The Rise and Fall of 70

[7927jackpark]

The Cards played the Brewers in Milwaukee just before St.Louis finished the season at home. I lived near Milwaukee at the time and had bought tickets for the Milw series in June. I was in the print media for 25 years, but never as a photographer. It's a good shot; the ball is seen in flight just at the edge of the outfield grass. I also saw McGwire's last homerun of his career.

[7927jackpark]

I witnessed 7 of Number 25's 70 dingers in '98, 2 in Milwaukee and 5 in St. Louis. The first was #17 in May of that season. The ball was just coming down when it landed in the second deck. Amazed at the ball's distance and lack of arc, I ran down to the Busch box office before the game ended to buy tix for the last two games of the season. I managed to photograph #70 and gave 14x18 enlargements to Dick Schapp, Bob Costas and Bud Selig. No one can take away those memories.

[Coastergeekperson04]

@7927jackpark Do you work in baseball/broadcasting or was it just a really good photograph?

[josh10177]

If we moved Babe Ruth forward in time against 1998 Pitchers he would be lucky to get 6 HRs a year. That was a much different time. Can't even be Compared. I forgave Big Mac for making a mistake, HE MADE A MISTAKE. and he to this day remains my favorite to ever swing a bat. I know What he did was much worse than what Michael Vick or Kobe Bryant did Right? And they're going around Thriving on their "second " Chances.

[SDMF26]

@josh10177 No, Michael Vick was much, much worse. Also, back when Ruth played, strike zones were much larger than today's strike zones. Therefore, you can't make an assumption that Ruth wouldn't do good with pitchers from 1998. If you are going to make any assumption, you would have to say would probably do better. What are you trying to say? Pitchers today throw harder or have tougher junk pitches.

[dak879]

Its such a shame because McGwire truly was a good guy. He isn't like Bonds, who is a mean person, a selfish person, and a perpetual liar who can't live up to his transgressions. I respect those who come out and apologize and admit what they did. We all do dumb things, and few of us have the guts to own up to it. But it is just so sad. We so badly want our heroes to be real, and when it turns out they aren't, its just depressing.

[JustGaPaid]

he was to good to be true for st. louis. i hate that shit.

[kirauge15]

Awesome.

[nickmatt2]

Ken Griffey Jr. is best in my book.

[ufoattacks]

@nickmatt2 my favorite was willie mays.. the best home run hitter of all time will always be babe ruth. thats a no brainer.

[datawesomedude]

Mickey Mantle>Mark McGwire.

no matter what anyone says, or how many needles mcgwire sticks in his ass that will always be true.

[natedagr808]

i think anyone would agree that mantle>mcgwire. mantle even hit further home runs than mcgwire

[ufoattacks]

babe ruth was and always will be king of home run hitters

[natedagr808]

you probably are right there. considering the time period and everything

[KickMeAndCancel]

except for hank aaron...

[kingufokid]

well my friend i love hank aaron but the truth is hes had over 1000 times more at bats than babe. so i dont know

[ufoattacks]

@natedagr808 i would like to know how far some of the babes home runs were ! no one seems to have a record of that. and i know he hit some very very long ones. and you know he didnt use roids. he was just born a super human

[Skull10]

One he hit at Fenway Park was estimated to have traveled 650 feet. However, home run distance used to be calculated by where the ball ultimately ended up after rolling, not where it initially touched the ground. I would say he hit it a good 575-600 feet, at least.

[natedagr808]

@ufoattacks i have no clue. probably pretty far since he had alot of talent.

[JoeyBoricua2k9]

@ufoattacks mjm yeah yeah sure sure whatever you say fat piece of shit was what he was

[BuckeyeSparky]

amen mantle will always be the greatest in my book

[ufoattacks]

@datawesomedude babe ruth was the best home run hitter

by the way mantle didnt use steriods its almost quite the oppisite. he drank alot and they gave him somthing for pain

[TypedThisWithMyPenis]

you cant blame the media for players not getting in HOF. if it wasn't for the media, the summer of 98 would still be pure in our minds. blame ultimately comes back to the players who in the end made the choice to use illegal PEDs/steroids. bonds is vilified because he roided up to the point where he barely looks human and because hes a fucking asshole. believe it or not that goes a long way.

you never know, the players might get voted in years down and if that happens you'll look like a dipshit

[Skull10]

I blame the media for being fickle and hypocricital.

The media knew as well as the players what kind of subterfuge was afoot when such records were being broken, but they waited until it was fashionable and opportune to report.

If the media the guts to call out Bud Selig and report on steroid usage in baseball before it became epidemic, we would likely not have such controversies today. But the media media doesn't go with facts - they go with what makes the better story.

