Barry Bonds Hits No. 756

[jbowman1993]

I just watched Barry Bonds break the home run mark (baseball) set by legend Hank Aaron. He hit the 756th home run, and has set a new record for homers.

Of course, he is a steroid user and looks like an overstuffed marshmellow. Compare his pictures from the present day to 15 years ago, and its obvious that he is guilty on that count.

Does the fact that he took steroids mean that his accomplishments should be taken less seriously? In the US people seem to think so. The fan reaction and the reaction of his fellow teammates was remarkably subdued. They were appluading, but there was none of the energy that you would expect when such a huge baseball record is broken.

Makes me sad, in a way. A lot that i valued about the game was taken from me by this man, and others like him. I would clap for his achievements, but i wouldn't stand up to do it.

My 2 cents.

[chinthee]

Well, this is really part of a huge argument about the disillusionment in pro sports isn't it. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, etc., in baseball, the whole lot of them in pro cycling it seems, and who knows what sport next? Doping, blood transfusions...etc., etc., I don't know where this will end.

[Jingthing]

Oh, you mean Barry Asterisk Bonds?

Hank Aaron still holds the record.

[chinthee]

Oh, you mean Barry Asterisk Bonds?

Hank Aaron still holds the record.

Wait a minute. Wasn't that the whole point, didn't he tie Aaron's record with 755?

[vegas]

I'm sure Barry and Sammy are the only steroid cheats. Like corruption in Thai politics, they're all doing it.

[Old Croc]

I see the guy who caught the ball (worth $1/2 million +) was a Bronx boy wearing a NY Mets shirt. He was in SFC for the day as a stopover on the way to Australia.

He needed a large police escort to get out of the ground, but he was smiling all the way!

[Netfan]

I'm sure Barry and Sammy are the only steroid cheats. Like corruption in Thai politics, they're all doing it.

Yep, story today CNN online questions whether A-Rod has used them. Quotes were from Chipper Jones, the Atlanta Braves player. Sad. At least the controversey shows Americans still care about baseball. Nice gesture from Hank Aaron to send a message to the big screen congratulating Bonds. I have a feeling if Bonds had a personality people would be a lot more forgiving. Lance Armstrong has always gotten the benefit of the doubt.

[Rhys]

Lance earned it.. Came back from Cancer treatment.. Dedicated himself to his sport.. and Kicked the FRENCH BOOTY magnificiently.. that is why they stack the cards...

[lannarebirth]

I can't accept steroid use in sports, professional or otherwise. That said, if major league baseballs pitching wasn't so abysmal he'd have 150 less homeruns no matter what he ingested.

[dekestone]

Lance Armstrong has always gotten the benefit of the doubt.

I thought Lance was one of the most tested athletes in the world and they never found anything ... or maybe it wasn't so conclusive?

many different kinds of drugs and different ways to mask them, I guess.

They say, in the past speed was the big drug of baseball players (maybe still is?). Some players say you need something if you're gonna play at peak levels for a 162-game season.(For the Babe it was beer!! )

Anyway, I blame Selig for letting the steroid thing get out of hand. He should have done something when Sosa and Mcquire were going for the record. It should have been obvious there was something weird going on.

Edited August 10, 2007 by dekestone

[Minburi]

Juice monkey non team player with an ego the size of San Fran.. He did not beat the record and there should be a star by his name with the word Steroirds in brackets.

[el jefe]

No asterisk needed for Bonds' record. Babe Ruth didn't get one. He never had to hit against a black pitcher. Nor did any black player of the era get a chance to hit a single home run. Did Hank Aaron use Performance Enhancing Drugs? No one knows. He was never tested.

Many professional athletes use PEDs. Football, hockey, basketball, there's little doubt. Now PGA members have been accused of using PEDs.

Lance Armstrong may have never tested positive, but was on the team with the longest history and biggest connections to doping.

Oh, and Chipper Jones never said that ARod used steroids. He only said that he'll be questioned about it, just like every other player.

[CalicoConsulting]

Hi all,

Here's the original B*rry B*nds rookie card:

Now tell me he's not a 'roid head. Hank Aaron's record stands.

Michael

[chinthee]

Hi all,

Here's the original B*rry B*nds rookie card:

Now tell me he's not a 'roid head. Hank Aaron's record stands.

