Barry Bonds : Before & After Steroids

Assume for a moment that, instead of using PEDs, Barry Bonds had retired after his 1999 season (WAR of 3.8, age 34). That leaves him with a career WAR of 103.3, which puts him 19 all time, solidly worthy of the Hall, but not anywhere close to Ruth, Mays, Cobb, et al. Perhaps without the PEDs he would have recovered to his previous form, or, maybe, he would have continued to deteriorate, like most players do by their mid 30s (without PEDs). We don't know, and I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, no, he's not among the "best players of any generation", unless you're willing to let him, and only him, use PEDs.

Bonds had a WAR over 6.8 in each of the three seasons prior to 1999

And in 1999 had a 4.2 bWAR in only 102 games. Yeah, he was really deteriorating.

unless you're willing to let him, and only him, use PEDs.

There were a ton of other players also using PEDs, and Bonds still had years where he was more than 150% better than his steroid using peers (against steroid using pitchers). So by the time he was 34 he was already one of the top 20 players of all time, and then on a level playing field against many other steroid users he was still far and away better than everyone. I'd say that qualifies for "best players of any generation".

Man, I feel like Jim Edmonds will end up as one of the best players never to make the HOF

Just chilling with Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Mark Mcgwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina.

~;::::::;( )">  ¯\_( )_/¯

Jason Giambi Retires:

Giambi apologized again on May 16, 2007, this time specifically for using steroids, and urged others in the sport to do the same.^[34] "I was wrong for using that stuff", he told USA Today. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up—players, ownership, everybody—and said, 'We made a mistake.'" When asked why he used steroids, Giambi responded: "Maybe one day I'll talk about it, but not now." Giambi did speak with George J. Mitchell, after being forced to do so by Bud Selig. Subsequently, in December 2007, the Mitchell Report included Giambi along with his brother Jeremy Giambi, who also admitted to using steroids during his career.^[35]

The Only Conspiracy Here Is An Attempt To Hide Their Hypocrisy

While Schilling may have some semblance of a point about him being a Republican, that's not the real reason why Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire and some others are not in HOF. Its because if the BW allow themselves to elect them into the HOF it exposes them as being complicit in the PED era of baseball. These are the same writers who knew what was going on and yet still wrote of the glorious accolades of these players for many years without saying a thing about what they saw going on in the clubhouses.

These very same writers made tons of money writing about the chase for Maris in 1998 and the chase for the Babe a few years later. They knew what was going on yet remained silent. Why? Maybe because they knew these players, while doing something shady, were not technically doing anything illegal. And if they also wrote about the PEDs, they'd have to also write about MLB's guilt in turning a blind eye to what was going on. After all, MLB and its owners were raking in the money from all the Home Run fever going on.

Think about for a second. McGwire admitted to using PEDs. Palmeiro got caught. Sosa too. Yet what punishment did they receive from MLB? Fines? no. Suspensions? Nope. Not a single punishment from MLB. Even Bonds, while widely known to have been using PEDs, was never punished by MLB. And his only crime was impeding a federal investigation. Nowadays players are being punished by MLB for using. What's the difference? Didn't the Commissioner's office send out a memo in the early 90s saying that use of PEDs was not acceptable in MLB clubhouses? Yes he did. But what force and power did that memo have?

Literally NONE. Without the consent and agreement of MLBPA, likely as part of a CBA, to punish players for any behavior whatsoever, a memo from the Commissioner has no weight whatsoever. It'd be like the President of the US declaring something to be illegal without the consent of Congress. Sure, the President could have someone arrested for violating such a law. But he could never prosecute them. Simply because there is no underlying law from which a prosecutor could prosecute or a jury could convict or judge could penalize. Its not a perfect analogy, but its close enough to help you understand that a memo from the commissioner without an agreement with the MLBPA on enforcing that rule and how to punish leaves the rule in that memo impotent.

What Clemens and Bonds and others did prior to the CBA agreement in 2003 or so established an accepted rule for MLB is no more a violation of the rules of baseball than throwing a spitball was prior to 1920. Ironically, even decades after it became illegal in baseball for a pitcher to doctor a baseball, Gaylord Perry made it into the HOF, in no small part, because of his doctoring of baseballs.

by JMichael39 on Jan 9, 2015 | 1:38 PM reply

Bud Selig was the deaf, dumb and blind kid when it was one of his own "allegedly" caught dirty. 

