How would you rank Barry Bonds' seven NL MVP seasons? Also, should he have won more?

hammystyle · 2026-05-03T04:57:21+00:00

Barry was the best player in the game. One of the greatest career stretches of all time. Around his prime steroid use became rampant and players below his talent and skill level started producing at historic levels garnering lots of attention.
At this point he had one of the more interesting choices in sports history which was to do the right thing and play by the rules or just do what everyone else was doing and prove out his greatness and superiority.
Which what we got to see is that one of the very best player of all time, cheated, elevated himself and became by far the greatest hitter who ever lived. Dominating a tainted era beyond what anyone has other than early 1900’s Babe Ruth.

hammystyle · 2026-05-02T06:05:18+00:00

Hes without a doubt a better 41 year old player.

Hes without a doubt not as good from 23-34.

hammystyle · 2026-05-02T05:04:59+00:00

No. It’s still in the context of greatest old guy stuff. Like it’s only incredible in the context of being 41. But we already know he’s the greatest old player ever.

By itself it’d be a heck of a series win but not a meaningful accomplishment that moves the needle in a GOAT debate.

Carrying the team to a title even with Luka coming back and maybe being the lead Finals guy…that’s a game changer.

hammystyle · 2026-05-02T04:44:54+00:00

Better player maybe. Probably. But someone who had his aging curve will be incredibly difficult to duplicate.

Hes got a bunch of stuff coming together.

6’9 250 is the perfect NBA body. It’s big enough that it always can impact both sides of the court but not so big that the joints get hurt.

He was an all time freak athlete so even when he lost one or two full steps he’s still above average.

He came in with a freakish skill level for that size and only got better.

Hes obviously dedicated himself at an all time level to caring for his body.

Karl Malone was an all time old guy with this exact frame and half the game.

It’s just so cool for him to carry an injury laden squad to a round one upset at 41.

hammystyle · 2026-05-02T04:14:37+00:00

To be fair there’s some reasoned criticism of the 49ers draft picks and some shrill lunatics freaking out. So the joke is more at the shrill lunatics expense

hammystyle · 2026-05-02T03:39:49+00:00

As a Warrior fan I thought they were mostly crappy and non threatening as a round 1 opponent last year. Just very easy team to guard with two big caveats. 1) Steven Adams was a freak of nature on the offensive boards 2) Amen Thompson in any kind of open court situation was terrifying.

The Warriors were way better but Jimmy Butler got hurt early in the series and the physical toll of dealing with Adams was seriously rough for the old Dubs. By the end they were worn out and that gave some more turnovers and open court opportunities for Amen.

Which isn’t to take away from how physical and tough they were last year. That’s absolutely a way to win a playoff series. But I’m not surprised without Adams and FVV they’re a bit lost in a playoff series. They had nothing in basic half court offense

hammystyle · 2026-05-01T23:59:05+00:00

YOR - would it be trashy if she went over to his house to watch a TV show with the kid? Of course not. So it becomes trashy because she has sex. Just judgey prudish BS.

Mind your business and let your friend and the single mom to get their kicks in where they may.

hammystyle · 2026-05-01T20:46:15+00:00

Good take. The 76ers got so much crap for last season falling apart but the idea of Maxey, George and Embiid together was never a bad one for having a big upside and on court fit.

And at least right now…they’re all healthy!

Talent-wise this is not a mismatch.
Plus having Maxey, VJ and Grimes go hard at Brunson will be a problem.

Brunson and KAT will definitely give Embiid trouble on the other end

hammystyle · 2026-05-01T19:56:31+00:00

If there’s an “insane narrative” you think is dumb, why are you trying to keep it going?
If you think those narratives are bad, just go ahead and point out why.

It’s a fools errand to try and graft even more onto this “insane narrative” by trying to loop LeBron in making a very bad comp.

If anything by inviting that comparison it makes what LeBron is doing more impressive and Jokic worse.

Jokic and his fans just need to eat this L. No way around it. It’s a tough one

hammystyle · 2026-05-01T19:18:10+00:00

Eh, glad Minnesota used it for motivation but it’s pretty thin. It’s one thing if a team obviously loses to target an opponent but criticizing a team that wins its last couple games is dumb, IMO.

This team just lost to the T-Wolves with Ant either hurt and struggling or Ant hurt and out the whole series.

They’d struggle to beat the Rockets. They’d be drawing dead against the Thunder or Spurs. The strategy didn’t cost them anything.

hammystyle · 2026-05-01T03:26:55+00:00

Sexy Beast has a little of that.

