Steroids and Sports

[DKW 86 7,431]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/base...ex.html?cnn=yes

Wow, is all I can say.... Story goes on and on....

NEW YORK (SI.com) -- Beginning in 1998 with injections in his buttocks of Winstrol, a powerful steroid, Barry Bonds took a wide array of performance-enhancing drugs over at least five seasons in a massive doping regimen that grew more sophisticated as the years went on, according to Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters at the forefront of reporting on the BALCO steroid distribution scandal.

(An excerpt of Game of Shadows that details Bonds' steroid use appears exclusively in the March 13 issue of Sports Illustrated, which is available on newsstands beginning on Wednesday. The book's publication date is March 27.)

The authors, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, describe in sometimes day-to-day, drug-by-drug detail how often and how deeply Bonds engaged in the persistent doping. For instance, the authors write that by 2001, when Bonds broke Mark McGwire's single-season home-run record (70) by belting 73, Bonds was using two designer steroids referred to as the Cream and the Clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle.

BALCO tracked Bonds' usage with doping calendars and folders -- detailing drugs, quantities, intervals and Bonds' testosterone levels -- that wound up in the hands of federal agents upon their Sept. 3, 2003 raid of the Burlingame, Calif., business.

Depending on the substance, Bonds used the drugs in virtually every conceivable form: injecting himself with a syringe or being injected by his trainer, Greg Anderson, swallowing pills, placing drops of liquid under his tongue, and, in the case of BALCO's notorious testosterone-based cream, applying it topically.

According to the book, Bonds gulped as many as 20 pills at a time and was so deeply reliant on his regimen that he ordered Anderson to start "cycles" -- a prescribed period of steroid use lasting about three weeks -- even when he was not due to begin one. Steroid users typically stop usage for a week or two periodically to allow the body to continue to produce natural testosterone; otherwise, such production diminishes or ceases with the continued introduction of synthetic forms of the muscle-building hormone.

[WeagleDMS 0]

Wow, just wow.

[saniflush 0]

Yea right....Nobody saw this one coming. (hear the dripping sarcasm)

[DKW 86 7,431]

Yea right....Nobody saw this one coming. (hear the dripping sarcasm)

223718[/snapback]

We all knew uit was coming, but I never thought we would see this much use and in this detail. I am freaking amazed at this level of involvement.

[auwallace 6]

i hope he retires and is never let in the hall, same goes for mcguire and sosa

[WarTiger 3,910]

I hope they keep him out of the HOF too... He's an A$$ to the fans, media and everybody else. What he does on the field is only part of what it takes to get in the HOF.... He fails miserably on every other criteria to enter this elite group.

[WarTim 3,456]

Character: Who we are and what we do when we THINK nobody is watching.

One of the biggest problems in society today is the lack of CHARACTER.

HOF?...... N E V E R ! ! ! !

[auee90 0]

I hope they take away his and the other steroidists HR records, putting Babe Ruth back at the top. Although, this just opens up a can of worms of whose records were done naturally and whose weren't. I say keep it simple... the records stay until proven they were users (innonent until proven guilty philosophy).

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

I hope they take away his and the other steroidists HR records, putting Babe Ruth back at the top. 

223735[/snapback]

If you are talking career, I doubt that Mays and Aaron were on the juice. Season, same, Maris was around before the advent of performance enhancing drugs.

[auee90 0]

I'm talking season and career. And that's my point about those old timers. Those types of enhancements weren't available or even conceived of. Performance enhancement might have been some sugar before a game for energy.

[WarDlowe 39]

If they'll take an Olympic Gold away for cheating, why does MLB, our national pastime, have to be any different? No way on earth should he be allowed to stand at the top of baseball's biggest record cheating his way there.

Sucks for him how his body is going to be later in life from all those drugs.

[AUDadTwice 0]

I am not a Barry Bonds fan. I cringe when I think he might one day pass Hank Aaron, whom I idolized as a boy, when I became a Braves fan. But, one thing to keep in mind about all of this with Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa, is that steroids were not illegal in baseball until very recently. If I remember correctly (and I'm doing less of that as I get older), McGwire used Andro and even had it out in plain view in his locker during his 70-HR year. The stuff was still legal in baseball at that time. I don't remember exactly what year baseball finally moved into the 20th century (probably shortly after the beginning of the 21st century), but many of the records were set pre-illegality. It will really be a mess trying to figure out who should be left out of the Hall of Fame because of ILLEGAL enhancements. Should those who used enhancements LEGALLY be left out as well? I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I feel like it cheated Maris and might wind up cheating Aaron. At the same time, they did not break any rules during those years. Besides, pitchers have been "cheating" for decades as well. Gaylord Perry did it, and yet we laugh and welcome him into the HoF. I'm not sure about it all.

[AUesquire 1]

I say let records stand and push harder to clean up sports. Look, steroid use has been rampant in sports for a long, long time. I would venture a guess that a vast majority of our records that stand today in sports such as football and baseball were in some way, influenced by steroid use.

Maybe Dan Marino wasn't using. But...how many of the linemen that blocked for him were? How many gold glove outfielders in baseball gained that extra step by cycling that year? How many tennis players got that shot of endurance needed to get through a tough two-week tournament through the right combination of testosterone or dianobol?( I believe one player on the circuit was just banned for life) How many pitchers gained 5 mph on their fast ball and won 20 games?

I truly believe that many of Canseco's accusations were dead on. If I'm a famous baseball player and this tool bag comes out in a book and accuses me of taking steroids, guess what. Defamation suit is filed post haste. To this point, I don't recall a one and last time I checked ole Rafael Palamino was walking out the door with his hat in one hand and syringe in the other.

I couldn't agree more that Bonds is a jerk of biblical proportions and if it's proven that he's juiced like that, kick him out. But the records to date should stand as they are.