Michael

Calico, thanks for that great laugh. Didn't Mark McGuire also admit to doping?

[lannarebirth]

Hi all,

Here's the original B*rry B*nds rookie card:

Now tell me he's not a 'roid head. Hank Aaron's record stands.

Michael

Calico, thanks for that great laugh. Didn't Mark McGuire also admit to doping?

Yes, and Canseco too.

[CTM]

“Steroids” don’t improve hand-eye coordination so the record is good in my book. Plus as others have mentioned, lots of others are “cheating” too. The guys like Lance Armstrong are just smart enough or lucky enough not to get caught. Bonds problem mostly seems to stem from the fact he is a complete dick.

Not that I care because baseball is even more boring than footy.

PS The birth control pill and menopause treatment are steroid usage too. But since it benefits women no one seems to complain.

PPS Getting really off topic, I read an interesting article about how the pill has caused decreased sex drive in women over the years by messing with their hormone levels.

The male “pill” is in essence administering “steroids” to men to stop endogenous sperm production.

Finasteride (Propecia) taken to prevent hair loss is a “steroid” and banned in international athletics. A hockey player was just suspended from international competition for two years even though they knew he was taking it and has NHL approval to do so.

In short, I find the whole argument about when hormone manipulation is ok or not to be arbitrary and retarded with the discussion usually led by the most ignorant.

Edited August 13, 2007 by CTM

[chinthee]

Well today, the US olympic committee admitted that the US will probably not be looking at picking up many gold medals at the Beijing olympics. He admitted it flat out, and implied the reason is because this is and will be an absolutely dope free olympic team. They have gotten draconian about enforcing this evidently as they don't want to see olympic team going the way of pro sports.

At the same time, China is expected to dominate the gold, and I don't think we'll see the same level of tranparency with respect to their people doping.

So, the price for not using steroids is failure to win. Not popular with many.

[Jingthing]

“Steroids” don’t improve hand-eye coordination so the record is good in my book. Plus as others have mentioned, lots of others are “cheating” too. The guys like Lance Armstrong are just smart enough or lucky enough not to get caught. Bonds problem mostly seems to stem from the fact he is a complete dick.

Not that I care because baseball is even more boring than footy.

That logic doesn't cut it. The roids gave him power to bang the balls out of the park. Of course, he is an amazing natural athlete, but you have to wonder about what his record would have been clean.

I used to be a baseball fan and at one time an SF Giants fan, so I have been thrilled by Bonds close up. Recently I visited their newish ball park for a game and the setting is the best in the US. However, since I hadn't been to a game for several years, I was shocked and totally disgusted by how commercial the entire presentation had become. Every inning had some kind of obnoxious commercial. From that, I concluded the soul has been raped of our national game, so who really cares if Bonds is a druggie anyway, anymore?

Edited August 13, 2007 by Jingthing

[chinthee]

"Steroids" don't improve hand-eye coordination so the record is good in my book. Plus as others have mentioned, lots of others are "cheating" too. The guys like Lance Armstrong are just smart enough or lucky enough not to get caught. Bonds problem mostly seems to stem from the fact he is a complete dick.

Not that I care because baseball is even more boring than footy.

That logic doesn't cut it. The roids gave him power to bang the balls out of the park. Of course, he is an amazing natural athlete, but you have to wonder about what his record would have been clean.

You know, they say you can never compare eras in sports, equipment technology, physical size, etc., and that logic is used in tennis a lot, and also golf. But, in today's golf, there is no need for steroids, so you probably get as pure an athlete as there is in any sport today. Though, of course, some argue that it is athleticism in golf or skill.

[lannarebirth]

"Steroids" don't improve hand-eye coordination so the record is good in my book. Plus as others have mentioned, lots of others are "cheating" too. The guys like Lance Armstrong are just smart enough or lucky enough not to get caught. Bonds problem mostly seems to stem from the fact he is a complete dick.

Not that I care because baseball is even more boring than footy.

PS The birth control pill and menopause treatment are steroid usage too. But since it benefits women no one seems to complain.

PPS Getting really off topic, I read an interesting article about how the pill has caused decreased sex drive in women over the years by messing with their hormone levels.