[TypedThisWithMyPenis]

so you're saying the media should have snitched on the players if they knew anything fishy was "afoot?" Your friends probably dont trust you much.

sports illustrated did a number of cover stories on steroids before it became the topic d'jour.

this isnt about the media or selig. dumbasses like you cant seem to grasp that. this is about the players that made the choice to use these drugs. Bonds is the poster child because he roided to the point where his entire body changed, even his fuckin head

[Skull10]

"sports illustrated did a number of cover stories on steroids before it became the topic d'jour."

And yet the media continued extoled them as heroes and gods (I remember them playing down the entire andro thing with McGwire) until it suddenly became chic to bash them. That's my problem; the subjectivism and extremism of the reporting - they paint players as either angels or demons, gods or monsters, never the mere mortal human which they are in actuality.

[ufoattacks]

yes andro was legal at the time when mcgwire ws doing it. and he stopped using it anways. his issue should not be an issue. he didnt use steroids.

[EmceeNolan]

Somebody wasn't paying attention to Canseco's book and all of the other information released.

[ufoattacks]

@EmceeNolan no one read his book or even really talks about it for one ! and im sure if mac did roids it was just for a very brief time. unlike conseco who still today is trying not to do it ! canseco has been using for around 25 years, hes fuked himself up i wish him the best though

[Skull10]

Bonds is the poster child, not because he is the most obvious user of steroids, but because his acrimonious relationship with and refusal to pander to the media make him a convenient and desirable target.

I happen to think Bonds is bigger than anyone else, not because he used more/better steroids than any other player, but because he worked harder in the weight room than anyone else who did or did not use performance enhancers. Bonds just happen to be the strongest player to use them.

[Skull10]

By the way, why am I even acknowledging the comments of one whose screen name professes he types with a certain member exclusive to the male anatomy?

[CBassAndFriends]

look at the 1998 stats for home runs, it looks as though everyone is using steroids back in the 90's doesnt it?

[Skull10]

Although there are no longer players hittinng 60 and 70+ home runs, the total league home run averages have been about the same since 1994, ebbing and flowing between 1.9 and 2.3/game.

[accountingstud2012]

nice! very interesting way to put things...and yet this is probably the best way i've seen someone explain what's going on. the amazing music helped too! lol.

[Skull10]

Yeah, the Wojciech Kilar music (from "Bram Stoker's Dracula") definitely buoys the story I'm trying to tell with the video.

[EricAnno]

I like how baseball is so quick to demonize an outspoken individual and one of the three greatest all-around players in the history of the game...

...But they constantly get on their knees and blow Babe Ruth. He got in trouble with the law, he was a prima donna, even his own teammates and managers hated him. Yet, God forbid someone be outspoken now.

Bonds has never gotten caught using anything, and even if he did, so what? All of the MLB was basically ENCOURAGED to use steroids after '94.

[MIKESOWELL]

Griffey Jr. has come back from serious injuries and, I agree he doesn't play as agressively (yeah I know I'm using a euphemism lol) as he once did but he fears further injuries. But I loved Mark McGwire. The man missed 400 games due to injuries in the '90's but still led the league for the Decade in Home Runs. Give Mark a conservative 125 Home Runs in those missed games and he goes over 700. Not to mention the games he missed in the '80's and 2000 and 2001. Greatest Home Run Hitter.

[MIKESOWELL]

People, come on now, Ken Griffey Jr? His skills and performance have declined. He has had the natural progression of a talented but CLEAN career. Unless you have concrete evidence about a player you shouldn't make unsubstantiated allegations about people. To me, Griffey Jr. is legit and Bonds became a Mutant to add 100 Home Runs to his career.

[Skull10]

I'm not making any claims. I'm making suggestions and assumpitions. And I think it is naive to presume anything other than all players are guilty until proven innocent.

To me, Griffey is an overrated, spoiled prima dona who has lived on his laurels over the past decade, but has continued to get blow jobs from the media (figuratively speaking) due to his commercially-driven image and politically correct persona.

[Skull10]

The main reason the media and many fans hate Bonds, isn't because of the steroid issue, but because he is an outspoken individual.

[havok334]

Ken Griffey is a beast!! he still can keep up to the young players..Overrated get outta here hes a monster back in the 90's he was the Pantera of baseball

[MIKESOWELL]

That's true. If the media doesn't like you, they will try to get you in the end. Bonds at first was assessible to the media (In spite of his father's warnings), but they distorted his comments for good press and he never forgave them for it. A little bit of it is race as well.

