I don't know what cheating is. This was the closest Barry Bonds came to admitting he did steroids... because if he didn't know using steroids was cheating, then he doesn't know what cheating is... that is his defense. He also said that "...sure, I lied, but everyone lies." Well, what are you lying about Barry? Of course he wouldn't elaborate as to what he was lying about.
There is very little doubt that Barry Bonds (and others) took performance enhancing drugs (steroids) to aid in their incredible numbers for the past 10 years. So begins the debate as what to do with the records these 'roid-boys' put up and how can anyone sort the non-roid records from the roid-enhanced records?
My solution is simple... asterisk every record set in the past 10 years. Sorry, the innocent will be unintential victims from my plan, but it is a necessity because to allow these astronomical numbers to stand unchallenged in the record books is absolutely an injustice to the entire history of the game itself. Here's some quick facts just to illustrate how steroids has skewed the game over the past 10 years...
Before 1995, about the time the Steroid Era began, there had been two 50-homer season in 25 years. Cincinnati's George Foster hit 52 in 1977 and the Tigers' Cecil Fielder belted 51 in 1990. Between 1995-2002, players hit 50 or more homers 18 times.
As a young player Rafeal Palmeiro was termed by scouts "an opposite-field singles hitters" who had eight, 14, 26 and 22 home runs early in his career. In 1993 (after Canseco became a teammate with the Texas Rangers) Palmeiro hit 37 home runs, followed by 23, 39, 39, 38, 43, 47, 39, 47, 43 and 38. Last year, when baseball began testing for steroids, the elder Palmeiro hit 23 home runs.
From 1997-2000 Bret Boone hit a total of 70 home runs.
The next four years he hit 120, with a high in 2001 of 37. Giambi hit 20, 20 and 27 home runs before blasting off to 33, 43, 38, 41 and 41.
Juan Gonzalez finished 1991 with a decent total of 27 home runs. He had 16 more the following season and 46 in 1993 before being hurt parts of the next two seasons. Then he came back with 47, 42, 45 and 39.
Bonds had 37 home runs in 1998 and 34 the next year. Then he hit 49, followed by 73, 46, 45 and 45.
Sosa had a four-year total of 137 before he broke out with 66, 63, 50 and 64.
MVPs Bonds (2001-04), Sosa (1998), Juan Gonzalez (1996, 1998), Giambi (2000), Pudge Rodriguez (1999) and Canseco (1988) all have the stigma.
I think the managers of the MLB areas much to blame the player's themselves for allowing this to happen. But the managers of the game have the daunting task of trying to give some credibility back to the sport.... If the game doesn't see another 50 homerun guy for another 10, 15 years, it will clearly show how tainted the last 10 years have been.
I will give no credit or validity to any record Bonds sets and if/when he breaks Aaron's homerun record, I would hope that it steroids is referenced and repeated numerous times before, during and after he rounds the bases because that is all the credit he deserves for breaking the record... because he took steroids, he was able to beat Hank Aaron's record... good for you Barry you lying pile of shit.
Posts
