Barry Bonds is an aloof, arrogant, narcissistic, self-absorbed jerk. He
cheated on his first wife, and has cheated on the second wife. He's gotten
into fights with his managers on the field and with his teammates in the
dugout during games. His media interviews range from forays into hair-brained
logic and the flat out bizarre to the simple, sweet, honest, humble and vulnerable, leaving reporters to wonder just who Barry Bonds is from one day to the next. He's an enigma wrapped in a mystery of a riddle that's been put into a pie that the cosmic bakers left in the oven a little too long, and that's the reason he's as crazy as he is. (Apologies to Churchill and Jimmy Buffet on that last sentence.)
That said, there's every reason in the world to stand and cheer and be in
awe of Barry Bonds when he hits #756 and breaks Hank Aaron's home run
record.
755. In the major sports, there is no more vaunted, sacred or more
recognizable record. Even the most casual baseball fan knows what that
number means. I would even contend that even most indifferent fan knows the
significance of that number. Say "755" and the likely response is "Oh, that's
the home run record." Say "61,361" or "208" or "38,387" or "894", however,
and most people will think you're trying to imitate Dustin Hoffman's
character in "Rainman." They won't know that those are that the first two
are NFL records for career passing yards (Dan Marino) and career touchdowns
(Jerry Rice), the NBA career record for points (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), and
the NHL career record for goals (Wayne Gretzky).
Critics and pundits bemoan that that, coupled with the current cloud of a steroid investigation following Bonds, is reason enough to not celebrate Bonds breaking Aaron's record.
Bull.
But more on that in a minute.
At age 43, on knees that will likely have to be replaced some day, and after
nearly 20 years, 2,956 games, 9,768 at bats and countless body-wrenching swings, Bonds isn't limping toward the record. He's surging toward it like a
tsunami. And this from a man who admitted to Peter Gammons during the recent
All-Star Home Run Derby that he has trouble making it past the 5th inning of
a game thanks to his knees. Yet, here he is hitting .272 with 21 homers, 50
runs batted in and, most amazingly, 5 stolen bases--all for a guy that hobbles out to left field every half inning! Amazing. Aaron limped to 714 and struggled to 755.
On top of that, he has, along with the likes of Dave Winfield, Darrell Evans and Carlton Fisk, the most home runs after age 40.
This from a man who's tested just like every other player since 2005. He's
even been caught under the current testing policy for using an "illegal
substance". That substance was widely reported as being an amphetamine
from (gasp!) an antihistamine or cold medicine taken from a teammates locker! Oh the humanity! Cheater! (I dare anyone to take a cold medicine these days and try to pass the current MLB drug test. Good luck.)
His swing is a thing of beauty. It was compact and powerful swing when he
arrived in the league. It is more so today. It is shorter, more explosive,
more controlled, more deadly. There is no wasted motion in it. His head
never moves; his entire body uncoils around it and unleashes like a pissed
off cobra. And that swing is not only for home runs; it's for average, too.
He's won 2 batting titles in 2002 and 2004 AFTER he broke Mark McGwire's
single-season home run record. And he's done that while facing a severe shift that puts nearly every fielder to the right of second base and puts the second basemen out in short right, like he was the rover on your Friday night co-ed softball team. So he's not just a home-run hitter, either. He's a hitter. Arguably the most deadly hitter since Babe Ruth.
His batting eye is incredible. He knows the strike zones of most umpires
better than they know their own. He knows pitchers' tendencies like he was
sneaking looks into the catcher's signs. The greatest hitter of the last 30+
years, Tony Gwynn, has even said that Bonds can identify pitches even before
they are released from the pitcher's hand. Bonds also says he can do this. This goes a long way toward explaining how a man can hit 45 homers in just 373 at bats, all while walking 232 times--120 of which were intentional walks--as he did in 2004.
He has God-given genetics to thank, too. His father, Bobby Bonds was no
slouch at the plate. The elder Bonds slugged 332 homers. It also
helps when you're godfather is Willie Mays. Something tells me Bonds had an
edge from the day he was born.
