This is for all those out there who don’t believe steroids helped Barry Bonds hit all those home runs. It’s for the naive who think “he still had to hit the ball.’’
Steroids make you stronger. They enable you to recover faster after exercise. They maintain your energy and strength when it’s hot. They enable you to exercise and train longer and harder.
When you’re able to recover quicker and are able to perform when it’s hot and you’re tired, it gives you an advantage.
Steroids help a hitter maintain his bat speed, and it is bat speed that helps generate power. A quicker bat lets the hitter turn on a pitch he might miss (in this case, it helps him hit the ball). A quicker bat helps the hitter catch up to a fastball he might otherwise have missed or not hit squarely.
Steroids are cheating. And, Bonds cheated. If you don’t see that, then you won’t be convinced even with a signed confession.
23 Comments
Hey John, just to play devil’s advocate, whats your take on the fact that ROIDED UP PITCHERS WERE THROWING TO ROIDED UP BATTERS! What does that mean to you? But anyway, everyone knows roids will help you, the fact is, so many players were using them, and not just HR hitters like writers like you would seemingly have us beleive.
I don’t think John is saying this is exclusive to hitting. But all the attention is on Bonds at the moment.
On the pitchers’ front, isn’t it ironic that Clay Hensley gave up the home run considering he was once suspended for violating the steroid policy in the minors?
Way to go John! I agree completely and it sickens me that baseball really has turned it’s head. We need a real commissioner in the ilk of Faye Vincent…
It also makes your head very big, and imore importantly it helps you die younger so you don’t enjoy your fame and wealth.
The people that defend Bonds still don’t believe Pete Rose gambled on his own teams’ games even tho he finally confessed.
John, you should read this:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=478
no one’s defending Bonds, i’m just sick and tired of all this witch hunting over records. I really could care less if some book says Bonds has the most HRs, we all know what era he played in. It’s not about Bonds, ITS ABOUT THE ERA. Use your heads people, wake up and realize that we all know Bonds wouldn’t have this many HRs if he didn’t use steroids. He’s still a great player, and every number from this generation will go down with a cloud of suspicion.
I don’t think John Delcos has ever said only hitters juiced. It’s wrong to suggest he did.
I have no doubt that pitchers juiced too. But no one knows the extent, despite some who imply that almost everyone juiced. And it’s interesting that up to now only big name sluggers or hitters having big power seasons have been heavily implicated in juicing—Caminiti, Canseco, Sheffield, Bonds, and Giambi etc. Where are the pitchers? Surely if they juiced in numbers as plentiful as sluggers or juiced as heavily as the hitters, wouldn’t we have as much proof now about a big name pitcher as we do for the hitters?
Eventually we may have the goods on some big name pitchers, especially when Radomski’s information becomes public. But until we do, we have to take what information we do have. If and when any big name pitchers are shown to have juiced heavily, then I’m sure they will be dealt with accordingly by the media and the public, especially if they are on the verge of breaking an historic record.
Blastings: Who cares what Joe Sheehan thinks? Stark also defends the juicers. So what? Here’s my score—
John Delcos 1, Joe Sheehan -755
Sorry metsfan, but not every number from this generation will go down with a cloud of suspicion.
I have no suspicions over Glavine’s 300 wins. I have no suspicions over Piazza’s record for HRs as a catcher. I have no suspicions over A-Rod’s HR feats.
I realize some suspect Piazza and even A-Rod of juicing. But up to now, there have been no credible allegations whatsover against either of them. Until there is, I give both the benefit of the doubt. Therefore their records are fine with me.
If you want to lump every single player in this generation into one group, that’s your choice. But I along with many other fans have the right to make finer distinctions.
Professional sports are rife with illegal substances to ‘improve performance’. Gary Player recently mentioned golfers that he thought were using. We all know about steroid use in cycling, track, wrestling and pro football. It got so bad in the Olympics that they instituted the one strike and you’re out policy.
Almost everyone in professional sports is complicit in this ruse – those who used, supplied and administered these drugs are the first that come to mind. However, what about the athletes in the same clubhouses who knew who was using but kept quiet, the unions who ‘protected’ their members, and the officials who just looked the other way as long as profits were up.
Those who love money more than ethics have hijacked the past decade and made all records and statistics suspect. These cheaters have built a house of cards which cannot stand.
A real fan of the game wants a level playing field and a game played by the rules. Don’t you?
I certainly hope steroids help a player. I would hate to see them spend money uselessly on a placebo.
The records are one of the things that distinguish baseball from other sports. The all time home run record is the biggest of all.
That is why this is such a big deal. As for pitchers just look at our team. The ones caught are the pitchers.
As to who is under suspicion, at this point who knows? I have my doubts about Piazza. His very strange groin injury where the tendon ripped away is very suspicious to me.
Dave
I am far from being a Barry Bonds supporter and I know he was a user of PED but until there is definitive proof on what effect steriods have on overall performence then there is no proof that PED’s alone aided Bonds. I agree that steriods help you workout more and recover faster and it does sound simplistic to say you still need hand eye cordination to hit a baseball but that has more truth to it than steriods alone doing the job. Add in the fact that baseball had no rules agianst the use of steriods how can it be cheating?
Does baseball have any rules precluding a player from taking a gun out onto the field and shooting someone? If there’s no rule, it can’t be cheating.
What’s the difference between Steriods and Lasik surgery or contact lenses? Or arthroscopic surgery that didn’t exist in the 50s or 60s? The injuries Bonds has had in the last few years would have ended the careers of guys who played 2 or 3 or 4 decades ago, but now because of improved medical techniques, he can keep going. Isn’t that cheating too?
No Seaver, all that stuff you call cheating is not cheating. Taking substances which are against the law is cheating and when caught punishable by jail and fines. There is no punishment for having arthroscopc surgery or lasik surgery.
How’d you win 300 games swith such a small brain?
drugs
I thought it was all that Napa Valley vino…
“As to who is under suspicion, at this point who knows? I have my doubts about Piazza. His very strange groin injury where the tendon ripped away is very suspicious to me.”
Dave, did you see who he was dating at the time? I’d have ripped a tendon away on that too!
interesting A-Rod had the same injury around the same time. didnt he?
;-]
Listeb Juicxing up is wrong! if you cant win on yoru own merits dont play.
Mickey mantel and The Babe did it drunker than hell. the only juice they were on was alcohol. which should have dimished their abilities. imagine if they did it stone cold sober!
Bonds shouldnt get zero recognition. neither should Sammy, corked bat and all.
In another time I used to play paddleball.
At one park there were a bunch of pretty good players who would play drunk. When sober they couldn’t hit the ball :)
Seaver, too much sipping of your wine? Moderation, big fella. Moderation.
Saying that you still have to hit the ball is factually true and completely irrelevant. If a golfer is using an illegal ball that goes farther than regulation balls he still has to hit it but that doesn’t mean its not cheating.
Bonds is great. The best hitter I’ve ever seen. But come on, he would not be the same type of terrifying power hitter, make a mistake and its gone, 200 walks in a season hitter if not for his incredible bat speed. And that is from the drugs.
Its interesting that he was an all-time great before even using PEDs. It shows what kind of player an brilliant talent can become with PEDs.
The only perfomance enhancement a player should do is workout and play and play to his/her potential. to need drugs to juice up your body is wrong for the sport and also dangerous to the body.
Just think in 10 years Bionics will have to be banned from sports as well. ;-]