He tried to care, ended up looking like a lame duck.

Last March, at the team's invitation, the Giants said Bonds would appear at spring training as a hitting instructor. Bud Selig was not amused. He was about to commence his celebratory final round as commissioner, and Bonds was an unwelcome reminder of Selig's many embarrassments.

Selig talked angrily by phone with Giants officials, according to people in Major League Baseball.
I hope Giants executives giggled into the receiver.

@txbtxb

Did he have that same call with the Cardinals when they brought back McGwire?

McGwire cried and apologized, bro.

Selig still maintains that a lab tech had a personal grudge against Braun. Way to try and bail out your (daughter's) team.

ARE THONGS PERFORMANCE ENHANCING??

THAT'S VERY NICE - THESE ARE NOT YOUR FATHER'S YANKEES

Apparently Jason Giambi thinks so, and he ought to know, right? I'm not sure from the article if Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon have tried the same thong Giambi uses or not. I'm not sure I really want to know, but that would be taking clubhouse chemistry and camaraderie just a little bit too far. Hopefully, they each have their own personalized thongs, Lord knows they can afford it.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWTieq9jc8lLA2iBnOSze8Fd5MDw

The New York Yankees' first baseman caused a bit of a stir Saturday when the Daily News reported - on the front page, no less - that he often wears a gold thong under his uniform pants when trying to snap out of a slump.

Giambi, who began the day batting .181, has kept the shiny thong in his locker since he played for the Oakland Athletics. Several teammates acknowledged they've tried wearing it, too, including Yankees captain Derek Jeter and outfielder Johnny Damon.

Along with the White Sox blow up doll controversy, it is really mind-boggling what some of these guys will do to get their heads straight and improve performance. The traditional slump-buster may be a thing of the past. Hey fellas, less-than-moderately attractive chicks with weight problems and/or glandular issues still need loving too.

THE MITCHELL REPORT IS ON THE CLOCK

You know this is big when CNBC's business channel has a countdown clock for the announcement. This is normally reserved for Federal Reserve announcements or other important business news.

After years of investigation, and up to $20 million in expenses, we finally get the names and the finger pointing we've all been waiting for.

Baseball's problem at this point is to somehow find a way to ensure that the financial goose keeps laying golden eggs while trying to persuade the fans, the media and Congress that the goose is not being fed performance enhancing substances to get the results.

According to an October 7th Phil Rogers piece in the Chicago Tribune titled "MLB cash cow breaking away' baseball is poised to meet or surpass the NFL in terms of total revenue generated.

"I probably shouldn't say this," one highly placed MLB executive said
last week. "There was a time when I wouldn't even think it. But I think
we're going to see a time in the future, the near future, when we are
going to pass the NFL in producing revenue."

Commissioner Selig was quoted as saying:
"By any measure you want to look at, our sport is more popular now than
it has ever been," Selig said. "The country really is baseball-crazy
today, no question."

The 30 major-league franchises combined to draw 79.5 million fans,
averaging 32,785 per game. The overall attendance increased 4.5 percent
over the record 2006 totals. Local, cable and network ratings are also on
the rise.

So in spite of the recent steroid mess, or maybe in some ways because of it, the sport is enjoying unprecedented popularity. In no other business could you have the same level of abuse of the product by those in charge of enhancing the value of it, and still produce the kind of results baseball has been getting recently.

The fans clearly love the style of game as it is being played today.

Let's face it, as much as purists may decry the lack of such old-school fundamentals as the lost art of laying down the sacrifice bunt, or the majestic artistry of the well-timed hit and run play, at the prices it costs to attend a major league game, fans will continue to demand the long ball and increased scoring.

Every other sport, with the possible exception of soccer, has recognized this and adjusted the rules of the game and/or style of play to accommodate the demand of the fans. And the exception proves my point. Soccer will never catch on in this country, number 1 because it's a communist sport and communism is dead, and number 2 there is no scoring. It's like watching paint dry. And while yes, I can still attend a professional soccer game in this country at bargain prices (as long as it is not a game where Beckham rides the pine) you couldn't pay me to watch it.

