New Homerun King

[DanG 01]

I know this will upset many people, but there is a new homerun king. I for one cant compare the two. Barry didnt live in an era where Blacks were looked at differently and were just being accepted in Baseball.



I also dont agree with his method to be able to play the game. I know people are going to argue about the "proof", but "I didnt take steriods knowingly" is proof enough for me.



Many people will argue that taking steriods will not make you hit homeruns, yes thats true, but it will allow you to recover much quicker than usual and thats where he benefits from it. If he recovers quicker, hits bat speed is back up to normal more times than it would be if he would need the normal time a 35-44 yr old would. Look at Ken Griffey Jr. He is 34. Struggles to keep up on every other day. Its just a fact of live, but with Steroids, you prolong the aging of your muscles allowing yourself to stay up on it.



whats your take? Do you even Care?

 

[Jenn D]

I personally haven't made my internal decision yet. I want to say that I don't support his record, but I also appreciate the fact that it takes making solid contact with a baseball to even have the opportunity to hit a home run. Anyone who has played baseball, especially at a competitive level, knows that making contact is probably the hardest part.



I'm interested to hear/see the debate that is going to happen. I'm also interested in seeing where the new bar will eventually be set.



On a side note, they are saying that A-Rod will be the next to either come close to, or even accomplish, this record. Do you think people will protest him too?

 

[Todd Z]

Dont care....



Back in the day they played for the enjoyment, and the fans, and the era...



Today they play for the $$$$$$ only...



Todd Z

 

[Casey B]

I'm glad for the guy. That's a great accomplishment for anyone, even if he used steroids or not. As Jenn D mentioned, it still takes coordination to hit the ball and he has done it consistently over the years. His record won't last as long as Aarons did, but he broke it, will add more to it, and will live in his own glory for the time being. Congrats to Bonds!

 

[Tom Schindler]

The way I look at it is if the ball player wants to have an unfair advantage by using steroids, let him do it. One ball player having an advantage over another because of sterioids is the way life is.



Every day, companies have unfair advantages over others with help from their home countries and we deem that just great. Why should sports be any different. Let the game destroy itself like it is doing to us.





Tom

 

[Johnny O]

Bonds is an ill-tempered malcontent just like his old man. Played here in Pittsburgh his first few years. Steroids? Probably. Fact remains that he never failed a drug test, so whose fault is that? The Commish should have been there to shake his hand and wallow in the shame afterward.

 

[Woppy V]

I 100% CANT STAND IT! The use of steroids should automatically revoke anyone’s belief that he deserves the record! To further my point ~~ hypothetically... Say I played sports in the year 2045 and there is a procedure now where I can have my muscles enhanced or controlled via robotics. I break the record in half the amount of time... Should I be granted the record and glory over men who went out there on to the feild and slugged the homeruns off of sheer nerve and gut? I definitely don't believe so... and in that scenario i bet Bonds would be pissed I broke his record too.. Why? Because it was to much of an advantage. Just like he had over Ruth and Aaron. It is removing the authentic challenge from the game. Being able to take your body as far as you naturally can and seeing just how long you can go at it consistently year after year is what made that record so inspiring. This is only my opinion of course. But Bonds name doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the legends of Ruth and Aaron. His accomplishment is a CHEAT and a SCAR on America's favorite pastime that will linger for decades to come. I'm hoping Junior or A-Rod can surpass Bonds now so we can have a real record holder.

 

[TomT]

It may take coordination to hit the ball but we are talking home-runs, not hits. To drive a ball that far it takes tremendous bat speed which can easily be enhanced by performance drugs. Those that don't believe he took sterolids are the same people that think OJ was innocent.



I will say this, Bonds was certainly not alone taking steroids. Who knows how many pitchers were taking roids? If there's one way to justify it, it's the fact that there has been a lot of steroid use in baseball and when he hit some of those home-runs it was roid versus roid. Baseballs drug testing has always been a joke.

 

[Jenn D]

Woppy, to play devil's advocate - Who's to say Aaron didn't take steroids? Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending anyone. I just want to add a little fuel to the fire. Steroids were available in Aaron's time too...

 

[Jeff C]

Arod will crush whatever record Bonds sets. I honestly believe that Arod will hit 1000 homeruns. I don't like him or the Yankees, but he is an incredibly gifted ball player.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Who cares?



Pro sports has become a horrible influence on our youth. The bad behaviors of these millionaire idiots make them the GODS of our children.



States and cities spend BILLIONS of DOLLARS building stadiums and giving tax breaks to these millionaires.



It makes me sick when I see how much money my disabled stepson and his buddies spend on pro sports suveuniors and going to games, etc. Those folks don't have the money to spend, and much of their support comes from taxpayers anyway. However, they have to all have the latest $30 T-shirts, $20 Caps, $75 video games, etc.



Pro sports generally make me sick.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

I for one am not in any way a Bonds fan. Being a Pittsburgh fan, we all know why.



That being said, I say, if the man never tested positive for "roids" then how can anyone say that this record is "tainted". There has been numerous people during his time that has tested positive for it. The man has done something that few has done before him. It has been said also that "back in the day", they might not have used "roids" but they did use other things to "enhance" performance. (drugs and such) So do we just throw it all out and start over? I wish it was anyone else who did this feat, but that is not how it is. Conseco is going to mention A-Rod in his next book, so do you think he will fall under the same scrutiny as Bonds? Do I think Bonds used? All signs point to yes, but how do you prove it if he never tested positive? What about Big Mac? He used a substance (sopposedly) that wasn't illegal at the time. He never tested positive either for "roids" but has had the finger pointed at him and it may keep himout of the Hall. Why? Just because there is speculation?



