the buzz log

Searches on Barry Bonds jumped by 51% after the beleaguered basher tied the all-time home run mark with his 755th blast. Even so, the momentum wasn't enough to lift the buff slugger into our top 10 sports searches. Perhaps his prickly personality is the reason for the reticence, but whatever the case, more folks searched on Formula One and the X Games over the weekend than the presumptive home run king.

The ongoing slog toward immortality (or infamy?) has been tarnished by the taint of performance enhancing chatter, but searches perked up a bit when the burly slugger finally crushed the record-tying homer. Queries on "barry bonds 755 home run" (+160%), "barry bonds career stats" (+75%), and "barry bonds rookie card" (+63%) all rounded the bags of Buzz. But those searchers were counter-balanced by lookups on "barry bonds steroids" and "barry bonds before and after."

Bonds' run for the record has resulted in one positive—revived Buzz on Hammerin' Hank Aaron. The legendary Braves slugger who's held the home run title for over thirty years has been the subject of intense search interest. Queries on Aaron jumped 81% after Bonds tied his mark and related searches on "hank aaron stats," "hank aaron home run record," and "henry aaron."

Filed under: Sports, Baseball, Barry Bonds, MLB, Baseball Players

Baseball's back, and we're covering all the bases in Buzz. First up, the World Baseball Classic. While many predicted that the inaugural event would be a dud, searches on the World Cup-style baseball tourney have been red hot. The Classic landed in our top 5 sports searches for the past week, and queries on it jumped a whopping 375%. Related searches on "world baseball classic rosters," "world baseball classic schedule," and " world baseball classic scores" all doubled over the past week. Those looking for info on the tournament tend to hail from the warm-weather markets where it's taking place -- San Diego, Phoenix, and L.A. top the list of metros searching for the all-star event.

But the Classic isn't the only baseball item stealing sports buzz. Searches on Giants outfielder Barry Bonds jumped 102% this week after excerpts from a tell-all book detailing his steroid intake appeared in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. What will happen to the tarnished legend? Fans seeking answers sent searches for his team, the San Francisco Giants, up 22%. Surprisingly, queries on the only two men who top Bonds in terms of home runs -- Babe Ruth (-10%) and Hank Aaron (-51%) are both on the decline -- exactly opposite the trend we'd expect with the home-run record clouded by so many steroid-fueled questions. The damning tome on Bonds is set to hit store shelves later this month and provoked searches on "barry bonds scandal," "barry bonds stats," and "barry bonds steroids."

Another sad story set against the backdrop of the diamond was the death of Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. His infectious smile and love for the game translated into an outpouring of searches on the baseball great who passed away far too soon. Queries went from zero into the tens of thousands following news of the 45-year-old's death. Related searches on "kirby puckett stats" and "kirby puckett pictures" also spiked as fans sought out info on the Minnesota Twins icon.

Filed under: Sports, Literature, Baseball, Barry Bonds