Finally, I'm sure someone at the Elias Sports Bureau could recite each and every one of Bonds' incredible stats that would blow your mind, but I'll leave that to them.
But he's a cheater, you say. You left that out, you say. To which I reply,
funny, but the last I checked a man is innocent until proven innocent--unless
I'm in Cuba. And apparently I might be since the Public Court of Opinion has already ruled on the matter, given down the sentence and is just waiting for the executioner to arrive. Truth is, he hasn't been convicted of anything--yet, if he ever will be. He hasn't even had his day in court. Yet, people call this stance cop out? Bull. Judging a man in a Court of Public Opinion before he has his day in court is a cop out.
Believe me, I understand what "taints" Bonds' pursuit of the record in most people's eyes is, obviously, the cloud of the "Steroid Era" and the current grand jury investigation into whether or not Bonds committed perjury during his BALCO testimony in stating that he "unknowingly" took steroids.
That is everything when it comes to Bonds breaking this record. It is the ONLY thing: Steroids and his alleged use of them, dating back to 1998.
The conventional wisdom/widely held premise is that steroids help you hit
the ball farther/better; or, that if you're a really good player like, say,
Bonds, it'll help you hit the ball father/better. Simplistically, you will
be a better hitter, no matter who you are whether you're Bonds or the
Mariners Mike Morse, who was actually caught under the current testing
program for steroids.
With the premise(s), it should hold true that Morse should see the same
relevant rise in stats that Bonds has allegedly seen. Trouble is, that
hasn't happened. Morse is wallowing in the minors. Steroids haven't helped
him one iota. There isn't even a similar statistical rise. Example: If Bonds
sees a 28% rise in home runs, Morse see a similar statistical
rise? But has that happened? Not even close. Not with Morse or any other player caught under the testing system.
After that argument falls flat, the logic gets even weaker: steroids
help the good players become even better. Uh-huh. Really? So drugs will only
help good players, but not the mediocre or poor ones; they'll see little or
no positive results? Funny, I didn't know inanimate objects like drugs
could, well, objectify into whose ass they were being shot.
Oh sure, there would be a cause and effect relationship variances based on
body chemistry and so forth, but I imagine the sample of players whose
bodies weren't affected by steroids would be minimal.
There's another little conventional wisdom/premise problem: Big muscles and
being a good/great hitter are one in the same. Problem: One does not equal
the other always, or even most of the time or even sometimes. Part of the
time? OK, maybe. But always? No. In fact, Boston's David Ortiz doesn't buy it either, saying "To hit the frickin' ball, the guy (Bonds) makes it look easy, but it ain't. I don't know how you can have that swing, consistently. I don't know how steroids can do that." And nobody else does either, Papi. Steroids aren't about consistency; they're about strength. And strength does not equal being a great hitter.
Cases in point: Adam Dunn, Cecil Fielder, Dave Kingman, Rob Deer and Richie Sexson. Each one can or could hit the ball a country mile, and each and every one can't or couldn't hit for average. Just big guys who can hit the ball a long way from time to time.
What the pundits, critics and plan haters of Bonds and his achievements fail
to account for in their arguments are these: 22 ballparks built since 1991,
each with significantly shorter porches than their predecessors; 4 new teams since 1993, sapping the talent pool and making it less concentrated; laser eye surgery; modern training programs and methods; better, more effective surgeries; excellent nutritional programs; the talent pools sapped by the rise in popularity of the NFL and NBA; maple wood bats and bat construction in general; batter body armor; instant tape review of at bats before and
sometimes during games; the speed of information transmitted from scouts in
the stands down to the dugout; advanced scouting and last, but certainly not in the least, line-up protection. From 1997 to 2002 when Bonds put up some of his best numbers, he had the greatest hitting second baseman of all time batting behind him, Jeff Kent.
Hell, we could--if we were Al Gore--atrtribute the increase in long balls to a warmer atmosphere thanks to global warming. (OK, maybe Al would, but I'm not going to.)