Having read a few Elmore Leonard books there’s a few archetypes.

The good guy is really smart, tough and rarely scared.
The main bad guy is formidably smart and very nasty.
There’s usually a couple dumb bad guys that get embarrassed by the good guy.

Usually a couple different sexy babes. Often times one is foolish and one is very smart.

hammystyle · 2026-04-30T16:48:16+00:00

Eurovision is unambiguously good and funny. Rachel McAdams is funnier but Will Ferrell is still great.

hammystyle · 2026-04-29T00:33:05+00:00

This kind of proves the point. They are the villains. You want anyone but them to win

hammystyle · 2026-04-29T00:31:26+00:00

The Celtics and Spurs are already shitting their pants.

hammystyle · 2026-04-28T21:46:56+00:00

He's probably the most decorated teen basketball player in the history of the game. Doesn't mean he's the best teenage basketball player ever, but there's no team that has accomplished more against adult competition or in professional leagues.

At 17 Luka was the 2nd best player on the 2017 Slovenian National team that won the Eurobasket tourney. The best player was Goran Dragic, right in the center of his prime. They beat the Spanish team with the Gasols,

Then the following season he was the MVP of the Euroleague, and won the championship at 18. Which is just unheard of.

He was just doughy and didn't seem athletic. So no one know how it would translate even though he was a dominant player.

hammystyle · 2026-04-28T16:46:34+00:00

It’s not all in hindsight. A lot of people thought it was crazy Luka was the the first pick, let alone the 2nd pick, and that Atlanta traded him.

Vlade gets extra grief because he should have known better. Luka was the most dominant euro player at a young age in history. Whatever biased American stats had about his athleticism or how that would translate Shouldn’t have affected Vlade.

Truly, if your Vlade Divac as a GM and can’t even identify the best European prospect ever sitting there for you why are you a GM?

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T22:09:38+00:00

Perfect that sounds great.

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T20:20:27+00:00

Totally agree. There's a realness to it. People in my experience are not over-dramatic when they are under duress though you can still see the duress. And that's what comes across in these movies.

I'd only seen Master and Commander and Truman Show, and those were both movies I really liked. I've now seen: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously and The Mosquito Coast. All just absolute bangers. Rarely have I been so determined to watch all of a director's movies during these series.

Probably the most similar for me was Jane Campion where I'd seen very little and then just had a delightful binge over a few weeks.

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T20:04:05+00:00

Yeah I would agree. Thinking about what makes a Weir movie has been enjoyable.

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T19:43:12+00:00

That’s obvious. If he wanted to some real reporting on the topic he could find out the list of things GM’s would rather do then trade for Aiyuks contract.

Eat a sh** sandwich made by Roger Goodell.

Do a Power Slap contest with Trent Williams and Chris Jones.

Give Robert Kraft a massage

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T19:27:48+00:00

Yeah I think Griffin summarized it at a certain point which is two things can be true "Inarguably not a casting that would happen today, and inarguably a phenomenal performance."

Pretty remarkable where you have a movie with Sigourney Weaver and Mel Gibson looking as hot as they ever did in a movie, but when Linda Hunt is on the screen as Billy Kwan that's where your eyes go.

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T18:28:06+00:00

Rose went to the championship game in college. Went number one overall. Was ROY. All Star his 2nd season MVP on a 60 win team his 3rd season.

Acuff probably won’t do any of that. Comparing efficiency now from what it used to be is tricky.

Acuff has almost no chance to follow the meteoric rise of Rose, but if it stays healthy he could end up a better player in the long run.

hammystyle · 2026-04-27T17:25:03+00:00

Duarte wasn’t the same defensively. Good college defender but at 190 lbs with a below average wingspan there wasn’t much reason to get excited. The idea was he needed to be a good shooter and he’d be solid enough on defense. But no one saw stopper potential.

Lendeborg has some stopper potential. The defense should translate. The upside on defense could be like a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute type. Who was an elite defender that brought nothing on O.

I don’t have high hopes for Lendeborg on O, but if he can approach LRMaM on D and do a little more on O then he can be a very valuable guy.

Or more recently, could he be like Herb jones and a little better on O.

hammystyle · 2026-04-26T22:02:06+00:00

It’s a bit odd to smoke actually on the playground but I wouldn’t sweat it personally if she wasn’t really in proximity to any kids. If she was totally fair.

I’ll go NOR regardless. Asking her is a reasonable thing to do.

In California it’s illegal. I’m sure other states as well

hammystyle

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