Sort of a rehash of an old topic by VC. Here we go......professional athletes(specifially baseball players) taking steroids. Should we be surprised? Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Jason Giambi are the three major names mentioned most in recent investigations. Bonds personal trainer Greg Anderson is alledged to have given steroids to 7 professional athletes....all his clients. Bonds happens to be one of the 7 clients, Sheffield, Giambi, 3 other baseball players, and a professional football player are all alledged to have been given steroids by Anderson. On a side note this is what a former teammate has to say:
Quote:
Former major leaguer Andy Van Slyke, who played with Bonds on the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1987 to 1992, told Sporting News Radio on Tuesday that he believes Bonds used steroids.
"Unequivocally he's taken them," Van Slyke said. "I can say that with utmost certainty. Now, I never saw him put it into his body, but look ... the physical evidence is there. People do not gain 35 pounds of muscle in their late 30s without a little bit of help.
"When I played with him, I weighed more than him and yet he was still a tremendous player. He still had good power, and he was an MVP. The physical facts are the physical facts, and when you're 36, 37 and 38 years old is not when you peak with your home run production."
THC is a relatively new steroid and some steroids were undetectable until recently. If Bonds and other professional athletes are found to have illegally taken steroids.....should their records count? Should a record be noted with an asterisk or be removed altogether? Mark McGuire took andro, but at the time it was not illegal and was known as a health supplement, although it has been banned since.
Through the collective bargaining agreement....a baseball player would face a 15 day suspension for a first offense if testing positive. It would take a 5th offense to receive a year long suspension!
Here is my forecast for the 2004 season...........Home runs will be down this season, and not due to great pitching!
Personally ,
I find the "win at any cost" mentality both stupid and depressing . If it were left to me any athlete who tested positive for any synthetic performance enhancer would be stripped of any records they had set and be banned from pro sports for life . Does that sound extreme ? Pete Rose got banned for life and excluded from a rightful spot in the Hall of Fame for gambling . Muhammad Ali was stripped of an Olympic medal for refusing to join the Army . I don't think I'm being harsh at all .
Is setting records , or just playing in the pros , so important that it can't be done on one's own merit ? Things like this , combined with the naked greed , are the reasons why I won't support professional sports anymore . I'd rather spend a pleasant afternoon watching a farm club play . Those guys would love to go pro too , but they know what their chances really are . Most of them are just happy to play the game they love , and it shows . I'll pay to see them anytime .
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RE: MLB distressed?
The thing that is most confusing about these new reports are 1) the actual lack of information disclosed, 2) the actual steroidal substance, and 3) if the players actually knew they were taking steroids.
And I emphasize number 3. If you were a personal trainer, and your multimillion dollar client came to you and asked for a supplement, you would get him the best one on the market. Now as a trainer, you have to decide how far to push the envelope, and maybe you mix a little dope in with the supplement. In theend, your client has an unbelievably productive year, and you just as an employee (to the athlete) just got (a) a hefty raise, and (b) job security.
The athletes testified before a jury in court that they didn't take steroids. They knew of the MLB repercussion (the suspensions are a farce), and also knew of the team ramifications. However, lying before a grand jury, even for a superstar athlete, has some serious consequences.
I'm personally not convinced the players actually knew what they were taking. I think the trainers added the dope, the players had great seasons, and that was it---the athletes didn't ask, and the trainers didn't tell. Really sad, but more than likely true.
As for Bonds' record, I think it should be upheld. I think the changes in bat technology, coupled with the increased average speed of a fastball and superior concentration at the plate, helped Bonds get over the top. The new hard-maple bats last 10X as long, hence the sweet spot gets more dense and delivers more momentum to the ball. This has been shown recently by a few physicists, that's why so many guys are now getting the custom bats.
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strut&rut, i totally disagree with everything you stated.
these guys knew exactly what they were taking, if they were told the truth or not is besides the point. if i were given substances that mirrored the effects of steroids i think i could come to the conclusion that what i was being given may be illegal.
records that were set while using illegal substances should be erased no question about it. hard maple bats have had little effect on the home run increase over the past several years. barry bonds would have never hit 73 home runs by simply switching to a hard maple bat. also mcguire has always used ash and broke the record using an ash bat.
if you look at bonds home runs in his career he never hit over 49 home runs until he broke the record in 2001 that ws an increase of 24 home runs or almost 50% you cant tell me he achieved this fairly. his career average prior to 2001 was 33 hr per year.
he cheated, plain and simple. my problem is how many other guys cheated, a very high percentage over the years would be my guess.
i am almost ready to give up on baseball altogether.
I'm personally not convinced the players actually knew what they were taking. I think the trainers added the dope, the players had great seasons, and that was it---the athletes didn't ask, and the trainers didn't tell. Really sad, but more than likely true.
Professional athletes really only have one thing going for them, their bodies, they know everything going in and going out of it. When your talking about trainers it not the club trainers who are giving them the roids, it's their own personal trainers that are bought and paid for by the athletes themselves. Those trainers are not decieving any of their clients, they are giving them what they want.
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RE: MLB distressed?
Yeah,
And the public has all the information about why we invaded Iraq, right??
Get a grip...during the season you think a professional athlete, let alone a DI college player, actually takes the time to know what he's taking?? I'm sure a typical conversation between Anderson and Bonds went something like this in July, halfway through the season...
Bonds, "Greg, I'm feeling pretty run-down man. You got any supplements to give me a little more energy?"
Anderson, "Yeah. We're working on something over at BALCO that should really perk you up, give you some extra humphh behind your swings too."
Bonds, "It's legal right...you know I don't want anything illegal. The press bugs me enough as it is..."
Anderson, "Barry, you think I would ever steer you wrong. Trust me..."
Compared to...
American people, "Why are we invading Iraq?"
President Bush, "We know Saddam has WMD. Our intelligence points to him not only having the capability to produce such weapons, but the intent to use them. We must invade Iraq."
American people, "But are you 100% certain, can we trust you Mr. President."
GW, "American I will not fail you. Put your trust in me..."
You see the comparison. Now whether or not the WMD exist, we the people did not have the luxury of looking at the intelligence, and we don't know if there were hidden agendas. However, on matters of national security, we the people go about our lives and let those that know intelligence and military strategy plan our foreign policy, including war. Pretty much the same with athletes---they play, and everyone else keeps them healthy, especially during the season.
During the season, athletes don't mandate their nutritional regimens, their workout sessions or even their daily schedules---this is done through the team manager and trainer. Having a personal trainer allows some leeway, because the trainer adheres to team policies while giving his employer (the athlete) exclusive treatment. It also allows the team trainer to work on other "less-rich" athletes---hence, it actually benefits the entire organization.
That's the entire reason to hire a trainer/chef/personal assistant, so the player can concentrate on playing---everybody else keeps him healthy. The advantage to using your own trainer is personal attention to detail---not so you can get illegal substances.
I stand by what I said, and until all the facts come out I'll watch baseball along with millions of other Americans. But then again, I'm a Yankee fan, and I want to see if they can win 130 games this year...
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MLB distressed?
