Posted By:
Al C.risafulliDaniel:
Sounds great, but Bonds hasn't stolen more than 15 bases in a season or won a gold glove since 1998, which is two years before most people speculate that his steroid use began.
And anyone who denies that amphetamine use was rampant in baseball in the 1960s and 70s hasn't been reading their history. They most definitely were. BOWLS full in major league clubhouses. Taken on a regular basis by many players, and at least occasionally by huge numbers.
We can pretend it's not true, but that doesn't make it not true.
Lastly, Jason, I need to be clear: I'm not saying that what Bonds did was okay because everyone else did. I'm saying that his numbers are overwhelming DESPITE the fact that so many others did steroids as well. Compare Bonds' offensive stats to the rest of the league during the last six or seven seasons. WIth the exception of Pujols, there's not anyone even close. And I think it's safe to say that a LOT of players are on the same juice as Bonds.
So it can't just be the juice that's making him perform so well.
Furthermore, it seems like pitchers juice just as much as hitters. When Jason Grimsley throws 88 MPH his whole career, then all of a sudden his fastball jumps into the mid 90s, you've GOT to suspect something's going on with the pitchers. And like it or not, when it's hit on the nose, a 98 MPH fastball is going to travel a longer distance than an 88 MPH fastball. So how many of Bonds' home runs - or everyone else's, for that matter - are a result of juiced-up pitchers who still throw the ball right down the middle? And should we penalize the hitters for that?
Bottom line, IMO - there are WAY too many variables that enter into the equation - steroids or not - for me to feel comfortable judging.
And while I agree that Bonds is the most dislikeable guy in the game, I couldn't care less about that when I'm evaluating a player's ability to play.
-Al