Given all of that, we might as well call it the Small Ballpark Era, the
Video Tape Era or the Jeff Kent Factor. But no, we as a society have to believe the one overriding factor/influence has to--no, it must be--steroids, the wonder drug. We can't accept the fact that the truth may be more complicated. We can't accept that there may be many underlying reasons for the big numbers, and not just one. We can't accept that anyone could have the kind of talent Bonds naturally possesses without aid. There's no room for magic. No room for miracle seasons. No 'zones' ever for players to be in. No once-in-a-lifetime player that comes along and rearranges everything. In age of science over magic, science is the winner.
In the end, we have to have it traced back to one source, like it was Patient Zero in an epidemic. Well, the God's honest truth is it ain't that simple (to borrow from Jimmy Buffet again....sorry, Jimmy). And maybe, way down deep, we're just a bit jealous and wishing we had Bonds' talents, too.
My final thought about all this is a perhaps misplaced anger at Bonds. Yes, he's unlikable, but this hatred strikes me as odd. What is the matter with us? We as fans asked for this. We like to see the long ball. We love the really, really long ball even better. So do owners, because long balls put butts in the seats. And long balls equal big money contracts doled out by increasingly generous owners and advertisers. So a player takes the drugs, hoping to cash in on a little fame and money. And we blame the player? Yes, and the commissioner's office. And the owners. And the agents. And the TV contracts. And ESPN. In short, we blame everyone but the people who asked for it: us.
Now here Bonds stands. Alone on a stage, hated by many, admired by too few. A dude about to break a record and seemingly no one, outside of Giants fans, cares. Perhaps that is his fault. Perhaps he lied to the BALCO grand jury. Perhaps he'll be found guilty of tax evasion. Perhaps steroids helped him, perhaps they didn't. What remains is this: There are no definitive answers or even remote answers to any of these questions, yet or maybe ever. It's only speculation after speculation and too few answers.
So tonight, should you choose to watch Bonds--and I hope you do--hopefully hit #756 and become the all-time home run king, you don't have to love him and you don't have to even remotely like him. But what you should do is stand in your living room, admire the man for what his accomplished and maybe even clap. But enjoy it and remember you're watching a piece of history.
Then you can change the channel. Perhaps to ESPN where you can watch Yankee/Blue Jays highlights and possibly begin to hate the next man who will likely break Bonds' career home-run record: Alex Rodriguez. Who, by the way, is an aloof, arrogant, narcissistic, self-absorbed jerk.
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Comments (30)
Well written, I'll give you... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Keith Johnsen | August 7, 2007 4:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well written, I'll give you that. Well thought out as well. But you should really read Game of Shadows. Bonds cheated. He took tons of steroids so he could play at a hundred percent at age 37 in September, unlike anybody else in history.
No player ever reaches the prime of their career after being in the bigs for 15 years. No human male adds shoe and hat size after age 30. He passed all the tests because they didn't test until '03 and there is no test for HGH anyway (Thhanks to Don Fehr). Steroids make you brutally strong and almost immune to injury (initially-think Lyle Alzado). Fly balls to the track become home runs. Doubles to the gap become home runs.
Bonds will barely make the Hall, and will be dead, Rod Beck/Ken Caminiti style, by age 55. Nice hero.
1. Posted by Keith Johnsen | August 7, 2007 4:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 7, 2007 16:57
2. Posted by Peter F. | August 7, 2007 7:22 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
But you should really read Game of Shadows.
I did. In fact, my brother-in-law gave it to me, complete with a toy syringe taped to the cover.
So I read it and I'm supposed to base my judgments of Barry Bonds based on illegally leaked grand jury testimony (a federal offense, by the way) with facts that cannot be corroborated by any reliable source associated with the case, suspect witnesses (i.e. Bonds' ex mistress, among others) and that's written more like a piece of fiction with omnipotent author interjection just in the opening paragraphs alone—yet people have the audacity to call it a "well-researched" and "well documented" book. What?!
