( notice the one from Schilling , wtf ?? ) - and interesting , while obviously some are from his coach and teamates , most of these quotes are from players and opposing coachs ...
"Barry did things that were amazing. He would hit a ball with topspin over the fence that would be incredible. A ball that would usually drop in front of the outfielder, but instead his went over the fences." - Arizona State University teammate Mike Devereaux
"Barry Bonds is clearly the most talented athlete I have had the pleasure to coach (at Arizona State University). We all knew he would do well in professional baseball, but how could anyone dream that his accomplishments would be this great this quickly." - ASU Coach Jim Brock in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1
lace w:st="on"><st1
laceName w:st="on">Arizona</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Republic</st1laceType></st1lace> (1993)
"Barry Bonds is the best player I've ever seen. He can be pitched to, but very carefully.” - Jose Rijo
"Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him." - Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland
"He attacks the ball just the same way his dad did. It's got to be tough playing under the shadow of his dad. But he doesn't let it bother him. He's got a lot of guts just to be out there." - Mike Shannon in the St. Petersburg Times
"He's the most remarkable offensive player in my lifetime. With the power he possesses and his compact swing, it's almost impossible to control bat speed. The only other player who approached this 'zone' was McGwire the year he broke Maris' record." - Houston Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker
"I can't imagine what it was like seeing Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Mays, DiMaggio, Cobb, etcetera in the prime of their careers, but somehow, it must have been like what we see Barry doing right now. He completely dominates the game, just as all the great stars of their day did." - Former Pitcher / ESPN analyst Tom Candiotti
lace w:st="on">Atlanta</st1lace></st1:City> Braves Manager Bobby Cox
"Whenever we talk on the phone, Barry knows I've been there. I've stood sixty feet, six inches, from Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There's no situation that comes up for Barry that I haven't gone through myself." - Bobby Bonds
"Most times, when you talk about an intelligent player, you're talking about a guy who doesn't play too good. Here's a guy who I equate to Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux.'' - Dusty Baker in the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Houston</st1lace></st1:City> Chronicle
“Nobody has ever been better than this guy.” - <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">San Francisco</st1lace></st1:City> Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"Barry did things that were amazing. He would hit a ball with topspin over the fence that would be incredible. A ball that would usually drop in front of the outfielder, but instead his went over the fences." - Arizona State University teammate Mike Devereaux
"Barry Bonds is clearly the most talented athlete I have had the pleasure to coach (at Arizona State University). We all knew he would do well in professional baseball, but how could anyone dream that his accomplishments would be this great this quickly." - ASU Coach Jim Brock in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Arizona</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Republic</st1laceType></st1lace> (1993)"Barry Bonds is the best player I've ever seen. He can be pitched to, but very carefully.” - Jose Rijo
“Barry is the reincarnation of Ted Williams—with more power.” - San Francisco Giants Manager Felipe Alou
"Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him." - Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland
"Barry Lamar Bonds was the best player of the decade (not Ken Griffey, Jr. in the 1990s), and entering the new century he was still the best player in the game, blasting an amazing seventy-three homers in 2001. His combination of power and speed have been matched only by his godfather, Willie Mays." -
"He always seems to get himself in a hitter's count.” - Manager Jeff Torborg
"He always seems to get himself in a hitter's count.” - Manager Jeff Torborg
"He attacks the ball just the same way his dad did. It's got to be tough playing under the shadow of his dad. But he doesn't let it bother him. He's got a lot of guts just to be out there." - Mike Shannon in the St. Petersburg Times
“He's always been the best player in the game. Is he the best ever? What do I know? I only know what happened in the nineties. He's always been a complete player. He didn't have to hit thirty extra home runs to convince me of that.” - Greg Maddux on ESPN.com (April 9, 2004)
"He's beginning to make a case for himself as arguably being maybe the greatest player to ever play the game." - Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Jim Tracy
"He's beginning to make a case for himself as arguably being maybe the greatest player to ever play the game." - Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Jim Tracy
"He's the most remarkable offensive player in my lifetime. With the power he possesses and his compact swing, it's almost impossible to control bat speed. The only other player who approached this 'zone' was McGwire the year he broke Maris' record." - Houston Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker
"I can't imagine what it was like seeing Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Mays, DiMaggio, Cobb, etcetera in the prime of their careers, but somehow, it must have been like what we see Barry doing right now. He completely dominates the game, just as all the great stars of their day did." - Former Pitcher / ESPN analyst Tom Candiotti
"I don't know how good Mickey Mantle was, or Hank Aaron, or Willie Mays. But Barry is a great player. And Barry has been a great player. I've always looked at Barry's numbers and been amazed by them. Just now, he's hitting more home runs, so people are talking more about him." - Tom Glavine
"I don't think there can be an argument for what he is—hands down, the best player in the game today. I think, when considering where he fits in among the all-time greats, you may have some arguing. The problem is the difference in the game today, versus earlier years. Barry is a superstar in any era. But I don't know if he hits seventy (70) riding trains, playing in those old huge parks, with a ball that's twice as soft as the new balls, with the older larger strike zone. And let's face it, 15 years ago, you could drop a hitter and never think twice about it. ... The game is just so different today. But for my money, there's no one even close to him right now." - Curt Schilling
