Barry Bonds doesn’t appear in several 2000s video games as he refused to sign the MLBPA licensing agreement. Devs replaced him with generic players like ‘Jon Dowd’ in MVP Baseball 2005.
“Wes Mailman” was my favorite pseudonym for Barry Bonds in video games.
All-Star Baseball was the best.
Idk man, I played plenty of ASB but thought MVP blew it out of the water with its hitting and pitching mechanics
Triple Play was the original goat
SLUGFEST
Slugfest was HILARIOUS. Completely wild they got away with that game!
Who could forget legendary Red Sox first baseman Jack Harten
Spade Froggs
The fake ad reads in triple play 98 always had me dying laughing
I can still hear them explaining what a can of corn is to this day.
I still dream of getting MVP’s gameplay in a modern game. But I also did love ASB’s stat tracking, seeing if you could get someone in the top 5 of career stats and getting players elected to the hall of fame.
also soundtracks
i liked all star the best by far. the expansion mode took up a ton of my time from 2003-2004
What a throwback game. It really was. I put so much time on the OG Xbox playing All Star Baseball 2003 in my room listening to my secret Slipknot cd.
My brothers and I will still play All-Star Baseball 2004 on our GameCube when we visit each other. Waking up early the day after Christmas, firing that game up for the first time and watching the intro is a core childhood memory.
Definitely. ASB has the expansion draft and can play thru 20 seasons. Best of all time
ASB2K on N64 was my game.
Did they give him the appropriate Bonds rating? That would have been hilarious
Yessir, Jon Dowd was an absolute legend.
Edit: To add that Reggie Stocker on MLB the show was also Barry Bonds and goated
A lineup of Reggie stocker and marcus thames destroyed lefties in MLB the show
You don’t know the legend of Jon Dowd?
He may have been better than real life Barry Bonds.
Every TIL I see that was absolutely common knowledge to me makes me realize I’m very very old and these are college kids learning this….I’m 39. College was 18 years ago…
Yeah I feel that. I’m in my mid twenties so MVP Baseball 05 was something I played as a kid (and it was the only baseball game I had until I was like 9).
But yesterday I saw someone describe some sports thing that happened in like 2010 as “before my time” and it made me feel that Saving Private Ryan aging meme.
It’s only gonna get worse. I was remembering commercials the other day realizing they were nearly 30 years old
Zach Greinke had a curveball that went off the top of the screen and would fall for a strike.
Giants legend
I wish game developers had gone more in, like Harry Treasury Bills would be an amazing name.
Barold Glues
Billy Binds
Fun fact since it seems folks don’t realize: Wes was the lead designer for ASB.
IIRC we put him (with his Bonds stats) on the secret devs team also, but it’s been 23 years so my memory may be bullshit.
😆
Where my Reggie Stocker heads at?
he was the steal of mlb show when you would do fantasy drafts
My dumb ass didn’t realize that he would still have Barry Bonds abilities despite not the same name and gave up a lot of home runs
I hope this was a stocks and bonds thing
Most definitely was along with Dowd
Supposedly Jon Dowd was a lead developer at EA during the time.
He was an MLB investigative attorney.
That’s John Dowd. Jon Dowd (the developer) was indeed the namesake for the Bonds placeholder.
https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1jhgqc3/mlbnetwork_jon_dowd_yes_that_jon_dowd_the_man/
Can’t fool us with that stance.
MLB The Show on the PSP 😤
this guy is a real one.
Same as Charles Barkley in the NBA2K games. It’s even funnier this season because he’s on the broadcast team that’s included in the game and he doesn’t even appear in that context.
Firstly, 2K has had the Inside the NBA crew as part of their presentation for a decade now, so it certainly isn’t new for this year.
Second, his non-appearance is in a very different context to Barry Bonds. He has said previously that he would allow 2K to use his likeness for free, so long as they pay $1 million a year into the retired players fund, which they have not agreed to do.
A better comparison would be Bill Belichick, who wasn’t a member of the NFL coaches’ union, and thus was replaced with the generic “NE Coach” in Madden games.