So, yes, I will certainly be interested in the names linked officially and forever to infamy by the esteemed former Senator. And yes, I will listen to the predictable 180 degree turn the media spin takes now that some of their butt-boys get dragged down into the mud as well. Don't kill the messenger now.

It was all fun and games when it was Barry, BALCO and Greg Anderson.

Now that the Yankees former trainer looks every bit as sleazy as Greg Anderson, lets see the scathing articles you Nobel prize wannabes write about Clemens, et. al. Lets hear the pundits rage on the air about how a multiple Cy Young award winner should be denied entrance into the hallowed, but increasingly irrelevant Hall of Fame.

If the KC Royals trainer with background and behavior that sounds Greg Anderson-esque gets fingered, maybe some of Cardinals and Royals players of recent note should be held accountable for their Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio-like early career numbers.

You see, here's the problem I have with this:

The media (the supposed guardians of the game), the owners, the GM's are all falling over themselves NOW and saying:

We're sorry, we didn't know what was going on.
We didn't know then what we know now.
We didn't see know the signs then, we do now.
Give us another chance.
We'll clean up the game this time.
WE PROMISE.

To that I say, BULLSHIT. People want to give Jose Canseco credit for what he said in his book, and the big names he called out, but they only want to credit him selectively, like his story is some sort of Chinese Buffet where you can take some of this, and a little of that, but pass on whatever part of his story you don't like.

Sorry, my BULLSHIT meter just went off. One of the things Mr. Canseco made fairly clear was that everybody knew what was going on. Players , management, fans, everyone. So why would anyone trust the same people, the same entities who couldn't prevent this from occurring the first time, to get it right this time?

Fool me once, shame on you....fool me twice, shame on me. A similar ignorance that was prevalent back in the 90's is with us today. Today, the main difference is we have people who think they can become knowledgeable about an issue lickety-split through Google searching. The Wikipedia-experts. Hot damn, ain't we lucky now?

Former Commissioner Faye Vincent makes the occasional rounds of the talk-shows and the evening news because he can be sure to bash Selig, bash Bonds, bash everyone involved. But NOBODY, and I mean nobody asked Mr. Vincent the most pertinent question, which is this:

Mr. Vincent, we are all now aware that you sent a now famous memo to all teams in 1991 (19 freaking 91) regarding steroid use. Obviously to send a memo regarding this subject you had to have valid, concrete reasons to send a memo regarding this particular subject as opposed to say any other topic of the day (gambling, recreational drug use, child abuse, etc.) and that is that you had to know this was a growing problem within the sport. So having identified it as an important issue, such that you were compelled to issue the memo, where was the follow-up as you observed the problem continue to get out of control?

Yes, I know, I know, the owners threw him out and put in the puppet named Bud. But in my opinion, being an ex-Commissioner offers an even better forum to be an advocate for change on this issue. An issue that his office clearly identified as a problem as far back as 1991.

And so I would ask Mr. Vincent again, since you clearly identified the issue at the time as a source of concern, what concrete, tangible steps did you take to keep the problem from escalating? Being that you love the game and all and had this intimate knowledge of the situation as it developed. I'm not real sure I want to hear much more of your carping and finger-pointing, and posturing and passing the buck. I've really heard enough of that. WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY DO, MR. VINCENT?

So the finger-pointing we know can go at least as high as the Commissioner's office. How about the Oval Office? Sure, we know that President Bush picked up the issue in his State of the Union address, but I'm not sure we're getting full disclosure from the President regarding this issue. Instead of continuing to commit perjury in the court of public opinion by saying "I didn't know what was going on in my clubhouse". You're either being intentionally deceptive or were criminally stupid at the time.

You could see WMD half a world away, but couldn't see steroid use in your own (club)house. AMAZING. Good Luck in retirement Mr. Prez. don't forget to keep in touch.

If the President is really that concerned about the issue, maybe he would like to donate the proceeds of the huge gain he made on the sale of his piece of the Texas Rangers to fight steroid abuse at the youth level or further research for better testing. Do something tangible rather than just more rhetoric. It's not as if he didn't capitalize on his time in baseball to move into something that has clearly set him up for life, right?

You'll remember, that deal was held up as an example of the President's business acumen and overall intelligence during his initial campaign (an example he clearly needed then, and probably needs more now).


