The number he has generated is so overwhelming that, at first glance, you don't really think about the advantages of science that he had over players from other generations. What you think about is the enormity of what he accomplished, when compared with others in his era. Playing in the same parks, with the same rules, with the same science as all the players of his time, he managed to compile a staggering statistic, accomplishing something over 100 times more than anybody of his generation.
But can we fairly compare
Cy Young and his 511 victories with
Sandy Koufax and his 165 victories? Or with
Roger Clemens, who has 159 fewer wins than Young? We want to, but we really cannot. Apples and oranges. Different time, different ballparks, different game. Different science, in the way baseballs were constructed and maintained and replaced.
Can we fairly compare
Barry Bonds and his 756 homers with the accomplishments of
Ty Cobb, who played in the deadball era and hit a total of 117 homers? Or with
Babe Ruth, who played when the sport was segregated? Or with
Hank Aaron, whose home ballpark, for years, was smaller than Bonds' home park? Can we fairly compare Bonds with players of other generations, given the advances of science that allegedly have aided him? Nope. Different time, different game, different science. Apples and oranges.
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Buster Olney