[AWK 0]

Steroids = cheating

Cheating = wrong

Do you think for one second if you were caught using a study guide during a test in any college course, the Professor would say "well other people have done it, I should just give him the "A+" and ignore the fact".........No, you would get an "f" and have to go in front of an academic committee. Same should go in all aspects of life.

[AUChizad 0]

Let alone the fact that anabolic steroids are illegal by Federal law.

They should be illegal in the MLB based on that fact alone.

[damabama 15]

man...look at his head. dawg can wear a 5 gallon bucket for a party hat.

[AUesquire 1]

Hence my statement that if he's caught, nail him. Kick him out. Prosecute him. Whatever. BUT, do you now go back and take away all of the Raiders wins and championships because Lyle Alzado admitted to being juiced up during all of his playing days? Steroids = cheating. Right? All of their wins in which Alzado participated were aided by performance enhancing drugs. Right?

The unfortunate thing is that many of the players we talk about, Bonds, McGuire, Palmeiro, are playing in a team sport. If they were cheating then the team wins were all aided by steroid use. I support cleaning up sports as a whole, but leaving the record books alone.

[WarDlowe 39]

Hence my statement that if he's caught, nail him.  Kick him out.  Prosecute him.  Whatever.  BUT, do you now go back and take away all of the Raiders wins and championships because Lyle Alzado admitted to being juiced up during all of his playing days?  Steroids = cheating.  Right?  All of their wins in which Alzado participated were aided by performance enhancing drugs.  Right?

The unfortunate thing is that many of the players we talk about, Bonds, McGuire, Palmeiro, are playing in a team sport.  If they were cheating then the team wins were all aided by steroid use.  I support cleaning up sports as a whole, but leaving the record books alone.

223807[/snapback]

My first reaction to you saying all this was no way the records have to go, but I must say that I really see your point. However from this day forward since it is known (assuming everything in this book is true) no way should he be allowed to be given credit for passing Babe or Aaron. I can agree with you for not taking away past accomplishments but future ones should at the very least have 3-4 asterisks next to them and in the ideal world not count.

[damabama 15]

football is a harder call. it is a much truer "team sport" than baseball. 11 on 11 every play. baseball is only a "team" sport when the ball is in play. it is a one on one sport between the pitcher and the hitter up until the instant the bat meets the ball, imo. thats the only time all 9 players, potentially, are involved at the same time. up untill the ball is hit, the fielders are non factors. its all about the pitcher and the hitter. i dont really know where i'm going with this but...major league sports will never get "clean" until major league sports want to get "clean". the nfl, whenever a player makes the papers for some sort of substance abuse voilation, that is already his 2d offence. against league policy to make the 1st trip public. unless the 1st offence is some sort of public arrest, like sherman williams and or nate newton, no one ever hears about it. look at darrel strawberry. i like darrel and hope he beats his demons. how many times did he screw up? where is he today? banished from the sport? lifetime ban? nope. director of the entire NY yankees minor league player development. steve howe got suspended for life 3 times from the dodgers and the only reason he finally retired was because he got geeked up and almost killed hisself in a motor cycle crash. marijuana isnt even on the banned substance list in the nba. MLB put on a fine dog and pony show about steriods last year. if they were serious, there wouldnt be a 3 strike steriod rule. it would be one and done. i'm rambling. just some thoughts.

[chinook 0]

wow - i just thought it was the extra spinach he ate before each game.

bond's early in his career would have been one of the greats without the use of performance enhancing drugs and imo would have been a hall of famer. i don't think he would have broken the 600 mark but would have finished with 500+ homers and a 300+ average; however, like many of us it wasn't good enough and he needed the edge.

several years later the edge led to speculations and accusations which he to this day denies.

i honestly think he did just because the way he balooned up after the age of 35 and was hitting many homers well past his prime. what really threw me over the edge was his disrespect for babe ruth and many other great white hitters.

will see in a few years if bonds becomes stricken with many afflications that an 80 year old experiences.

[80Tiger 899]

Alzado's being juiced up for the games was usually offset by Stabler being hungover or even still drunk during the game.

[AUesquire 1]

Speaking of records, Stabler certainly has one.

I believe it will stand as well.

[WarTiger 3,910]

On the subject of records, baseball may be a team sport, but when a player hits a homerun, the team didn't do it, the PLAYER did it, individually. My take is, any individual accomplishment while on any illegal substance should be removed from any and all record books. I'm not saying take away a super bowl trophy from a franchise because their star QB was taking illegal substances. I'm saying take away any records he set, or broke during that performance, and if discovered in a reasonable amount of time, take his ring and that MVP trophy if he got it, and any monetary bonuses awarded. Taking drugs or anything illegal takes away your right to claim a part of a championship, or records, or an MVP of a title game...etc. IF you can't do it within the rules set, then you have no business being recognized in any records books or even winning a world championship (NFL,NBA,NHL,MLB, etc..)

[SouthLink02 8]

If they were to take Bonds records out, McGwire's-Sosa-Palmarieo-everyone would need to have their record stripped.

Until Bonds tests positive or something 100% concrete comes out, they won't take Bonds numbers out.

You just can't.

Everyone knows that all these guys cheated but they would need to prove it 110%

[tiger88 934]

If I remember correctly (and I'm doing less of that as I get older), McGwire used Andro and even had it out in plain view in his locker during his 70-HR year.  The stuff was still legal in baseball at that time.

1. I always thought it was awfully strange that mcguire had his andro on display for the reporters to see. Almost like he was saying, "See guys, this is all I use".

2. Steroids are illegal and it was never ok to use them in baseball. They just didn't test for it.

3. Mcguire refused to answer any questions about steroid use at the hearings and evn cried while refusing to answer questions.