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Posted By: David Smith

To all;

I look at Barry Bonds like a race car and myself like a regular passenger car. A race car is MUCH different than a passenger car. Both are automobiles but both are made for different purposes.

I can never do the things athletically that Barry Bonds has done. Am I jealous, YES!!! But that is life.

Now, comparing one type of race car to a similiar type is a better thing to do. Barry Bonds was better than the average Major League player but he took steroids to improve himself. He is doing things now that he was doing 10 years ago and for an athlete, especially one his age, that is not normal. Just as a 10 year-old race car performing better now than when new is not normal.

Bonds SHOULD have slowed down and his performance SHOULD have dropped off by now but it hasn't and THAT doesn't make you people wonder why? I mean if a 10 year-old NASCAR was entered into a race next weekend wouldn't that make you say, "huh"? Now, if that race car performed as well or better than the new cars wouldn't that make you question things even more?? Wouldn't you as a race fan want an inquiry and wouldn't you be upset about possible cheating?? If you would, then why is the Barry Bonds situation any different??

To Paul Stratton. If Bonds didn't take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, he wouldn't have hit as many Home Runs. If he hadn't hit as many Home Runs, the Pitchers would have pitched to him more instead of Walking him. If they pitched to him more, there is more chance that he would have made more Outs. Because of that, his Home Runs, Runs, RBI's, Batting Average, Slugging Percentage, On Base Percentage, OPS and Total Bases would have been less and his team wouldn't have won as many games. Combine all of that together and he wouldn't have won as many MVP's and he wouldn't have been paid as much.

Also, just think if you were a clean player who finished second in MVP voting behind Bonds. Wouldn't YOU be upset?? You work your tail off and possibly have the best season you will ever have and get beat out of an award by a cheater. Not only might that affect that player's wallet (he could have a clause in his contract for winning an MVP Award) but if that player was a border line Hall Of Fame candidate, he might not make it in.

Or what about the 2002 baseball season?? The Giants went to the World Series and lost to the Angels. The problem there, though, is the Giants were the Wild Card team and finished just 3 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers. Bonds was the MVP of the NL that season. What if Bonds hadn't juiced?? He probably wouldn't hve put up the stats that he did and the Dodgers would have probably gone to the Play-Offs instead of the Giants.

If I were a ML Baseball player and were clean, I would be ticked off at those who cheated, especially the ones who had the talent to succeed to begin with. I would be even more upset if I were clean and lost out on an Award to a cheater or if my team lost out on going to the Play-Offs.

Bonds cheating not only hurt himself physically but it hurt other players, teams, cities and history. If you don't think so, then can you name the players who finished SECOND in MVP voting or the teams that finished right behind the one that was the Wild Card team??

David