So give something back to the community, Mr. President. Put your money where your mouth is. You know, a little something for the effort?

In my opinion, if Mitchell's report doesn't at least give a nodding acknowledgment
that the 'don't-ask, don't-tell' philosophy, that permeated both the locker room as well as the boardroom, allowed this problem to get out of hand. Sure, everybody wants to see their favorite whipping boys(s) get whipped, but you almost have to play "whack a mole" and make sure you pound every corner of the industry over the head equally for this. Even though, that is exactly what Jason Giambi said once and got both roundly criticized and eventually muzzled (via economic extortion of threat of terminating his contract) for saying it.

And please, I propose a law, that says the next person who uses Jason Giambi as an example of someone who told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth be incarcerated for criminal stupidity. He told as little as he had to tell regarding his history with PED as he had to in order to keep his lucrative contract. Just Google an image of his Team USA baseball card and if you even recognize him, come back and we can talk, OK?

Anyway, it's almost time to read the report. Merry Christmas Baseball.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: After watching the Mitchell Press Conference

WOW. A very comprehensive 400+ page report. I was amazed at how often Mitchell in assessing where we have been, where we are and where we are going with regards to this issue spoke words eerily reminiscent of Mark McGwire's "I'm not here to talk about the past" theme.

He recommended, and rightly so, that the Commissioner not punish anyone retroactively for behavior committed prior to or for deeds that were in violation of a policy that was not in place at the time. The punishment will be the public stain on the players reputation, which should be damaging enough in most cases.

Not very surprising is that the names run from superstars to mere hangers-on. But that doesn't surprise me much at all. I have speculated for years that the number of players from the bottom of the roster would outweigh the number from the superstar strata. The superstars names sell newspapers however.

The detail behind the inclusion of Mr. Clemens and Mr. Pettite are sure to cause some to change their viewpoints regarding these two players. Not surprising to me that they were included, but the details from the trainer were very, very damaging.
I'm really not sure after first read, how they, or their cronies in the media, spin their way out of this one.

Let's see what say you now, oh sanctimonious protectors of the sanctity of the Hall of Fame, nay, of the very Game of Baseball itself. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Also interesting was his focus on pointing out that baseballs inactivity on this issue "while they were tending to economic issues" caused the problem to mushroom. No duh!

Also, interesting that he points out, rightly so, that at it's core the victims are the players who had to face the dilemma of either losing their jobs to players who used or joining them in order to compete. And this was where he was chiding baseball for being slow to act on the issue, because even though nobody will give him this type of out, if we are to believe that everything written in the book "Game of Shadows" is correct, this was the same dilemma, the same choices that Mr. Bonds must have felt. He was jealous of the attention Sosa and McGwire were receiving. He was losing his status in the game to players he felt were not his equals on a level playing field. You had an industry that was turning a blind eye to the problem and a Justice system that, given the penalties levied against users, didn't really care about the issue either. What to do, what to do?

But now, retroactively, because he first took McGwire seasonal HR record, and later Aaron's career HR record, we want to hang him from the highest tree. AMAZING.

We'll see how many folks take Mitchell's recommendations to heart, and I thought he made a great case for focusing on the recommendations the report outlines, and moving the issue forward, and improving the game. Or if they continue pushing old agendas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE #2

Typical reaction from the "Oh no, not Roger Clemens, crowd". Let's see if I have this correct. The trainer is lying to avoid the crushing weight of the feds charging him with one thing or another. Even though he was accompanied by personal lawyers when he testified before Mitchell. And we can believe that line but......we also have to believe that Greg Anderson doesn't act in quite the same way. He doesn't act to save his own ass and give up Bonds, but if and when he does, we would willingly believe his story even though it was in fact also coerced.

Listen, we now have MORE direct, not indirect, evidence tied to Clemens then we do against Bonds. But the media picks up the gauntlet and foolishly calls it hearsay evidence. The link to Brian Roberts sounds like flimsy, hearsay evidence. The testimony against Clemens sounds damning. And he has apparently committed perjury in the court of public opinion, what's that worth?

So now we will hear that Clemens and Pettite are the victims of a disgruntled employee and are entitled to due process and to face and confront their accusers.