LaVar Arrington was not in Madden games either because he was not part of the NFLPA licensing deal either. His reasoning was a dispute with the NFLPA about his agent.
He was in madden 05 tho
Redksins right? That defense was MEAN
People forgetting about Roster Guard
I forgot about that one. An N64 NBA game?
Not sure if it’s the same one, but I know NBA Live 98 had Roster Player on the Bulls roster as a Jordan stand-in.
I remember Roster Player too. He was #24 lmao.
A few years later, I think NBA Live 2000 or 2001, the box said something to the effect of “NOW INCLUDES MICHAEL JORDAN”.
Honestly 2K should, I’m sure whenever 2k26 dropped they made that in a day off of MyTeam microtransaction bullshit
Ol’ Chad Masters.
Wasn’t the New England coach Chad Masters in a few games?
What’s ironic is he still appears in some of the images in the MyLeague mode:
https://streamable.com/a7crau
The various fill-ins for Bill Belichick in Madden. Chad Masters was my favorite.
Bill Billick was another one they used, but I think that ended up being too on the nose because they started using NE Coach not too long after that.
I haven’t bought a 2K game in like a decade but I swear when you used the all time teams (like for a while they’d have the 93 Sun, 96 Bulls, 2001 Lakers etc) Barkley was there?
Um Dowd was not generic. He was the GOAT. He was who they wrote Casey At Bat, The Natural, The Rookie about.
The greatest player on the greatest game ever made
Pablo Sanchez in Backyard Baseball?
I’d argue Pete Wheeler is a dark horse GOAT.
pete wheeler was a cheat code in backyard football. untouchable at WR
I’m embarrassed to admit how much I would pay for a current Backyard Sports bundle. I grew up with those kids.
It’s on steam for cheap cheap
Edit…oh current. My bad
HE ROCKS HIS IROC-Z
Soundtrack had no business being that good dog
Using The Rookie, a true story about a real guy, makes this comment 1,000,000X funnier to me.
Never failed a PED test!
Shoutout Reggie Stocker
Kevin Millar also wasn’t in video games, not because he opted out of licensing but because he was barred from MLBPA for scabbing during the strike. So he didn’t appear in or on any MLBPA-licensed product.
He was Anthony Friese!
And funny enough that fake Bonds “Jon Dowd” was a generic white guy, Kevin Millar “Anthony Friese” was black with blonde hair and a blonde goatee
They made absolute sure they couldn’t get sued for likeness.
Anthony Friese used to beat my ass all the fucking time! Still hate that made-up motherfucker
As a kid I always used to wonder where the hell he was when I watched Red Sox games lol
What does scabbing mean?
A scab is someone who crosses a picket line, either violating their own union’s strike or replacing striking workers.
When I went to umpiring school in 2008 the instructors thanked those of us there that didn’t fill in during their strike in 2006 as some of the umpires who struck were the instructors. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was going to be in position to scab as I was not eligible to call games since I was still in high school. Plus I didn’t have a favorable view of unions. I’m talking about the minor league umpire strike as that is a different union than the umpires in the show.
In college, I cashiered for a local grocery chain and we almost struck. It got to the point where someone from the local came to tell us what the game plan would be for picketing and all that, and the chain put ads in the paper for replacement workers. And because other unions would respect our strike, the Teamsters driving the trucks would have parked their trucks outside and the manager would’ve had to drive the trucks around back.
Thankfully, there was a deal struck at the last second.
Same here when I worked for Kroger. Around 2005 we got super close to striking, so much so that there were signs in the store offering jobs to people to cashier that was nearly top out pay for cashiers. We were told where to picket, when we could picket and even the truck driving thing. It was really interesting to see. Kroger finally caved and gave the union what they wanted (I can’t even remember what it was).
Yeah, I worked for Giant Food (MD, not PA) and they and Safeway were tag-teaming talks with UFCW 27⁄400. It was about protecting health care and pay and the chains caved. I had class and couldn’t make it downtown for the vote but I would’ve voted yes.
Crossing the picket line.
AKA
A union member agreeing to work while the union is striking.
