do that then maybe I would say yes he may be the greatest player. But probably not. But I would say to my sons "when you were young Barry Bonds was the greatest hitter of his time".

I think we can all agree on that.

Can't we?