No wonder the current perjury investigation is slowly to proverbial crawl.
No player ever reaches the prime of their career after being in the bigs for 15 years.
Tell Darrell Evans that. At age 38, he hit 40 homers for the first since he was 26. At 38, 39, he hit 29 and 34 homers, respectively.
Tell that to Dave Winfield. 26 homers at age 41.
Tell that to Carlton Fisk, who had 37 HRs and 107, both career highs, at age 37.
Finally, tell that to Roger Clemens, whose won two Cy Young's at age 38 and 41.
No offense, friend, but you're way off base and just got picked off.
No human male adds shoe and hat size after age 30.
And what proof do you have that Bonds head grew and he added a shoe size? Hmm? I'd really like to see it.
Steroids make you brutally strong and almost immune to injury (initially-think Lyle Alzado).
Well, Alzado was wrong. According to his own doctors, his type of brain cancer could only have been caused by synthetic steroids, not the natural growth hormones admitted to using. And no, they don't make you immune to injury; Alzado suffered two major injuries (both knees) and several minor ones throughout his career.
I never said they don't make you strong. I'm saying they don't help you hit a baseball. As for the ball going farther, well, again, the burden of proof lies on science to prove and that hasn't happened.
ESPN Page 2 ran an article some time back with some loose research and number extrapolating that I can't explain. But the crux was this: Increased strength could affect bat speed, but not by very much. I believe the example they gave was an average swing was around 123MPH; they clocked some player (i think it was Bret Boone) as swing being around 124MPH. A whole 1 MPH. Representing a whopping .07% increase in bat speed. Color me unimpressed.
Bonds will barely make the Hall, and will be dead, Rod Beck/Ken Caminiti style, by age 55.
Considering Beck and Caminiti died from drug overdoses and not steroids as you seemingly think, you're sentence is not only insensitive and cruel, but ignorant as well.
2. Posted by Peter F. | August 7, 2007 7:22 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 7, 2007 19:22
3. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 12:36 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Barry Bonds is a cheater.
If he really did not take steroids, then he would have already sued the writers for slander/lible. There is no such law-suit and none pending either.
I can not find anything on the internet about the type of brain tumor that Alzado had, but steroids ('natural or not') certainly do increase the risk of cancer. Injuries also increase, such as hip (avascular necrosis of the femoral head) which is what Bo Jackson developed from anabolic steroid use.
Barry is a CHEATER! I really wish you and the five other Bonds fans would at least recognise this.
The only real consolation here is that EVERYONE in baseball is/was on the Juice. I am convinced this is why the pitchers are still pitching to him. Intentional walks is all he has deserved since 2006, but everyone else is cheating/juicing, so they continue to pitch to him.
3. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 12:36 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 00:36
4. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 12:51 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Peter F
I found the name of the brain tumor that Alzado had, it's called Lymphoma of the Central Nervous System (CNS lymphoma).
It is very rare. Here is a link to a lymphoma website so you can educate yourself about risk factors.
http://www.lymphomation.org/type-cns.htm
Look closely and you will see that loss of immune competence is a huge risk factor. Anabolic steroids (all steroids for that matter) cause the user's immune system to 'not be competent'.
It would be rather easy to draw a conclusion that Alzado's steroid use probably did play a major role in the development of his brain tumor.
4. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 12:51 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 00:51
5. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 12:52 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
If he really did not take steroids, then he would have already sued the writers for slander/lible. There is no such law-suit and none pending either.
There WAS such a lawsuit filed by Bonds' lawyers prior to the release of "Game of Shadows". The lawsuit was dropped because libel lawsuits are VERY hard to argue and prove.
I can not find anything on the internet about the type of brain tumor that Alzado had, but steroids ('natural or not') certainly do increase the risk of cancer.
Go look under the Wiki. (Geezus, how hard is it to search something.)
Injuries also increase, such as hip (avascular necrosis of the femoral head) which is what Bo Jackson developed from anabolic steroid use.
