Robin Yount
08-05-2007, 05:01 PM
And none hit 755 HRs. I think what he's trying to say to naysayers is "Eat Me". I couldn't agree more with the man.
Andruw Jones: 'There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs.'
Andruw Jones: 'There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs.'
By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
August 5, 2007
For Andruw Jones, all the talk about Barry Bonds and drug use isn't an issue.
"It doesn't matter," the Atlanta Braves star said Sunday. "There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs."
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A day after Bonds tied Hank Aaron's record of 755, the feat was much discussed in big league clubhouses.
"It's kind of sad, because something like this you would hope would be a total celebration for the game of baseball. And obviously, it's not with a lot of people. And I can understand some of that," said the Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland, Bonds' first big league manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Washington's Dmitri Young didn't sound all that interested.
"The guy's chasing history. Whoop-de-do," he said. "If it was Ken Griffey, Jr., it would be a little more exciting."
John Lannan of the Nationals is scheduled to start against Bonds and the Giants on Monday night in San Francisco. Lannan, a 22-year-old left-hander born in Long Beach, N.Y., will be making his third major league appearance. In his major league debut July 26, he was ejected after hitting Philadelphia's Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in consecutive at-bats in the fifth inning -- breaking Utley's hand.
"Right now, I'm just focusing on facing San Francisco and how their order lines up and how I'm facing each batter. He hit it last night, right, 755?" Lannan said Sunday. "I'm really not focusing that much on it. When I do have to face him, if the situation arises and I have to pitch around him, I will. If I have the opportunity to pitch against him, I will have a game plan. I will make smart pitches and just pitch my game."
Left-handed hitters were 5-for-10 with one homer (Ryan Howard) against Lannan in his first two starts. He isn't worried about giving up the record-breaker.
"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't," Lannan said. "I'd go down in history for giving up that home run."
Mike Bacsik, another lefty, is scheduled to start Tuesday.
"I have the challenge and the opportunity to have him not hit it," Bacsik said. "Obviously, nobody will remember if he doesn't hit it. Everybody will remember if he does."
Bonds is 1-for-16 with one homer against Ray King, a left-hander in the Nationals' bullpen.
"If I give up a home run to Bonds, my career average against lefties is still under .220. I've given up 32 home runs in my career. It's not going to change me," King said. "I was joking with guys in the clubhouse -- if I give it up, I'll shake his hand before he gets to first base. It's not going to make me a different person. I'm not going to be upset because I gave up a home run to Barry Bonds. I look forward to the challenge. If it comes off me, it comes off me."
King discounts the steroids allegations.
"I think it's a legitimate record. I don't care what people say. Until you show me something that's positive, put that asterisk aside," he said. "In my eyes, he's the greatest home run hitter -- once he hits another one."
Livan Hernandez, a former Bonds teammate now with Arizona, said at Dodger Stadium that he felt the same way.
"I know people here think he's done something wrong, but the only thing he did wrong to L.A. was hit a lot of home runs," he said.
Brian Johnson, another former teammate, was among the few players who didn't give Bonds the benefit of the doubt.
"You can make a fair argument that he may have been cheating," Johnson said during Sunday's edition of ESPN's "Outside the Lines." "Based on what has been documented, it's hard to dispute that argument."
AP freelance writers Rich Dubroff in Washington, Scott Held in Detroit, Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta and Joe Resnick in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Updated on Sunday, Aug 5, 2007 7:11 pm, EDT
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Andruw Jones: 'There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs.'
Andruw Jones: 'There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs.'
By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
August 5, 2007
For Andruw Jones, all the talk about Barry Bonds and drug use isn't an issue.
"It doesn't matter," the Atlanta Braves star said Sunday. "There's a lot of people that take steroids, and they don't hit 755 home runs."
ADVERTISEMENT
A day after Bonds tied Hank Aaron's record of 755, the feat was much discussed in big league clubhouses.
"It's kind of sad, because something like this you would hope would be a total celebration for the game of baseball. And obviously, it's not with a lot of people. And I can understand some of that," said the Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland, Bonds' first big league manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Washington's Dmitri Young didn't sound all that interested.
"The guy's chasing history. Whoop-de-do," he said. "If it was Ken Griffey, Jr., it would be a little more exciting."
John Lannan of the Nationals is scheduled to start against Bonds and the Giants on Monday night in San Francisco. Lannan, a 22-year-old left-hander born in Long Beach, N.Y., will be making his third major league appearance. In his major league debut July 26, he was ejected after hitting Philadelphia's Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in consecutive at-bats in the fifth inning -- breaking Utley's hand.
"Right now, I'm just focusing on facing San Francisco and how their order lines up and how I'm facing each batter. He hit it last night, right, 755?" Lannan said Sunday. "I'm really not focusing that much on it. When I do have to face him, if the situation arises and I have to pitch around him, I will. If I have the opportunity to pitch against him, I will have a game plan. I will make smart pitches and just pitch my game."
Left-handed hitters were 5-for-10 with one homer (Ryan Howard) against Lannan in his first two starts. He isn't worried about giving up the record-breaker.
"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't," Lannan said. "I'd go down in history for giving up that home run."
Mike Bacsik, another lefty, is scheduled to start Tuesday.
"I have the challenge and the opportunity to have him not hit it," Bacsik said. "Obviously, nobody will remember if he doesn't hit it. Everybody will remember if he does."
Bonds is 1-for-16 with one homer against Ray King, a left-hander in the Nationals' bullpen.
"If I give up a home run to Bonds, my career average against lefties is still under .220. I've given up 32 home runs in my career. It's not going to change me," King said. "I was joking with guys in the clubhouse -- if I give it up, I'll shake his hand before he gets to first base. It's not going to make me a different person. I'm not going to be upset because I gave up a home run to Barry Bonds. I look forward to the challenge. If it comes off me, it comes off me."
King discounts the steroids allegations.
"I think it's a legitimate record. I don't care what people say. Until you show me something that's positive, put that asterisk aside," he said. "In my eyes, he's the greatest home run hitter -- once he hits another one."
Livan Hernandez, a former Bonds teammate now with Arizona, said at Dodger Stadium that he felt the same way.
"I know people here think he's done something wrong, but the only thing he did wrong to L.A. was hit a lot of home runs," he said.
Brian Johnson, another former teammate, was among the few players who didn't give Bonds the benefit of the doubt.
"You can make a fair argument that he may have been cheating," Johnson said during Sunday's edition of ESPN's "Outside the Lines." "Based on what has been documented, it's hard to dispute that argument."
AP freelance writers Rich Dubroff in Washington, Scott Held in Detroit, Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta and Joe Resnick in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Updated on Sunday, Aug 5, 2007 7:11 pm, EDT
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http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-bondsreax&prov=ap&type=lgns