That being said, I think EVERYONE in baseball should use "roids". That way everyone is on the same playingfield. You'd have pitchers throwing the ball 300mph and the batters can hit the ball 3 miles out and run like deer. If that is what everyone thinks roids do for ya, then level the field. I'm just joking of course, so don't try to roast me.

 

[Amber Clymer]

I don't think roid users should be glorified. Nuff said.

 

[Bill V]

TomT and WoppyV, IMHO, you are looking at the issue of steroids in completely the wrong way.



The issue with steroids is NOT that they are performance-enhancing. It's a complete disservice by the media to keep referring to them as "performance-enhancing drugs"--implying that the issue is that they are performance-enhancing, as doing so brings many members of the public (such as the two of you) to believe that that's the issue.



For an athlete, regular exercise enhances their performance. So does drinking water, and eating vegetables. But are we opposed to any of these, simply because they happen to be "performance enhancing"? Of course not.



The reason steroids are banned is because of the debilitating effect they have on the human body in the long run, and that these sports have agreed that their athletes (especially those in their youth) shouldn't need to sacrifice their future lives in order to compete at the same level with those who are willing to make that sacrifice. Period. If it weren't for this negative future effect, steroids would be just as legal as the nutritional supplements, cortizone shots, and other modern development and treatment techniques that athletes regularly take advantage of these days.



And this is what these sports, and the media outlets that cover them, need to start emphasizing if they're ever to overcome the issues they're having. As long as these drugs are called "performance enhancing", those who are wanting to enhance their performance will continue to turn to them to gain an advantage. But if they were called "body debilitating", some of them (and the public view in general) would start to turn.

 

[TomT]

Bill V. Although I totally agree with the long term effects of steroid use, they are in fact a performance enhancing drug. It allows an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. That's why it's banned from all sports. Look at the recent scandal at the Tour de France and all the cyclist that were booted from the race. They know in cycling it gives the riders an edge. That's why so many people suspected Lance Armstrong of taking some type of performance enhancing drug. Did he? Who knows? If he did, then he was very good at covering it up because drug testing in cycling is a 100 times more thorough then baseball.



I will say the term "steroid" probably does not really apply to all performance enhancing drugs.

 

[Bill V]

TomT, taking a vitamin also allows an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. Working out regularly allows an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. Eating vegetables allows an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. Surgically repairing a torn ACL allows an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. Drinking water and breathing allow an athlete to get a "little extra" out of his body. None of those are banned, both because none of these have significant negative effects, and because there is no reason to bar people from trying to get a "little extra" out of their body--in fact, the very nature of sport is all about getting a "little extra" out.



The performance enhancement has NOTHING to do with why steroids are banned. If all they did was improved performance, they'd be as legal as Flintstone chewables, and all the other supplements, creams, balms, etc., that cause athletes to flock to places like GNC. It's the fact that they also have the negative effects that they do that has caused them to be banned.



You're right that superior performance has led to much of the suspicion of steroid use by some athletes, such as Armstrong, Landis, and Bonds. But those suspicions have nothing to do with the reasons the steroids were banned in the first place.

 

[A K]

Irrelevant. Performance-enhancing drugs aside, Bonds is an arrogant jerk--which is why I like Ryan Howard even more. The guy is grounded, decent and a true example of what an ambassador to baseball should be.

 

[WXMotorSports DecalsPartsAccs]

The way I look at it is if the ball player wants to have an unfair advantage by using steroids, let him do it. One ball player having an advantage over another because of sterioids is the way life is.



Every day, companies have unfair advantages over others with help from their home countries and we deem that just great. Why should sports be any different. Let the game destroy itself like it is doing to us.





Tom

Well hell let them just use meth, speed or cocaine too. Steroids are freakin illegal drugs.



Bill V the scandal in cycling is blood doping more than just steroids.



A-Rod might break the record if he plays another 10 years. However, gifted as he is look at his stats in the playoffs. His batting avg and OBP sucks. The pressure will get to him if he gets close to the record.



Gavin are pointing-out the salaries of the players? Because you should be looking at the owners too.



And, how ofter do baseball players get tested for roids? If it's once every three months a timed cycle of roids won't even show up.



And, look at Bonds his rookie year. Skinny ass player. He is twice the size today. That doesn't come from eating vegies and just working out. He was associated with the roid doctor in SF for many years.



Not matter what... he will always be the guy who broke the record with an asterisk next to his name in many minds of sports fans.

 

[Bill V]

SST, good point about the blood doping, but it doesn't change my point--regardless of whether they're steroids, blood doping, or whatever else, the things that have been ruled illegal by the various sports have been outlawed not because of their "performance enhancing" abilities, but because they have detrimental effects of some sort that the governing bodies don't want to have their athletes needing to endure just to be able to compete with those who choose to do them.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Well hell let them just use meth, speed or cocaine too. Steroids are freakin illegal drugs.

just because something is illegal does not stop someone from doing it. In the end, what difference does it really make? Does it affect me at all? Nope. Do I care what those players do to themselves? Not really. Does it change the game? No.



Let them smoke crack, snort coke, toke off a joint, etc. I don't care. Some of our favorite musicians do drugs. Bands like Pink Floyd did their best work while under the influence of drugs. Maybe some drugs do have a place. Imagine never hearing "The Wall" from Pink Floyd. That is a work of art of an album.



If we want to take a stand against "performance enhancing drugs", we should do it fairly to everyone. The guy playing ball, the guy building our deck, or the guy making music.



If that is the life they choose, we can end it by not going to the games, hiring them to do a job, or buying their albums. If everyone cared, they would not do it because people would show their disapproval through their wallets.



Until that happens, we will sit and watch another ball player hit a home run, jump to our feet, cheer and clap, scream and sing, all while complaining that the guy is cheating.



If that is not flat out stupid on our part, I don't know what is.





Tom