Bo knows steroids? Since when? He's never been accused of using steroids. Your post becomes more laughable the more you write.
The only real consolation here is that EVERYONE in baseball is/was on the Juice. I am convinced this is why the pitchers are still pitching to him.
Riggggggght. And what's your proof of this. I know! Squat!
Why do you even bother putting thoughts together, let alone sentences. At least make SOME valid, arguable point.
5. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 12:52 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 00:52
6. Posted by Lummpy | August 8, 2007 3:10 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hey guys it does not matter if Bonds knew he was taking THG or not. Almost everyone was taking steroids and THG !!!!!!
Cley Hensley was caught using using steroids in the minor leagues.
Hensley threw the tying homerun with Aaron.
So I do not know who took THG or not. And neither do as well.
If you hate Bonds or Love Barry Bonds that is your choice to make.
But give Bonds the respect of breaking the record.
6. Posted by Lummpy | August 8, 2007 3:10 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 03:10
7. Posted by D-Hoggs | August 8, 2007 9:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Peter, you say that Bonds has been tested like everyone else since '05, that's great. You also state he was caught for taking an illegal substance. REGARDLESS of what the substance is, it is ILLEGAL according to MLB rules. Bonds also confesses to "unknowingly" taking steroids. (if you believe that he "unkowingly" took them...) What I am getting at here is it seems to me that the fair thing to do is to take away any HRs he had during the time he was doping and during the time he got caught, "unknowingly" or not, it is ILLEGAL and therefore CHEATING. I am not saying take away what he is achieving now, passing the tests and all, but if he cheated he cheated. It sounds like you are just a Bonds cheerleader and either don't believe he cheated, or think he shouldn't be punished for it.
7. Posted by D-Hoggs | August 8, 2007 9:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 09:44
8. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 9:50 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Peter F
Alzado's brain tumor is not named under Wiki. Go look yourself.
You are such a jock sniffing sycophant for Bonds that you can't objectively look at the situation.
Baseball's clean, only Canseco used roids. Rigggght.
8. Posted by Imhotep | August 8, 2007 9:50 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 09:50
9. Posted by C-C-G | August 8, 2007 10:22 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Bonds can hit 1500 homers and he will still not be as great as Henry Lewis "Hank" Aaron.
Greatness is more than numbers. It is the measure of a person on and off the field.
Aaron was, by all accounts, a true gentleman. Bonds, well... you said it yourself.
There's a reason many baseball fans wince when forced to include Ty Cobb in a list players who had great stats.
9. Posted by C-C-G | August 8, 2007 10:22 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 10:22
10. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 11:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
There's a reason many baseball fans wince when forced to include Ty Cobb in a list players who had great stats.
They may wince, but they include them. (Yes, "them". Because isn't the only less than desirable personality in the HOF.)
10. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 11:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 11:44
11. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 11:49 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
What I am getting at here is it seems to me that the fair thing to do is to take away any HRs he had during the time he was doping and during the time he got caught, "unknowingly" or not, it is ILLEGAL and therefore CHEATING.
So which ones do you take away? The short ones? The long ones? Or just all of them?
And, actually, steroids, HGH, andro weren't illegal until 2003 - not that that's an excuse, just how it is. Given that, how is it cheating? You can post de facto find someone guilty of something that wasn't illegal at the time in baseball - in the real world, yes, you MIGHT be able to, and that's what the current grand jury investigation is about. I wish the prosecutors luck, because proving something post de facto is impossibly difficult.
11. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 11:49 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 11:49
12. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 12:08 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Alzado's brain tumor is not named under Wiki. Go look yourself.
Imhotep:
Your reading ability needs work. From the Wiki:
Alzado is probably most remembered today for being one of the first major U.S. sports figures to admit to abuse of steroids. In the last years of his life, as he battled against the brain cancer that eventually caused his death at the age of 43, Alzado asserted that his steroid abuse directly led to his fatal illness, but his physician stated it could not possibly be true. Alzado was using natural growth hormone, harvested from human corpses, as opposed to synthetic growth hormones. Alzado is buried at River View Cemetery in Portland.[1]
Not anabolic, natural growth. BIG difference.
12. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 12:08 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 12:08
13. Posted by D-HOggs | August 8, 2007 12:52 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Using wikipedia as evidence = ZERO credibilty
13. Posted by D-HOggs | August 8, 2007 12:52 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 12:52
14. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 1:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Using wikipedia as evidence = ZERO credibilty
Bullshit.
14. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 1:29 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 13:29
15. Posted by D-Hoggs | August 8, 2007 3:38 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Bullshit why? ANYONE can add to wikipedia entries!! For god's sake peter, have some standards.
15. Posted by D-Hoggs | August 8, 2007 3:38 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 15:38
16. Posted by D-HOggs | August 8, 2007 3:47 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jesus, I'd believe the NYTimes over wiki!!
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DA163FF937A25752C0A965958260&sec=health&pagewanted=all
"Huizenga (Alzado's Pysician) said that Alzado told him he began taking HGH during his comeback in 1990 with the Raiders."
"He took it straight to the time I diagnosed him with brain cancer," Huizenga said. "He was spending $10,000, $15,000 a year." No Surprise Here"
"Steroids and HGH, taken by male and female athletes in conjunction with weight lifting and high-protein diets, are believed to lead to increased muscle mass through a greater capacity for high-level training. But the drugs are banned by Federal and state governments because their side effects may include CANCER, liver damage and heart and circulatory problems."
"When HGH is administered to adults, rather than therapeutically to children, the side effects can be bizarre, with such characteristics as enlargement of the skull, hands and feet and even an increase in the size of the nose and lips."
Bizarre effcts, that could NEVER result in cancer, wikipedia says so!! Who is this physician peter? Where did the "author" of the wiki entry get that info peter?
16. Posted by D-HOggs | August 8, 2007 3:47 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 15:47
17. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 7:28 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hoggs, I'm going to respond, just later.
17. Posted by Peter F. | August 8, 2007 7:28 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 8, 2007 19:28
18. Posted by keith johnsen | August 9, 2007 2:23 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I must be way off base. Thank you for clarifying, Peter F. Barry Bonds is a true American hero who never for a moment felt like Mark McGwire got more attention than he should have. I'm certain that Greg Anderson will, at any moment, spring forth from prison to clear Barry's name and tell the world that he never, ever took steroids and this whole invstigation is just an awful witch hunt engineered to discredit the greatest hitter in the history of the game...because he's black, or a philanderer or some other shit.
However--if Barry is such a champion and role model then why are we even having this conversation? Why did neither Bud nor Hank show up to the game? And why did the authors of Game of Shadows refuse to take one word of their manuscript to press without at least three corroborating sources for each and every allegation? Bonds is a cheater, an embarrassment, a juicer, and a long, looooong shot for the Hall. Hang your hat on any freak (Brady Anderson, Luis Gonzalez, Bret Boone) who doubled their HR output for one season and you still come off like a sycophantic apologist for the ugliest blights on America's greatest game. Wikipedia notwithstanding, true baseball fans will always know that Hank Aaron is the home run king, and Alex Rodriguez will make everyone forget Barry's name in about seven years.
18. Posted by keith johnsen | August 9, 2007 2:23 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 9, 2007 02:23
19. Posted by Imhotep | August 9, 2007 10:43 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Peter,
This is it for me. You sir are a complete IDIOT. As a "journalist" you should at least research what HGH does and what the definition of anabolic steroids are.
From this entire thread, it is obvious you did not read game of shadows or if you did YOUR reading comprehension needs some work.
You have attacked me for my opinion, because I question your worship of Bonds and steroid use in baseball.
I have no respect for you as a blogger, journalist or person at this point.
Go sniff some more jock straps, looser.
19. Posted by Imhotep | August 9, 2007 10:43 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 9, 2007 10:43
20. Posted by Imhotep | August 9, 2007 2:26 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
One more thing. There was NEVER, EVER any libel lawsuit.