These comments are all valid and and true, but most of the media folks who use this logic appear to forget (but I don't) that this was not a courtesy they readily extended to Mr. Bonds. And yes I'm talking about Hall of Fame talking head Gammons and empty head John Kruk. They don't want to believe it now that one of their pet players is dragged down into the mud.

Remember, the consensus wisdom from the bizarro-world, jackals in the media was that if the charges levied against Barry Bonds were not true, then he would sue. To protect his reputation and prove his innocence. Of course, this ignores the fact that our entire justice system is founded on the presumption of innocence and the principle that the government has to PROVE YOUR GUILT, not the other way around. Interesting that yesterday, even ESPN's resident legal expert Roger Cossack seemed to be able to finally articulate these legal concepts on behalf of Mr. Clemens. HALLELUJAH, THEY'VE SEEN THE LIGHT.

I do seem to recall that Clemens has in the past threatened to sue anyone who damaged his reputation or cost him endorsements or damaged his opportunity to continue to generate revenues based on his career. That day has come Rocket, time to put your money and your legal team where your mouth is.

Regardless of the fallout, I say welcome to the party that recognizes that EVERYONE is entitled to due process and has constitutional rights that some of the more irresponsible members of the media would so willingly trample in order to sell papers, push agendas and further careers. Fellas, you're a bit late, but welcome, there is room for all. And you'll find, if you care to read the Constitution, that it doesn't stop after the First Amendment you hold so dear. Maybe now you'll stop using the rest of the Constitution as mere shards of paper not worthy of wiping your buttocks on.

To conclude, it seems like the report was delivered like a flaming bag of shit on the porch of the players union and some individual players. And now they are laughing and letting the media and Congress do their PR work for them to tarnish (devalue) the players and gain the high ground to push further drug testing issues forward.

As far as Senator Mitchell and the $20 million dollars spent on this report, I would say this: It's not my money or taxpayer money being spent, so you can spend or waste it as you like, but it seems like most of the names mentioned in your report have long been listed on the site Baseball's Steroid Era, that we've had on our favorites for some time.

http://www.baseballssteroidera.com/

I haven't done a one-for-one checkoff of the two lists, but to be honest, off the top of my head, the websites list is more comprehensive and would probably have cost a lot less than the $20 million. But it doesn't have a former federal judge and U.S. Senator's stamp of approval. So I guess you get what you pay for.

Baseball now faces the prospect of having the greatest power hitter of all-time, the greatest power pitcher of all-time and the greatest singles hitter of all-time
publicly vilified and persona non-grata in the Hall of Fame. BEAUTIFUL WORK.

Finally, I feel vindicated on my long time assertion that once a popular player either tested positive, or even better was thrown under the bus by the court of public opinion in this manner, that there would be a stunning reversal in the tone of the debate.

So thanks Senator Mitchell for that, but it was fairly obvious all along that this would happen.

It's just so cool to hear ALL THE IDIOTS I'VE MENTIONED OVER THE YEARS (too numerous to mention, but y'all know who you are) TALK OUT OF THE OTHER SIDES OF THEIR MOUTHS.

As I've said before as well, the contortions some of these fools are engaging in today in reconstructing their arguments regarding this issue makes it abundantly clear that these guys are eminently qualified and have the the requisite flexibility to go fornicate themselves.

Merry Christmas to baseball and baseball fans everywhere.

Bonds Divides Nation Again...Let's Get Ready to Rumble

It's Black vs. White.....Player vs. Fans....Hitters vs. Pitchers in a battle of epic proportions for the heart and minds of baseball fans all-over the world. If he starts dividing us Boy vs. Girl, Oh man!! It's on, then. It's going to be a real throw down at that point. Let's hope cooler heads prevail before that happens people.

By the time Barry breaks the record, there won't be a man woman or child left in the country who hasn't been asked "What do you think....". It's office cooler gossip gone wild.

I don't care anymore that Hank Aaron is too busy folding Bud Selig's laundry to go.

I don't care that Bud Selig is too busy being the most ignorant commissioner of all time to go. At least he doesn't have to fold his own laundry.

I don't care that the more mealy-mouthed, panty-waisted, bed wetting, so called "guardians of the game", who still aren't over the psychological trauma of their mommies throwing out their baseball card collection, keep whining poetic about the sanctity of a baseball record like it's the deity, Get Over It, you little (INSERT COMMON NAME FOR FEMALE DOG HERE).

