Barry Bonds: Baseball May Get The Home Run King It Deserves
Published April 16, 2007
Bud Selig sent a memo on illegal drug use in 1997, basically reinforcing Fay Vincent’s 1991 memo. Again, no agreement on testing: a wink and a nod, while revenues began to recover and then flourish in the new “live ball” era.
When androstenedione was spotted in McGwire’s locker in the summer of 1998, McGuire and baseball were more upset that someone had looked at the label of this “supplement” he so brazenly left out for all to see. Since no one had really heard of this “andro” stuff, McGuire and baseball stated that they didn’t know what it was either. If fact, the reporter who spotted it didn’t even know what it was, although it turns out to be an anabolic steroid.
So, let’s fast forward to 2007. Barry Bonds is set to break the biggest record in baseball, and perhaps in all of sports. Based on his history, he should hit home run number 756 in late August or early September. He will become the all time home run hitter in the history of baseball.
NOW baseball has a problem? They have reaped the benefits of enhanced offensive power that was artificially generated, and they are about to be embarrassed for their greed.
And NOW they’re morally indignant! Not in 1992, when Lyle Alzado died. Not in 1998 with McGwire, or even when Bonds hit 73 in 2001 and 11% of minor league professional baseball players tested positive for steroids.
Not when kids started to take steroids and were dying in their teens, emulating what their heroes were doing, and everyone knew was going on, except for baseball.
It’s not a question of whether professional athletes were taking performance enhancing drugs – they were.
It’s also not a question of whether baseball knew or not – they did.
Heck, we all knew. We knew in 1976 when the East German women’s swim team dominated. Some folks thought they might have once been men. Everyone else figured it was drugs.
Personally, I believe that Barry Bonds will not break the home run record. I think that baseball has enough information so that they can suspend him anytime and justify it. Once he hits 745 or so, baseball will probably pull the string. It will drag on until time runs out on Barry and it will be over.
To do so, baseball will be forced to confront its own complicity in this matter. Baseball turned a blind eye to this issue, not out of ignorance but out of greed.
So, is it cheating if the folks who make the rules allow you to cheat? Of course it is. It just makes contrition that much harder.
So I hope Bud Selig does go and see the record being broken. In fact, they should put his name on the trophy as well.
He earned it.
- Barry Bonds: Baseball May Get The Home Run King It Deserves
- Published: April 16, 2007
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sports
- Filed Under: Sports: Baseball, Culture: Celebrity
- Writer: Rick Vassar
- Rick Vassar's BC Writer page
- Rick Vassar's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
What is the root of Bond's attitude? Sometimes I listen to him and nod my head in disappointment. It's a shame that such a famous record will possibly be broken under a dark cloud. Good thoughtful piece. Especially the fact you don't think he'll break it because MLB will stop it. Hypocrisy reigns free. Just look at l'affaire Imus.
Androstenedione IS NOT an anabolic steroid. It is not, was not, and never will be a steroid. Get your story straight before you post lies like this. It is a prohormone, not a damn steroid.
Main Entry: an·dro·stene·di·one
Pronunciation: "an-dr&-"stEn-'dI-On, -'stEn-dE-"On
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary androsterone + -ene + di- + -one
: a steroid sex hormone C19H26O2 that is secreted by the testes, ovaries, and adrenal cortex and is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of testosterone and estrogen
I hate holier than thou attitude that most bonds haters have. The fact is whatever bonds did, hundreds of other players have done as well. The fact is none of them are as good as bonds. Barry Bonds is likely the greatest hitter in the history of baseball. The real crime is not appreciating him.
Steroids or not Barry Bonds is the greatest baseball player (Hitter) that ever played the game. It was the steroid era of baseball. Remember he was hitting against pitchers who were also taking steroids.
We all know that Bonds and most every other power hitter was on some kind of juice. So were many pitchers. It was the times and baseball and the fans knew it.
Also Bonds was never tested positive for steroids and to this date it has not been proven that he did.
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Baseball is not a sport anymore,per se, it is a business and the Lords of Baseball did whatever it took to win back the fans after the '94 season. The fans are the just as guilty because they continue to fill the seats. can you imagine the message sent if just for one day the fans unite and stop going through the turnstiles? I believe fans turn a blind eye to the "integrity of the game" in exchange for the "instant gratification" that has become a staple of American sports culture. In the Imus case,it is argued that green is the color that is cared about and if that is true shouldn't it hold true in this situation? Therefore,how about organizing a mass protest of "one day no show" at the games to show the fans displeasure? Never happen. Know why? Because the majority want this behavior.This mentality has been drummed in our heads for the last 35 years and it's become a part of everyday life to a lot of us. just look around at what's happening to our youth. It has went beyond "just winning" to "total domination" in our youths psyches. We the fans have the ability to make a difference but enjoy living dangerously too much to give "integrity" a shot. By the pricking of my thumb,something wicked this way comes.......