Barry Bonds' new court
Barry Bonds is a cheater. And it doesn't take a new book with detailed revelations about his steroid use to make that clear. Just look at his body and his home run totals pre- and post-1999, when he reportedly started on the juice in his obsession, the authors say, to outdo Mark McGwire, who had broken Babe Ruth's venerable home run mark.
That's a shame. Bonds was a very good player before he decided to become bigger and better. He had won the MVP three times and was crafting a Hall of Fame career. Now, he's an Hall of Fame asterisk, at best, and more likely a no-no with the traditionalist writers who cast the ballots. Just like McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, the most prominent among other performance-enhancement-drug sluggers.
A classic "Law & Order'' episode rerun on cable this week involved a ballplayer accused of murdering his limo driver who was blackmailing him over his steroid use. The executive D.A.'s closing argument: the player was a cheater. The jury, turning aside the lure of his fame, convicted him. That's what Bonds faces in the court of public opinion.
That's a shame. Bonds was a very good player before he decided to become bigger and better. He had won the MVP three times and was crafting a Hall of Fame career. Now, he's an Hall of Fame asterisk, at best, and more likely a no-no with the traditionalist writers who cast the ballots. Just like McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, the most prominent among other performance-enhancement-drug sluggers.
A classic "Law & Order'' episode rerun on cable this week involved a ballplayer accused of murdering his limo driver who was blackmailing him over his steroid use. The executive D.A.'s closing argument: the player was a cheater. The jury, turning aside the lure of his fame, convicted him. That's what Bonds faces in the court of public opinion.
posted by Larry Benjamin at 9:58 AM
4 Comments:
Larry, your criticisms of Bonds are on the money. If, and I mean if, he were to surpass Hank Aaron's home run record (755 home runs), the MLB should place an asterisk next to his name to denote that he accomplished this feat with the assitance of performance enhancing drugs, the juice.
One thing is clear, the game of baseball - our great pastime - has been forever compromised due to Bonds' poor judgement.
Steroids, it has been said, alter the "natural state" of the player's body, and therefore give the player an unfair advantage. So do eyeglasses! I'll bet any slugger who uses steroids and wears glasses, would give up the steroids long before he would give up his glasses.
What about Lasik surgery to provide 20/10 (e.g. superhuman) vision? Tiger Woods has had it, and so have lots of other pro golfers. They say it helps their putting.
Is there a double standard here?
Isn't it humorous that Bonds is actually the only player to admit he took steriods while ALL of the other denied it.
Remember, Babe Ruth was known to try out "home remedies."
As for astericks, how about astericks next to ALL records pre-1947? Not a single one of those records is valid if you recall the fact that only Whites played.
I am hoping that Congress has Bonds testify. I can assure you that he will ask tougher questions of the congressmen than Gannett ever would. That's why they didn't call him with Palmeiro and McGwire.
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