Here is the link for the ONLY lawsuit EVER filed on behalf of Barry Bonds. Notice it is filed "ex-parte", which does not allow the defense to question Bonds. It is NOT a libel lawsuit.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/03/25/060058.php
Go read it smartguyblogger. You steroid loving jock sniffer.
20. Posted by Imhotep | August 9, 2007 2:26 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 9, 2007 14:26
21. Posted by Peter F. | August 9, 2007 3:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Imhotep:
You're an angry little fucker, aren't you. Listen, assclown, the lawsuit was FILED, but DISMISSED by a judge. I said it "dropped". Excuse the fuck out of me.
You have attacked me for my opinion, because I question your worship of Bonds and steroid use in baseball.
Attacked you??? That's fucking rich, you fuckwad. You called me a jock-sniffing sycophant for daring to question whether steroids help you hit a baseball or not. You couldn't even bother to address ANY of the issues I brought up. Instead you start yammering on about Lyle Alzado and Bo Jackson. WTF?
And who the fuck said I was journalist, ass pirate.
You don't like what I have to say? Fine. Stay the fuck out of my post.
21. Posted by Peter F. | August 9, 2007 3:01 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 9, 2007 15:01
22. Posted by Peter F. | August 9, 2007 6:38 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
D Hoggs:
Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse, WebMD, MayoClinic.com, CNN, NY Times, Caremark.com and, my personal source, a New York neurosurgeon.
First from the NYT article you cited:
But the drugs are banned by Federal and state governments because their side effects may include CANCER, liver damage and heart and circulatory problems." (emphasis mine.)
"May" include those side effects. That's not a nit; "may" is a very important word. Why? There is no direct medical correlation that definitively links anabolic steroids OR HGH to cancer. It there a "possibility", yes, and it is even believed there is a "liklihood", but there is no medical evidence to date that supports there being a direct and definitive link to anabolic steroid use and cancer; there are cases, but no studies. Hence the word "may" is placed in the sentence, specifically because the word "cancer" appears but, yes, steroids do cause liver damage and circulatory problems.
From CareMark.com: "At this time, however, there's no proven link between steroid abuse and brain cancer."
From MayoClinic.com: The word "cancer" isn't even uttered.
From NIDA: "From the case reports, the incidence of lifethreatening effects appears to be low, but serious adverse effects may be underrecognized or underreported, especially since they may occur many years later. Data from animal studies seem to support this possibility."
From NIDA: " The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer..." (This is a government site so the must list every possible side effect, no matter how great or remote.)
Furthermore, cancer is not listed as one of the possible side effects of HGH on any of the sources; steroids, yes, there is a possible link.
Alzado's self-diagnosis that steroids or HGH directly caused his cancer is, well, a misdiagnosed self-diagnosis. There's nothing to support his assertion. If the Wiki is wrong about anything, it is in not naming the doctor and saying the doctor "stated it could not possibly be true" because, yes, there is a possibility. But the Wiki is not all that far off, either, because as I've shown HGH is not listed
But to assert and imply, as many do, that steroids and cancer are directly correlated is, at this moment medical history, an unprovable and false assertion.
And if science can't even prove that much, how the heck can anyone prove that steroids help players hit 88MPH curveballs from Barry Zito or if it helps players hit the ball farther. There's no research to support it, just hysterical, hyperbolic assertions and ancedotal "evidence" from fans hellbent on believing that steroids are the wonder drug to money, fame and baseball immortality.
22. Posted by Peter F. | August 9, 2007 6:38 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 9, 2007 18:38
23. Posted by Imhotep | August 10, 2007 12:31 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hello Kevin?!
Imhotep:
You're an angry little fucker, aren't you. Listen, assclown, the lawsuit was FILED, but DISMISSED by a judge. I said it "dropped". Excuse the fuck out of me.
You have attacked me for my opinion, because I question your worship of Bonds and steroid use in baseball.
Attacked you??? That's fucking rich, you fuckwad. You called me a jock-sniffing sycophant for daring to question whether steroids help you hit a baseball or not. You couldn't even bother to address ANY of the issues I brought up. Instead you start yammering on about Lyle Alzado and Bo Jackson. WTF?
And who the fuck said I was journalist, ass pirate.
You don't like what I have to say? Fine. Stay the fuck out of my post.
posted by: Peter F. on 08.06.07 at 06:17 PM [permalink]
That is Abusive. Not to mention, completely out of hand.
Thanks for all of those 4 letter words Peter.....do you work for ESPN?
23. Posted by Imhotep | August 10, 2007 12:31 AM |
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Posted on August 10, 2007 00:31
24. Posted by Peter F. | August 10, 2007 2:46 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hey, Imhotep, you started the abuse with the "jock sniffing sycophant" comment. So bend over, grab your ankles and go fuck yourself.
24. Posted by Peter F. | August 10, 2007 2:46 AM |
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Posted on August 10, 2007 02:46
25. Posted by keith johnsen | August 11, 2007 4:28 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Dear Peter F.,
Seriously? You lost. Don't bother with any more dimwitted defenses of the biggest joke in the game. Go back to Giantsnation.com or whatever and hang out with the other dozen ignoramuses who think Barry is such a hero. Your time is up here.
Goodnight now. Loser.
P.S. Ending any post with "go fuck yourself" is double classy. Your parents must be very, very proud.
25. Posted by keith johnsen | August 11, 2007 4:28 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 11, 2007 04:28
26. Posted by Peter F. | August 11, 2007 11:26 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
keith:
Stay out of conversations that don't concern you.
Also nice that you resort to cheap shots and can't really defend or counter ANY of my points.
Thanks for playing. No prizes for you.
26. Posted by Peter F. | August 11, 2007 11:26 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 11, 2007 11:26
27. Posted by PollM | August 11, 2007 8:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
what do you think that ball will fetch http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=308
27. Posted by PollM | August 11, 2007 8:17 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 11, 2007 20:17
28. Posted by Keith Johnsen | August 15, 2007 4:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Dear Peter,
I think the rest of conscious humanity has made the correct decision regarding Barry. My being wrong about Beck and Caminiti (both juicers) doesn't change that. You being a conservative goes a long way toward explaining your ignorance, though (or is it the other way around...) Thank you for not dropping an F-bomb on me. It seems to b e one of your only rhetorical strengths. That, and making fun of Al Gore. Go A-Rod!
Kisses!
Keith
28. Posted by Keith Johnsen | August 15, 2007 4:00 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 15, 2007 16:00
29. Posted by Peter F. | August 16, 2007 2:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Again, like a LIBERAL, you can't refute any of my arguable points (numerous and far deeper than anything you've presented). so you turn to VERY weak rabbits punches about conservatives and ZERO arguments that proves steroids make you hit a baseball farther.
Trust me, I don't need f-bombs when posts are as weak and feckless like yours.
29. Posted by Peter F. | August 16, 2007 2:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 16, 2007 02:44
30. Posted by Lummpy | September 13, 2007 8:26 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Now I came back to read your post about the greatest " Home Run"
Hitter, and hitter sense the Babe.
And I read the comments again, am not shocked, towards Barry Bonds.
Bonds , is everything that we wanted to be when we was boys.
Playing baseball with our friends.
Bonds had the guts to put in the work to become " ICON " in Baseball.
Now , if you love Bonds or hate him. You have to give him his Damn Respect!!!!!!
I thank you again for this great post.
I have been posting about Bonds and A-Rod for over a year myself and trying to get the readers and the baseball fans to see that Bonds and A-Rod are the best in the Game sense Ruth.
That is all I want to say, that Bonds is not a cheater.
Like it or Dis like it. Give him His Damn Respect !!!!!!!!
30. Posted by Lummpy | September 13, 2007 8:26 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 13, 2007 20:26