Hey guys,
It looks like the time may have finally come for Barry Bonds. You may remember that Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all time home run record back in 2007 and finished his career with 762 home runs.
That sounds great… however… you may also remember that Bonds’ name has come up more than once in regards to steroids and performance enhancing drugs. Bonds has testified under oath that he never knowingly took steroids.
Currently Bonds is on trial for lying to a grand jury, a crime taken very seriously in our legal system. Like all those accused of a crime in this country, Bonds is innocent until proven guilty, however the court of public opinion, has already convicted him.
Performance enhancing drugs have no place in sports… they are dangerous and it is outright cheating. For the game of baseball, the impact of steroids has been much worse than for any of the other major sports.
More than any other game, baseball is a game defined by its statistics. It is a game ruled by those statistics. There are numbers in the sport that are considered to be sacred… 56, .401, 714, 755, 60, 61, 5,000… these are the numbers that help to give baseball its shape, its identity, and its soul. I have a very difficult time putting 70, 762, and 73 in the same category.
The larger issue here… professional athletes feel that because they can hit, throw, shoot, or catch a ball, they are not subject to the same rules and laws that we “normal folk” must follow. Lying to a grand jury and to congress?!?!?… I don’t care how many home runs you can hit!
Bonds has already helped to destroy the sanctity of one American institution, hopefully the good people sitting in that San Francisco courtroom do not let him destroy another.
What do you think?
- X
P.S. Feel free to post what all of those numbers represent.
56 - Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak
ReplyDelete.401 - Ted Williams batting average
714- Babe Ruth's career HRs
755 - Hank Aaron's career HRs
61- Roger Maris's record for most home runs in a season
I believe 5,000 is the most hits in a career, but I do not know who holds it
60 pertains to home runs, but I also forget who holds that record.
I will comment on the further later.
-Jake M.
I believe that what Barry Bonds did is unfair to the baseball community. He broke Hank Aarons homerun record with 756 homeruns a few years ago. A majority of his homeruns were because of the use of steroids. Bonds has set a bad example. He should be fined for his actions. Along with that his homerun record should be banned or reduced. Bonds says that he did NOT know what he was taking and thats a load of crap. Some professional athletes have been accused of taking steroids. Roger Clemens is one of them.
ReplyDeleteI find it unfair that Barry Bonds holds the all time homerun record. With the steroid use, his performance was enhanced, where Hank Aaron hit his home runs with natural talent. I hope that he gets in serious trouble for lying to a grand jury, and I hope the consequences are the same for him as they would be for any other person, professional baseball player or not.
ReplyDeleteWell we can't really say anthing untill he is proven guilty. He lied to the grand jury, yeah that's a big deal and he should be pinished for that. But for the use of steriods, I think we just have to wait till he's proven guilty or not to point the finger at him. I do't believe that he UNKNOWINGLY took the drugs. That just makes no sense to me. But then again we don't know what really happened or what he was really doing.
ReplyDelete-Saman
i think barry bonds is just a complete loser. He started off as an ok power hitter, but still hit over 20 home runs.. then "all of a sudden" he starts hitting 30,40, and 73 home runs. His huge head may also be because of steroids, although thats off topic slightly. He should be deleted from the HR all time list and severly punished for lying to congress like every one else
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, if they wanted to prove he used steroids, they should show a picture of his head when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then one when he was with the San Francisco Giants. Drastic difference.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do not like Barry Bonds in the slightest. He has tainted the all-time home run record, and until his name is taken off of the list, I will forever see it that he cheated his way into the number one spot. Hank Aaron endured many hardships to try and break the record. He received death threats in the mail; people said they would storm the field and kill him right then-and-there if he broke the record; and he didn't falter in the face of these bigoted enemies. Aaron's story is an unbelieveably amazing one.
Barry's story? the complete opposite. I loathe and detest him for lying to Congress; for cheating his way into the number one spot; and for tainting a record that is so very sacred in baseball. I do not think justice will be served unless his record is either taken off of the list, or has a massive asterisk placed next to it...oh, and that whole issue about lying to Congress? A little jail time should do for that. Cheaters never prosper.
-Jake M.
The argument that it was a different time when steroids were acceptable drives me crazy. It's against the law in our legal system, but not baseball? I don't think anyone is above the law, not an athlete, not a coach, no one. If you break the law, you have to face the consequences. We give people in the spotlight way too much power in America. There's no way an athlete should make more money than a teacher, or a police officer, or a fire fighter. I love sports, but they're making millions of dollars playing a game.
ReplyDelete-Brandon M.
56- game hit streak by the great Joe DiMaggion
ReplyDelete.401- batting average for one season by the greatest hitter ever, Ted Williams
714-career homeruns by Babe Ruth
755- career homeruns by Hank Aaron
60- amount of homeruns hit in one season by Babe Ruth
61- amount of homeruns hit in one season by ROger Maris
5,000- Strikeout milestone reached by Nolan Ryan