"I don't want to be on ESPN for the next 20 years." - Russell Martin (On the possibility that [FONT=Arial,sans-serif]Barry Bonds
"I don't think there can be an argument for what he is—hands down, the best player in the game today. I think, when considering where he fits in among the all-time greats, you may have some arguing. The problem is the difference in the game today, versus earlier years. Barry is a superstar in any era. But I don't know if he hits seventy (70) riding trains, playing in those old huge parks, with a ball that's twice as soft as the new balls, with the older larger strike zone. And let's face it, 15 years ago, you could drop a hitter and never think twice about it. ... The game is just so different today. But for my money, there's no one even close to him right now." - Curt Schilling
"I don't want to be on ESPN for the next 20 years." - Russell Martin (On the possibility that [FONT=Arial,sans-serif]Barry Bonds
[FONT=Arial,sans-serif] might hit homer #755 against the Dodgers prior to a 3-game Dodger-Giant series)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,sans-serif][/FONT]
"If you ask me, he's a bargain. I know they paid him a lot of money, and everyone expects wonders. But after watching him play, we got a bargain. He can pretty much do it all. His baseball instincts are unbelievable. And he's not just trying to get a hit, he's trying to crush the ball. If you make a bad pitch, he'll hit a home run and he'll embarrass you. If Barry hits a pop fly to the infield, he won't run a full-out sprint to second base. No one will. But if he hits a shot to left and the outfielder doesn't come in and field it cleanly, he'll be at second base. We got a bargain." - Jeff Brantley (1993)
"I know exactly what my son's gone through, because I went through the same damn thing myself. They said I was supposed to be the next Willie Mays. When they told me that, it was an honor. You're talking about the guy I consider the greatest player to ever wear shoes. I probably had more success than anyone they ever put the Mays label on. You show me another guy who's going to go 30-30 five times. I sure hadn't met him until my son did it. But all the writers kept talking about was my 'potential'...'You haven't reached your potential,' they would say. Well, unless you (writers) win a Pulitzer Prize, you haven't reached your potential, either!" - Bobby Bonds
"In my lifetime, I haven't seen anybody like him, with the career he's had and the things he can do—and he's getting better at this time in his life. To me, what he did last year was probably the most remarkable thing that's ever happened in the game. To walk one-hundred seventy times and hit seventy-three home runs? It was like: The only times he swings, he hits a home run. When they throw him a strike, he hits it out of the ballpark. And when they throw a ball, he doesn't swing. I don't think anyone has ever been in a zone like that. The guy has almost hit eighty home runs in a year, a year and a week. He's got as many home runs in one year as I've got my whole career, in twenty-three years." - Tim Raines
"Is he better than Babe Ruth? Hell, I don't know. Who does know? Barry never pitched and won twenty games. I know that. But in his era, there ain't nobody close. And I mean nobody." - <st1:City w:st="on"><st1[FONT=Arial,sans-serif][/FONT]
"If you ask me, he's a bargain. I know they paid him a lot of money, and everyone expects wonders. But after watching him play, we got a bargain. He can pretty much do it all. His baseball instincts are unbelievable. And he's not just trying to get a hit, he's trying to crush the ball. If you make a bad pitch, he'll hit a home run and he'll embarrass you. If Barry hits a pop fly to the infield, he won't run a full-out sprint to second base. No one will. But if he hits a shot to left and the outfielder doesn't come in and field it cleanly, he'll be at second base. We got a bargain." - Jeff Brantley (1993)
"I know exactly what my son's gone through, because I went through the same damn thing myself. They said I was supposed to be the next Willie Mays. When they told me that, it was an honor. You're talking about the guy I consider the greatest player to ever wear shoes. I probably had more success than anyone they ever put the Mays label on. You show me another guy who's going to go 30-30 five times. I sure hadn't met him until my son did it. But all the writers kept talking about was my 'potential'...'You haven't reached your potential,' they would say. Well, unless you (writers) win a Pulitzer Prize, you haven't reached your potential, either!" - Bobby Bonds
"In my lifetime, I haven't seen anybody like him, with the career he's had and the things he can do—and he's getting better at this time in his life. To me, what he did last year was probably the most remarkable thing that's ever happened in the game. To walk one-hundred seventy times and hit seventy-three home runs? It was like: The only times he swings, he hits a home run. When they throw him a strike, he hits it out of the ballpark. And when they throw a ball, he doesn't swing. I don't think anyone has ever been in a zone like that. The guy has almost hit eighty home runs in a year, a year and a week. He's got as many home runs in one year as I've got my whole career, in twenty-three years." - Tim Raines
lace w:st="on">Atlanta</st1lace></st1:City> Braves Manager Bobby Cox"Whenever we talk on the phone, Barry knows I've been there. I've stood sixty feet, six inches, from Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There's no situation that comes up for Barry that I haven't gone through myself." - Bobby Bonds
"Most times, when you talk about an intelligent player, you're talking about a guy who doesn't play too good. Here's a guy who I equate to Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux.'' - Dusty Baker in the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on">Houston</st1lace></st1:City> Chronicle “Nobody has ever been better than this guy.” - <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on">San Francisco</st1lace></st1:City> Giants Manager Felipe Alou"One day, he will put up numbers no one can believe." - Pirate Teammate R.J. Reynolds
Man RJ Reynolds sure was on the money ....:money8:
[/FONT]Man RJ Reynolds sure was on the money ....:money8:
