Barry Bonds

A few days ago, an article broke about a book written on Barry Bonds and his suspected steroid use. This book apparently claims that Bonds used not only previously undetectable designer steroids, but also insulin, human growth hormone, and winstrol, a steroid currently associated with Rafael Palmeiro. The book claims that from 1998-2004, Bonds was using these supplements in order to get a leg up on the competition.

Now, personally, I don't need a book to tell me Barry Bonds used steroids. I've seen the ridiculous growth he's had in recent years. I've watched as he sat out much of the 2005 season for injuries, the same season where the harsh punishments for steroid use was put into place, and I've seen an incredible swell in his stats. For those that know baseball, if a player hits 40 home runs in one season three times in the first fourteen seasons of his career (topping out at 46), and then in conescutive seasons hits 49, 73, 46 and 45 home runs, at the ages of 36, 37, 38 and 39, respectively, while in each season having fewer at-bats (opportunities to hit home runs) than in all but three of the fourteen seasons prior, well, let's just say there's something fishy about that. Granted, it doesn't all come from steroid use. Bonds has a much better understanding of the game than he did in those first fourteen seasons, a better eye, and is a more feared player. As well, the San Francisco Giants built a stadium specifically for him, with a closer right field wall in an area where the ball is more likely to travel farther when hit well. Do these factors alone account for the sudden and drastic change in Bonds' numbers? I don't believe they do. I, personally, believe that he used supplements.

ESPN's Michael Smith believes he did as well. However, on today's Around the Horn, Smith, in my mind, put this argument to rest. You can't punish Bonds for what he may have done, since there were no rules governing steroid use in baseball (law governing it in the U.S. is a different story, and the California District Attorney's office can follow up accordingly, if they like). The fact remains that, Bonds was not alone in this, you can't, as J.A. Adande put it, "posthumously strip Ken Caminiti of his 1996 NL MVP, so how can you punish Bonds?" As Smith put it, if you take away Bonds' home runs, what's next? Lowering pitchers ERA's? Giving wins to teams who were beat by a Bonds home run? It's impossible to really tell the implications this could have. Not to mention the fact that if Bonds gets an asterik, then should you give asteriks to Mark McGwire? Sammy Sosa? Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson since they played in an era where some of the best baseball players weren't allowed to compete because they were black? Should Cy Young no longer have an award named after him since Satchel Paige could have easily won as many games if he was allowed to play major league ball?

Now, personally, I don't want Bonds to have an asterik next to his records. I don't want him to break Hank Aaron's home run record, or Babe Ruth's, for that matter, but he will, and there's nothing I can do about it. I just want it to be acknowledged that clearly the man had some help. And I think a reason so many people are in an uproar over Bonds is because of the villanous attitude he is perceived to have, for which, he is largely to blame. He has made it clear that he wants to break Babe's record, mainly because Babe is white. That has nothing to do with my distaste for Bonds, but I can bet that it has a lot to do with why much of America hates him. Personally, my distaste with Bonds lies more in his lack of humility, not to mention the fact that I feel much of his career he has been overrated. Now, his overall stats are impressive (though currently are under scrutiny), but I feel like if in 1999 he wasn't named to the All-Century team (50 best players ever), then he shouldn't be considered the best ever, let alone top 5, currently, just because he hit 73 home runs in a season or walks 200 times a year. That says more about the scope of baseball today than it does about Bonds.

Any thoughts?