Not necessarily a union member. In this case, Kevin Millar had never appeared in the MLB before.
I assume that he crossed the line in 1994 or whatever. Was willing to appear in MLB games when the players union was on strike.
“Scabbing” or “scabs” refers to when a union is on strike and non union workers in that industry step in and do the work.
It undermines the position and solidarity of the union.
Millar was in the minors in 1994-95 and was willing to play major league baseball when the MLBPA went on strike.
He worked during the 1994 strike.
A scab is someone who breaks the picket line when employees are striking.
He and Cory Lidle (RIP)
So Millar doesn’t get a pension or any of the health benefits? Thats tough.
No, he gets a pension and all that.
No he’s still a major leaguer. Just not one with MLBPA representation on behalf of any negotiation, licensing or merchandising deals. He still benefits from the boons of the CBA.
He gets the health benefits and pension, but they just don’t give him opportunities of licensing through the MLBPA licensing program, he can license through himself though.
He’s still an ex mlb player and gets everything the union bargained for. This is why some states passed right to work laws that banned only hiring union employees since it’s great to get all the benefits without the dues. Also it cuts the knees out of unions which is great for billionaires.
Union still benefits everyone whether or not they agree with it
Yep I had a bunch of ‘04 World Series merch back in the day and he’s missing from some of it if I recall correctly
MVP Baseball 2005 is one of the best games ever.
People today won’t realize the struggle to fix up the rosters in that game. There were so many players who didn’t have their real names in the game so you had to manually go in and edit it all. Luckily there were some sites out there that had fully lists of every fake player/scab and who their real life counterpart was.
That was one of the first times I really searched out message boards.
I feel like I have memories of making a FAQ back them about the SCABs or I helped enter info in a database or maybe it was making “CAPs” to help people replace those players with the real life versions.
Had to scroll too far for this. It was the GOAT of baseball games.
Adding to the pile, it also has the GOAT sports video game soundtrack.
I still have “We Got the Noise,” “An Honest Mistake,” and “Let it Dive” on my work playlists
One of my favorite early gaming memories was beating my grandma 110-2 in mvp 2005 with a lineup of “jacob pattersons”
Those who played the game remember how cracked he was. Hitting 700 ft hrs lol
Anyways, she took great pride for nearly 15 years that she scored 2 runs on me
Lol that’s awesome
Insane we got the best football and baseball games ever in a span of a year.
These kids these days have no idea just how bad they have it when it comes to sports games
Having the game on the OG Xbox was a blessing. I had the Action Replay thingy that I could plug into the controller and load in fixed rosters that I downloaded on my PC.
Same with NCAA Football and having fully named rosters that I could then export the draft classes into Madden.
Didn’t the game audio actually say “Barry Bonds” if you changed John Dowd’s name?
I always thought mlb the show was doing him dirty when they put home run leaders as “San Francisco giants”
Didn’t realize it was bonds that did that lol
I’m glad my player Rickety Cricket passed him up so I could get a real name up there.
John Dowd was a problem
Little known fact, but he played at CSU Long Beach with other great LB graduates such as Tulowitzki, and the Weaver brothers!
I once saw a Jon Dowd jersey at a Mariners game with the Giants in town. 10⁄10
That’s awesome.
Joe Young ftw
The 2k series doesn’t get enough love.
The 2k series was the best idk why people talk about mvp and others when 2k is elite
Game play wise 2k was absolutely elite and honestly franchise mode was too. All Pro Football 2k8 had gang tackling that was smooth af before Madden had it. Some of those 2k games were really fucking good. Glitchy but good.
Damn I was hoping Joe Young was higher in the comments. “mighty” Joe Young as bonds was pretty damn good
Wasn’t it in MLB Power Pros, the used the name “Great Gonzales” for Bonds or am I crazy? Cause I played Power Pros so much when I was young and was always confused like “Who tf is Gonzales and why have I never heard of him?”