The male "pill" is in essence administering "steroids" to men to stop endogenous sperm production.

Finasteride (Propecia) taken to prevent hair loss is a "steroid" and banned in international athletics. A hockey player was just suspended from international competition for two years even though they knew he was taking it and has NHL approval to do so.

As for Bonds, steroid use turned a lot of fly outs into HR.

In short, I find the whole argument about when hormone manipulation is ok or not to be arbitrary and retarded with the discussion usually led by the most ignorant.

I'm not knocking steroids at all. I'm only against its use as a performance enhancement drug in sporting competions. Many steroids are really miracle drugs, but that's not what we're talking about.

As for Bonds, steroid use turned a lot of flyouts and line drive doubles into HR's.

Edited August 13, 2007 by lannarebirth

[CTM]

"Steroids" don't improve hand-eye coordination so the record is good in my book. Plus as others have mentioned, lots of others are "cheating" too. The guys like Lance Armstrong are just smart enough or lucky enough not to get caught. Bonds problem mostly seems to stem from the fact he is a complete dick.

Not that I care because baseball is even more boring than footy.

PS The birth control pill and menopause treatment are steroid usage too. But since it benefits women no one seems to complain.

PPS Getting really off topic, I read an interesting article about how the pill has caused decreased sex drive in women over the years by messing with their hormone levels.

The male "pill" is in essence administering "steroids" to men to stop endogenous sperm production.

Finasteride (Propecia) taken to prevent hair loss is a "steroid" and banned in international athletics. A hockey player was just suspended from international competition for two years even though they knew he was taking it and has NHL approval to do so.

In short, I find the whole argument about when hormone manipulation is ok or not to be arbitrary and retarded with the discussion usually led by the most ignorant.

I'm not knocking steroids at all. I'm only against its use as a performance enhancement drug in sporting competions. Many steroids are really miracle drugs, but that's not what we're talking about.

I’m not against banning certain drugs in competitive sports either. A look at pro bodybuilding shows how out-of-control things can become with no limits. And I think athletes especially at the pro level are so competitive as to never use moderation unless forced to. But it is still arbitrary as to what is and isn’t banned and how cheating is detected.

And I still stand by the statement that most of the discussions are by the ignorant. I hear people accused of being cheaters and steroid users all the time for using creatine or whey protein. Really?! Milk and beef are now steroids? Or how about the wrestler who killed his family in America? Yeah, steroids are to blame not decades of a fast party life-style involving large amounts of drugs and alcohol combined with marital problems.

[el jefe]

CTM -- So you don't think that the cycling of steroids can affect mood and personality? Or am I ignorant?

And Chinthee -- You don't think golfers take PED's? Well of course not. They've never been tested! I'm sure you heard of Gary Player's accusation and Tiger Wood's request for random testing on all golfers. Here's one of many, many links to the story:

http://www.scoregolf.com/cpgolfnews/golf/J...o-used-steroids

[CTM]

CTM -- So you don't think that the cycling of steroids can affect mood and personality? Or am I ignorant?

Anything can impact mood. Diet and exercise can strongly affect mood. I’m sure doing steroids without know what one is doing can impact mood negatively. They are drugs. I really doubt they impact mood more than say alcohol.

Ask anyone who has ever used and they will most likely say they felt great – happy, confident, horny, strong, etc. Improperly cycling off will cause a plummet of testosterone levels. I went through a period of low testosterone before (finasteride and poor diet) and felt like shit. Look up the symptoms of andropause to get an idea.

But “roid rage” is an urban myth with no scientific backing. Think of most of the typical young guys users. Most are the meathead, jock, bully with aggressive personalities to begin with. Have the media feed them the idea that “‘roids will make ya a wild man bro” and it is more of an expectation in their own mind than reality caused by a drug. Kind of like the kid at the party in high school who would drink two beers and be all out of control drunk acting because that’s how the ABC afternoon special said he would act. Or smoking pot will cause you to rape and kill your parents. Or taking a hallucinogen will cause you to think you can fly and jump off a building.

Go to a body building site where steroids are discussed openly. It is an eye opener. It is not like pop a pill or take a shot and be super muscle man. That’s another media myth.

The really dangerous drugs seem to be diuretics and thyroid pills bodybuilders take to get the super lean and dry look on stage.