[MIKESOWELL]

McGwire hit a Home Run every 10.6 At Bats in his MLB Career- Best All Time (Minimum 400 HR)

[Skull10]

That stat alone is HOF-worthy.

[JohnMesch]

wow..... what i think is hilarious is that people actually believe that no ones using roids. i mean shit Mark should get the award because he NEVER got caught. People like A-Rod who are stupid enough to get caught should never get shit. o and Barry Bonds is totally on roids, he got huge in like 6 months.

[Skull10]

Seriously, I wonder if there are any players who haven't taken them...

[NorwayFrance]

Great Video .

If you think the " BABE " hit 60 Homeruns with : Beer - Hot Dogs & Ice Cream !!!

[scooter18k]

It's really funny, we actually DON'T KNOW if ANY players used PEDs in the past until recently. So, all the records are kinda tainted. In 20 years, people will see 'roids the same as we see "Greenies" today. Once an epidemic problem is found in sports and somewhat resolved, the public seems to forgive and forget pretty easily. Today, most baseball fans don't care that the "Black Sox" cheated or played down to the competition. Baseball is the only sport where CHEATING is what the sport is about.

[foinnbrendam]

they shouldn't be chasing big mac about steroids. he is out of baseball, before all of this came up. they didn't bring it up when he was in. you can't come up to me in a job after i retire and say i did drugs, and deny me of my benifits. one thing they should look at, is big mac brought back baseball. baseball was struggling, and he brought back the love of the game. who cares if they juice. people don't pay to see a shutout. it's the longballs they want to see.

[nalla320]

Who wants to see heroics on the basis of cheating? I bet Roger Maris' family was really excited to hear that Mark McGwire passed up Maris due to his use of steroids. What a phoney and a hypocrite. I am a die-hard St Louis Cards fan, but I have no use for McGwire.

[Skull10]

Then you should have no use for Pujols, because I would bet my Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card he's taken them too.

[nalla320]

If there was concrete evidence that Pujols was taking steroids, you are absolutely right. If I was you, I would hang on to my baseball cards. Maybe Junior has taken them too.

[Skull10]

Wouldn't surprise me. Steroids don't necessarily make one look like Lou Ferigno.

[Martinl792002]

I say screw Selig who put all the guys who made all his buddies money out to dry. You can't just throw clemens, bonds, and mcgwire under a bus when your entire league is in question. Personally I'd rather see the pro's using before I have to endure another sleeper rockies red sox championship

[thesoldier1223]

thank you. if they used steriods in the pastlet it go. u know every player in the mlb used steriods before the rules about them were made. so if they take barry's record they need to take everybody record away then. because u know albert puljois, a-rod, manny, and other players used the drugs.

[Skull10]

A lot of them still do. There are a number of ways to circumvent a steroid test. And the MLB is still no where near testing for HGH or amphetamines.

[Whinesilencer]

nice video and good music

[ip900]

thanks for supporting barry bonds as well people like to see through the media's eyes when they call him a jerk. he's mean to the media because he was scared as a kid when he heard them being unfair due to race with his father and godfather. sure times are different now but he still sees the media as evil. he's a nice guy though, nice to his teammates, nice to his fans.

[Skull10]

The media IS evil.

[thepackripper]

Well said.

[jweavesbeyard]

dont ever call bonds a god again. he is a jerk and a loser. Big mac is def one of the greatest of all time!

[hemmanor]

I hate Bonds as well but come on now, McGwire one of the greatest ever? Even if he did hit all those HR's without steroids he wasn't a very good all around player. He only had around 1500 career hits and he had some really bad seasons where he hit around .200. I don't hate McGwire but I had to say something. He was at best an All-Star but Hall of Fame worthy he is not.

[Skull10]

Harmon Killebrew was nothing but a home run hitter/RBI-producer, yet he is in the HOF. His lifetime batting average is .256; he never hitter .300 nor did he ever hit more than 49 HR in a single season. Meanwhile Big Mac hit .263 lifetime (.312 in 1996) and has the all-time at-bat/home run ratio at 10.61, including 5 of the best single-season ratios. Additionally, he was one of the best in baseball history at drawing walks, hence his .394 lifetime OBP. If Mac's not a HOFamer, screw Cooperstown.

[natedagr808]

if i remember correctly, mcgwire was the only player to hit 50 plus hr in 4 seasons of his career. bonds didnt even do that twice. mcwire was consistant on hitting hr, just had to retire early cuz of his back

[Skull10]

Do be fair, though, Bonds was a much better overall player, with or without steroids.