Yes power pros had guys named “great” to represent a few people. I think SS Alex Gonzalez was another one. Kevin milar as well
SS Alex Gonzalez
Be more specific
Gonna take a well aimed shot and guess it’s the Florida marlins iteration
iirc they used “Great” for several non-MLBPA liscenced players
EDITED ONLY TO ADD: the way many people understandably feel about MVP 2005, this is how I feel about MLB POWER PROS
Power pros 2008 has one of the best career modes in all of sports video games.
Power Pros 2008 is the greatest sport video game of all time
it’s THE greatest
I literally JUST put Thousand Year Door down and you go and hit me with the Great Gonzales
Well, boy howdy Gonzales! Fixin’ fer a fight, huh?
Sounds like you’re ready to BRAWWWWWWWL
Such a great game. Beating my little brother 64-27 at the metrodome with Pujols smashing 8 or 9 dingers with that jumping ecstatic face thing while all of my bro’s players got depressed and he could do nothing about it, is a core memory.
I believe Great Gonzales was in fact Pablo Sanchez’s father.
Yeah he was Great Gonzalez in Power Pros, all of the non-MLBPA members including the 1994 strike replacement players had the first name “Great” for whatever reason (for example Kevin Millar was Great Johnson, Damian Miller was Great Williams, and Abraham Nunez was Great Wood). Bizarrely there are some players who were replaced with “Great” players in some games but appeared fully in others like Gustavo Chacin, Josh Fields, Jason Repko, and Glen Perkins being replaced in 2008 with Great Guillen, Great Hart, Great Soria, and Great Sweeney respectively despite being in 2007 as normal, Heath Bell being replaced by Great Hudson in 2007 but appearing normally in 2008, and both Alex Gonzalez and Wilson Betemit being replaced with Great Kennedy and Great Gordon despite appearing normally in the Japanese-exclusive 2006 and 2009 games. How such issues with obtaining certain players’ likenesses despite them being part of the MLBPA could’ve happened is a mystery to me. Notably rookie Max Scherzer is in 2008 as Great Ortiz, but the Japanese version of 2008 with an updated roster features Scherzer normally with completely different stats and Ortiz also appearing despite Ortiz 100% being Scherzer’s replacement.
Yeah, that’s for everyone who isn’t MLBPA-affiliated. Mainly applies to ‘94 scabs (there were a few prominent ones still around in ‘07-‘08) and players who only had a cup of coffee in the 2007 season in the 2008 version of the game. The latter’s a little weird since many of said players had their likeness in full in the 2007 version of the game, and partial voice files for most of them can still be found in the 2008 version of the game, but the 2008 version generic-fied these previously identified players under the Great label.
Bobson Dugnutt
Rey Mcsriffe
Mike Truk
Sleve McDichael
Todd Bonzalez
Mario McRlwain
Glenallen Mixon
Blast Hardcheese
Dwigt Rortugal
GOAT
The man himself 🔥
That game’s soundtrack was just banger after banger
Mvp 04 and 05 + NCAA 06 introduced 12 year old me to so many great bands.
They used to absolutely cook with every release in the 00s. Need for Speed is how I got into The Doors, NCAA is 100% the reason I’m a fan of The Clash, and SSX introduced me to Bonobo
Dude, Dave Mira Freestyle BMX 2 was this for me. So many goddamn hits. Gangstarr’s “Moment of Truth”, Sublime “Doin Time” and of course, The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary”!!!
WE GOT THE NOISE
I’ve got a funny little feeling, my arms are shaking like a lightning rod, yeah
I’ll cannonball right through the ceiling
You OWE me an IOU!
He’s fat and he don’t run too fast but he’s faster than me
That’s MVP 2004, the obviously superior game.
Bill Belichick as Chad Masters in Madden always cracked me up
This is “NE Coach” erasure
The NBA 2k games call Madison square Garden “Knicks Arena” or something because EA has the rights
Always felt like having any (NE) coach was an advantage over not having a (NO) coach
I still remember ‘Player’ being Michael Jordan in NBA Live games lol
Yup. First name: Roster. Last name: Player.
Did someone summon me?
I see you. You are seen.