I don't care if those who don't like it hold their noses, in fact, I don't care if some of them hold their noses too long and have a bit of an accident, if you know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying?

I don't care what the latest he-said, she-said...did you hear what so and so said garbage in the papers everyday. Who cares what Schilling or Wells or Ortiz or whoever have to say? I guess everyone does.

And even though you didn't ask (that's what blogs are for) I would caution all the haters piling onto the A-Rod as next Home Run King Love Boat that's currently boarding:

First, Alex is more of a Prince Charming type than a King type.

Second, Alex is a sensitive little flower, he senses that like certain high school romances, this one has all the earmarks of one based more on your feelings of revenge against the current king to be, rather than any actual true feelings of love for him. Like, it once was with Derek (giggle, giggle). This has disaster written all over it. You can't toy with the emotions of a future HOF like that.

Third, his manicurist says that the pressure of hitting all those home-runs are going to make those really gross callouses on his hands even worse and then no girl will really want him. Never mind, that won't be an impediment.

Fourth, You know how Alex responds to pressure. You've practically guranteed that he won't get the record now. He like has that thing some men get when they can't pee in a public trough like at Wrigley Field unless there's nobody else in the park and yeah, right what's the chances of that ever happening? THAT'S CRAZY.

So anyway, my point here (if indeed I really have one) is be careful what you wish for. Or whose boat you get on, this one has Gilligan's Island written all over it.

ANYWAY HERE'S THE LATEST:


From one of the best baseball blogs out there:

http://www.baseballmusings.com/

Commenting on today's USA Today Headlines:

http://www.baseballmusings.com/

Boost or No Boost?
Jason Giambi comes down on the side of Barry Bonds,
saying the steroid boost is overrated:

Giambi won't say whether he believes Bonds ever took
steroids or human growth hormone, but he's convinced
that no drug is responsible for Bonds' extraordinary
career.
"Barry is one of the greatest players, if not the
greatest, I'll ever see play," says Giambi, who has
hit 355 career home runs. "I know people have a tough
time accepting it, but what he's doing is
unbelievable. And I don't care what people say --
nothing is going to give you that gift of hitting a
baseball.

"It's the same thing for Barry. If it were that easy,
how come you don't see anyone else doing what he has
done?"


I find two things interesting about this type of
argument. It separates the skill of hitting the ball
from the strength to drive the ball. In other words,
if the eye-hand coordination isn't there, if the body
mechanics aren't there, it doesn't matter how strong
you are.

So, if players believe this is true, why take steroids
in the first place? Giambi didn't answer that.

"Unfortunately, (the rumors) are going to be a part of
it. But that's OK. I'm probably tested more than
anybody else. I'm not hiding anything," said Giambi,
hitting .273 with five homers this season. "That stuff
didn't help me hit home runs. I don't care what people
say, nothing is going to give you that gift of hitting
a baseball."

In general, people use drugs because they work.
Recreational drugs make you feel good. Steroids help
build muscle. If Giambi is suddenly becoming talkative
on the subject, let's hear the whole thing. And I hope
it's better than, "Everyone else was doing it."

My commentary regarding the article and David Pinto's
comments over at Baseball Musings:
Interesting analogy you make to use of PED and use of
recreational drugs.

It's the short-term temporary illusion that
recreational drugs make you feel better when, in most
cases, on a long-term basis, they really don't succeed
in making many people feel better overall.

I believe much the same to be true with steroids/HGH
use in baseball, reflected in Giambi's comments.

Short-term, confidence boost, yes.

Muscle Mass increase, yes. Whether that additional
mass is utilized to faster bat speed has not yet been
proven conclusively for obvious reasons.
And Bonds always had lightning quick bat speed and hit
some monster tape measure home runs even back when he
was built like a Popsicle stick.

You would have to improve bat speed, which is a
combination of strength and speed. Very difficult to
do both. Many believe without being blessed with good
genetics ie: higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle
fibers, that increased mass in most cases is
irrelevant except to make for a better looking squad
coming off the bus.

I thinks that is what the David Ortiz's and Giambi's
are getting at when they acknowledge what Bonds is
doing is admirable on some level.

