The biggest issue, however, is that of cheating. If Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home run record, it will be a dubious milestone entirely worthy of an asterisk. How come, at their ages, have these men have not learned that cheating is wrong? It is hard for me to believe one word that comes out of Bud Selig's mouth when druggie liars/cheats like Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi are still allowed to play.
We may not have to worry about Raphael Palmeiro. Baltimore Orioles fans turned on him after he lied about his own steroid use and, if justice is to be served, his Hall of Fame eligibility has been forever revoked. And, with the publication of his book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, Jose Canseco came clean. Yet, criticizing Bonds in San Francisco can lead to assault with a man-bag.
Can Giants fans really be so callous as to welcome back their "big man" when his continued presence in the game is nothing short of a travesty? How many more exposures of steroid-pumping stars will it take before something gets done about it - and them?
Are Orioles fans the only ones who still care deeply about the game and its sanctity?
Article comments
1 - Bob A. Booey
I find it hard to hate Barry because, freak of science or not, he's the greatest hitter of all-time and has been the last few years. Before the steroid rumors, when he was a much smaller man, he was still a Hall of Famer with 3 MVPs under his belt.
So while there's definitely some smoke around him and his bulked-up body, he's just SO good that it's almost awe-inspiring to see what a baseball player is capable of, legally or illegally.
That is all.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
I'm with Jayson Stark on this one:
The reality is that when Bonds took steroids, it wasn't cheating, because there was no testing and no punishment.So if you boo him, it's because you don't like that he took steroids � a perfectly valid reason.
So now rooting for Bonds or Giambi becomes a moral decision? I want no part of that.
3 - Bob A. Booey
I think if you admitted steroids, you're basically done for the Hall of Fame, as a reality.
Palmeiro's out and so's Giambi, who probably won't have the numbers anyway despite his recent resurgence. Raffy's case was worse because he was so indignant and self-righteous before Congress.
As I said a while back here, Palmeiro's numbers are VERY suspect. He was a very good singles hitter, but his power numbers took a spike exactly when Canseco alleged that he was introduced to steroids with Texas. And Raffy has the very same pattern of rapid decline that can't even be explained by age (or perhaps it can, in that steroids artificially staved off the effects of age-related decline) that his teammate Sammy Sosa evinces.
Bonds has never admitted it on the record or been proven to have used steroids, although we all sort of suspect very strongly he did.
Sosa clearly was an abuser as well, but there's no hard proof on him either. And his career is likely about over -- he'll be lucky to get a $1 million dollar deal, if not a minor-league deal to DH for some poor club next year.
That is all.
4 - Tan The Man
"The reality is that when Bonds took steroids, it wasn't cheating, because there was no testing and no punishment."
Uh, actually it is cheating, it's just not illegal.
5 - Tan The Man
Well, relatively speaking, at the time, taking steroids wasn't illegal.
6 - Anthony Grande
Babe Ruth didn't take steroids and he hit 714 home runs, something steroid Bonds can't even accomplish.
Barry Bonds is a sorry example to this great game of ours. He is a cheating, cry baby, whining, Racist and deserves to have an asterix next to his 72 home run season record.
7 - RogerMDillion
"Are Orioles fans the only ones who still care deeply about the game and its sanctity?"
what was there reaction to the alleged steroid-using, corked bat-swinging, leaving-the-stadium-before-the-game-is-over-and-lying-about-it Sosa?