Sammy Sosa also hit 50 home runs in a season 4 times, and is the only player to hit 60 or more 3 times. 66 (1998), 63 (1999), 64 (2001), 50 (2000).

[natedagr808]

ur right on that. bonds has a better career average, as well as more hits and stuff. and i forgot bout sosa hitten all them hrs as well

[EricAnno]

That is true, however eras do make a difference.

Killebrew was one of, if not the best slugger of the 1960s. No one hit more home runs than he did, and he won six home run titles during his career. While I agree with you regarding many other things, don't cherrypick stats from one of the all-time great sluggers and then compare McGwire to him.

McGwire was a product of his time, though I do believe he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. So should Palmeiro, Clemens, Bonds, and Sosa.

[RJH82290]

shit man big Mac should be in the hall of fame just look at how many of these guys who are already in the hall of fame took steriods, fuck this shit and personally who gives a shit about steriods from a fans point of view, i went to the 62 homerun game when i was 8 and it was the most amazing thing i have ever seen hes still a great ball player.

[BigDaddyGrif1379]

umm we are not in the middle ages anymore so you can stop talking like a man that lived in that time. and take this video off for "gods" sake so no more people have to read this ugly font.

[Skull10]

Both the syntax and font are for stylistic purposes.

Perhaps someone will make a text-message pidgeon English version of the video for you to enjoy.

[hellspreetube]

Are you serious? Someone actually complained about the font and the diction used in this video? So, I guess this is proof that not everyone is up-to-date enough to get parody and satire. Sheesh!

[BeachPirate1976]

Cool vid, Skull. The whole steroid issue is total BS witj MLB & Congress. Why not go after otehr sports? Do steroids & other supplements create homers? No. What does? Contact with the baseball. The pitchers out today can't even compare with pitching in the 70s...so we get homer homers. Leave Bic Mac & Bonds alone. Big Mac saved baseball, so baseball is trying to burn him. Way to go, Selig.

[robotchicken224]

Pretty good video Skull10, I liked it.

[sheamod]

thats...? horrible! yuk

[micberisha]

roger maris should have the single season home run record period all those other guys shot up mcwire,bonds,etc and hammering hank should have the all time record although when you look at it the babe is still the best ever he had 3966 less at bats then hank aron who only had 41 more homers than ruth did

[Skull10]

Personally, I think poor pitching, smaller ballparks, and the possiblity of "juiced" balls are a much greater factors in the artificiality of modern baseball records than steroids, HGH, etc. The bottom line is, the game changes andrecords were made to be broken - is pointless to seriously compare one era with its predecessors.

However, I agree with you about Babe Ruth. His AB/HR ratio is even better than Bonds'.

[DannyBZ9]

good video except the font, change it a s a p

[Skull10]

Cannot. I deleted the original project file.

[skidmorenomore]

mcgwire never took steroids, he came forward with what he was taking and it was legal at the time, plus he was close to just as big as he was when he broke the record when he entered the league, thats just someone who keeps in shape and hits the iron

[Skull10]

Yeah, we all know about the Andro, but it would shock me if he wasn't taking steroids on the side. That said, steroids were not against league policy in 1998, nor were they until 2 years after he retired. It's a travesty Cal is in the HOF and McGwire is not. Don't tell me Ripken wasn't on something to manage playing in all of those consecutive games.

[HBKStyles]

mcgwire took steroids. period. go back and look at the pics. do u like bonds? if u don't like bonds then u can't like mcgwire, canseco, juan gonzalez, sosa, giambi, sheffield cuz it's all speculation.

[Skull10]

I love Bonds and Sosa. Don't like Canseco, but that is for reasons other than steroids.

[dje81]

where did you get the song??

[Skull10]

The first piece is from the score to Bram Stoker's Dracula, composed by Wojciech Kilar. The second is "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

[KTEFilmsInc]

Peter Gammons... Playing BASS GUITAR?!?

[HiLite8]

Suck ass font.

[Skull10]

Why? Is it difficult to read? I was going for a storybook effect.

[sqc3cc]

lol on ending...got to agree witht he kid

[rukaduck]

funny that that pic is from a soccer-team from the netherlands called feijnoord. But funny none the less =)

[Skull10]

Eh, he's wearing a Red Sox hat, so the baseball connection is enough.

[rukaduck]

Uh cant u see it was copy-pasted on?

I have a link for the real unchanged pic, but since there's this rule that u cant post links il message you and u can post it here if im right (or if u still disagree)

ANd i anyone else is real curious somehow feel free to give me a message

[Skull10]

I don't care even if it is C&P'd. It's a convincing enough effect, and doesn't diminish the image.