MJ was Roster Player
Roster Guard if I remember right
In NBA Live 95, he was “player #99”
Number 89 if memory serves
I go to Giants games fairly often, and every now and again you see someone sporting a John Dowd jersey, complete with #51 and everything. Those fans are the realest of them all
Thy really are
Jon Dowd kind of looks like confused Joey Votto.
In the first SNES Griffey game, everyone besides Griffey had a fake name. Each team had a theme, like the Rockies were named after horror icons, the Dodgers were named after LA punk musicians, the Padres were named after UK punk musicians.
But the Giants were just named after the game’s software team, so Bonds was “S. Pickford.”
The Yankees were references to Yankee greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and George Costanza.
ACKSHUALLY, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball came out in March 1994, while George didn’t work for the Yankees until the fifth season finale, “The Opposite,” which aired on May 19, 1994.
Jon dowd is a legend. always picked first in fantasy drafts and then retires next year
QB Eagles in Super Tecmo Bowl was the original fake name monster in sports gaming.
He was a problem. Wasn’t there another QB Something as well? And pretty sure Montana was QB Niners in the SNES version, since he was only licensed for his own game at that point.
It was QB Browns! Bernie Kosar is who it was supposed to be.
And Jim Kelly is QB Bills
QB Eagles was my first thought too
Dropping back 20 yards into the endzone to throw a 100 yard TD pass
Jon Dowd was one of the developers at EA when they made the game.
When I first played the game, I assumed that the name was chosen to be similar to John Doe since he was basically an anonymous player.
Then I suspected that the name was a reference to John Dowd, the man who led the investigation into Pete Rose’s gambling scandal. This resulted in Rose’s lifetime ban from MLB. I inferred that this was a subtle way of suggesting that Bonds should be banned from MLB as well.
Nope. Jon Dowd was the guy responsible for customizing the individual players in the MVP Baseball games.
MLB 06 The Show - Reggie Stocker
Best soundtrack ever!!
Does anyone remember MLB 99 on PlayStation 1? It came out before they knew the rosters for the Devil Rays and Diamondbacks so every player was made up. And there was a player on the dbacks who would hit a HR every at bat. Could bunt it 250 feet too.
Mark Meenahan!
Wes mailman is the true goat and everyone knows it
Reggie Stocker was a fucking BEAST
Jo(h)n Dowd was also an attorney who was special counsel for the MLB into investigations and one of his higher profile reports is the one that got Pete Rose banned from MLB. He was also involved in review of Sen. Mitchell’s report documenting the steroid era. Always thought the name connection was interesting here and wondered if it were intentional, but apparently Jon Dowd was just one of the production leads.
George Mitchell seems too obvious
Jon Dowd was the Pablo Sanchez of MVP Baseball
John Dowd is the name of the lawyer who took down Pete Rose.
I loved the top prospects not yet on the 40 man in MVP Baseball. Matt Derksen was an immediate call up.
He’s Hugo Hernandez in the steam release of Backyard Baseball’01….kinda wish they went with Jon Dowd
Jon Dowd was an EA employee…
John Dowd was a lawyer with ties to many infamous baseball events.
-He lead and authored the “Dowd Report” which resulted in Pete Rose being banned.
-Investigated other MLB players for gambling.
-He challenged the initial findings of the Mitchell Report because he didnt beleive in its legitimacy.
-Lead investigation that led to George Stienbrenner being suspended.
Basically he was MLB’s top cop and prosecutor.
Reggie stocker was a legend
I’d assume they were not allowed to make his stand in resemble at all, right? Like they couldn’t make a Larry Ponds who wore #25 or something like that.
Michael Jordan wasn’t in NBA Live. He was just “Player” in the game.
Reggie mother fucking stocker. Man that brings back memories
Best baseball game of all time!
Shoutout to NE Coach who held down the position in New England for over a decade since Belichick wouldn’t sign the licensing agreement.
He was waiting for his own game to drop Dance Dance Performance Enhance
Llewellyn Dowd woulda been funnier.
He’s no QB Eagles.
Best baseball game ever?
MVP Baseball 2005 vs. Triple Play 2001 vs. MLB Featuring Ken Griffey Jr
Same reason Jordan wasn’t in NBA jams, no?