Either he's the only one who has figured out how to
combine PED use with maintenance of the unique sports
skill of hitting a baseball (hardest thing to do in
sports IMO) while avoiding injury and breakdowns
associated with PED use.

Canseco's career derailed due to injuries. There are
others Jose implicated who you could argue had
potential HOF careers detoured primarily due to PED
use.

I think that's the reason for the apparent disconnect
between fans response to Bonds and players response.
Among players, most of the negative stuff has come
from pitchers (Schilling, Lidle, Wendell) although
Clemens was surprisingly positive except for the love
tap to the elbow guard incident.

Hitters know how difficult it is, with or without PED
use to hit home runs. And unfortunately, for what it's
worth, they have become the human guinea pigs as to
whether the stuff works or doesn't work effectively,
if you temporarily put ethical issues aside. We won't
know the long-term health ramifications for this set
of guys for another 20-30 years.

Ultimately, you're always going to be left with the
ethical dilemma of whether the risk of being caught
and the long-term health issues are worth the
potential reward of being a Major League player, on
whatever level.

Would you take a winning lottery check today, worth
anywhere between $1M and potentially hundreds of
millions, if you were told that if you won you could
lose 10-20 years off your life?

What's the old smokers retort? "Well, it's the last
twenty years, they weren't going to be very good years
anyway"

Posted by Charles Slavik at May 18, 2007 11:33 AM

The "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS" Awards

With apologies to and admiration for John McEnroe, whose rendition of "you cannot be serious" is the inspriation for the Award. The following items are so egregious as to merit anger and outrage at that level.

ESPN: for firing Harold Reynolds. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS. Does Jeff Brantley have a no-fire clause in his contract? Or picture of top-executives of ESPN in compromising positions in his possession? He'd have gone first in my book.

What about the other Yoda wannabe John Kruk? Are we appealing to the much coveted 35-55, spit tobacco swilling, writes with a crayon demographic here? Then he's expendable.

How about Steve Phillips? This guy is giving advice to the Yankees to trade A-Rod? Does he not recall that it was his trade of Scott Kazmir for a box of rocks that resulted in his dismissal from the Mets? This is like Dr. Kervorkian giving advice to the American Medical Association.

How about the ethical wizard Doug Gottlieb. Keep you hand on your wallet when he's on the air that's all anyone can say about this guy.

And how about the fool that is Eric Karros? During a recent Yankees braodcast this fool was tossed a softball question by his play by play man re: whether Yankee captain Derek Jeter should have in some way come to the defense of A-Rod given his recent treatment by Yankes fans. Karros lent nothing, simply regurgitating Jeter's quotes that he doesn't have the cache to chastise Yankee fans. THE HELL HE DOESN'T!!! Let's just count the ways shall we?

1) He's the freaking captain of the team, BE A LEADER!!!
2) this is his supposed good friend as well as teammate (at least that's what we were told when A-Rod came on board)
3) He stood up when Yankee fans gave Jason Giambi what-for after the steroids fiasco. So you can stand up for a cheater and a liar, but not your friend?
4) Pee Wee Reese did as much or more symbollically for Jackie Robinson when Brooklyn Dodger fans treated him like fans on the road where when he first started playing and you best believe it sent a message to Dodger fans and improved things, and I guess, thank God he had the courage to do so.

Derek Jeter: You get a large "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS" , in my mind, based on words and behavior in l'affaire A-Rod, you go from being the face of baseball to the ass-face of baseball.
Give back the "C" if you don't know how to handle it.

Floyd Landis: Tour de France winner, alleged doper based on the A sample anyway. He claims his testosterone levels are naturally high. Does this give us much hope for the results of the B sample? Or was this sample taken after any event that would have substantially lowered the level enough to pass the test? If you have abnormally high levels naturally, wouldn't you have failed most prior tests? Including the six taken at prior points in the Tour> But you've never failed one in the past right? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS. OK, Next?

To all the fools at WADA, USADA and any other aphabet soup pseudo-nazi organization that wants to mainstream this type of drug testing protocol not only in all major sports but down to the high school sports level in this country. Let's see if I understand how this works.....You've splashed crimson red paint all over Landis reputation based on his A sample, but wait says one of the experts in the field of cycling, the B sample could test negative and exonerate him.

Presumably it's the same piss, but then what does that say about the test? We still have one positive vs. one negative, of course we exonerate, but then we're back to the damage to his rep appears on page one and the reatraction appears on page ten. And the original stain of the initial charge lingers forever, I repeat FOREVER.

And we want these jack-booted, idiots making policy in this country? I heard one of these talking heads speculating that the positive could have been caused by a) the couple of beers Landis had to rinse away his prior days disappointing performance and b) the coritsone shots he took for his hip. You're going to eliminate most competitors in every major sports league on the basis of those two conditions, I can assure you of that right know.

This same talking head opined that Landis had low testosterone levels but a high ratio of testosterone to epistosterone. First off, what is epistosterone? Regular testosterone gay cousin? And, second Landis comes out the next day saying he had naturally high levels of the big-T. Can't have it both ways, get your stories straight before you go on air please. So here we are in this state of affairs in the sports world, all because white America can't stomach Barry Bonds being the home-run king. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS.

Feds tighten the Screws on......the Press?

What a concept, the press is not above the law. They quite possibly cannot hide behind the shield of the First Amendment to do anything, say anything, write anything without regard to the source. Go Feds. And it normally pains me to side with Uncle Sammy, but in this case, it may be warranted. Or at least good entertainment.

I'd pay some solid money to see sanctimonious pricks like Mike Lupica, Rick Reilly, Jay Moriarty (Ozzie's buddy) , Rick Telander, et al. spend some serious time in jail. Lupica as someone's bitch, that would probably be like art imitating life or something.

Ozzie Guillen rules.


from the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Bush administration urged a federal judge Wednesday to force two San Francisco Chronicle reporters to divulge who leaked them secret grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds and other athletes who took part in the government's probe of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.

Noting that it is a crime to leak grand jury materials to the media, "there is no reporter's privilege in criminal cases, under the First Amendment or under common law," federal prosecutors Brian Hershman and Michael Raphael wrote in a 51-page brief.

The attorneys said California's shield law protecting California reporters from divulging their sources does not apply to the federal probe of who violated a court order and leaked the documents.

Reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada reported a series of stories beginning in 2004 detailing the secret testimony of Bonds, Jason Giambi and others who were called to testify before a grand jury probing BALCO. The government's investigation unveiled BALCO as a steroid ring posing as a nutritional supplement company that doled out performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes from its office just south of San Francisco.

The government, in its brief targeting the two reporters, repeatedly cited a 1972 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. In that case, Branzburg v. Hayes, Justice Byron White ruled that reporters, like everyone else, must "respond to relevant questions put to them in the course of a valid grand jury investigation or criminal trial."

Despite that decision, the government noted that "the free press, relying on confidential sources, has thrived."

Over the years Branzburg was largely ignored. Judges more often sided with Justice Lewis Powell, who wrote separately in the same case. He urged the judiciary, before ordering reporters to testify, to balance the First Amendment rights of journalists against the public's right to know.

That changed in 2003, when the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune lost a bid to protect their reporters from divulging recordings of interviews of a witness in a terrorism case. A federal appeals court, citing Branzburg, ordered disclosure.

The Chronicle reporters, who are subpoenaed to testify here before a federal grand jury about how they got the leaked testimony, said through their attorneys in court briefs last month that they should be let off the hook. The First Amendment right of speech, they said, was more important than the government learning who unlawfully leaked secret grand jury testimony.

Both Fainaru-Wada and Williams say they aren't going to comply with the subpoena, which means they could be fined and jailed until they reveal their sources if they lose their legal challenge. The reporters also could be jailed for a fixed term for contempt if U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White forces them to appear before the grand jury.

They face more jail time than any of the five BALCO defendants, as the largest prison term was four months.

A hearing before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White is scheduled for Aug. 4.

The government also suspected the leak came from Victor Conte, BALCO's founder who pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges and was sentenced to four months.

Agents last year searched his San Mateo house to bolster that view. Conte and others pointed to the government as the source.

According to the two reporters, Bonds testified that he used substances provided by his trainer, Greg Anderson, but said he thought it was flaxseed oil. Anderson was among the five defendants convicted in the BALCO probe.