Barry Bonds Bombshell

[troutman]

Who didn't see this coming out eventually?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...rpt/index.html

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.

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.

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"

IF true, Bonds needs to be banned from baseball, and all his records should be quashed.

[socalwingfan]

a bombshell would be proof that Barry wasn't on juice

[Cowperson]

I was never one who got into the home run derby's back then and have always said Roger Maris is still the home run champ of baseball (Mickey Mantle fans aside) . . . . .

It should be pointed out though, that Bonds did what he did pretty much with the active blind-eye of anyone in authority who might have brought an ethical challenge to light . . . . and that would include his own players union as well as owners.

Its just a sad commentary on the state of baseball.

Cowperson

[habernac]

the only reason baseball ever got "tough" on steroids was because of the threat of govt involvement. Or we'd still be seeing larger than usual players hitting the ball 2 miles.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by troutman

IF true, Bonds needs to be banned from baseball, and all his records should be quashed.

This will never be prooved its just a lame attempt to sell a book. Sure everyone believes Bonds was on Driods but he was never caught.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by flambers

This will never be prooved its just a lame attempt to sell a book. Sure everyone believes Bonds was on Driods but he was never caught.

Yes, he was "caught", but Barry said he didn't know what he was taking (obviously a real whopper of a lie).

I suggest you look at the book. The evidence is overwhelming and well-documented.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...G90HJF4N22.DTL

Fainaru-Wada and Williams based their narrative "on more than a thousand pages of documents and interviews with more than 200 people, many of whom we spoke to repeatedly."

From 2003 through 2005, Fainaru-Wada and Williams wrote nearly 100 stories for The Chronicle, lifting the BALCO investigation into an international story and eventually leading to congressional pressure that forced Major League Baseball to twice toughen its steroids policy.


Fainaru-Wada and Williams based the book on a wide range of material, Williams said.

"There are statements to federal investigators, sworn testimony, a secret recording of Greg Anderson and on-the-record interviews, and the gist of our story is all supported by material that we can point to the sources on," Williams said. "It's all going in one direction. There's not any equivocation on this that's compelling or believable. We also have relied on unnamed sources who have given us a story that's very consistent with what the public record says about Bonds and steroid use."

As for why the story matters, Williams said, "I think it's important for baseball to corral performance-enhancing drugs and not tolerate them, because the tolerance for those drugs will inevitably seep down into the colleges and the prep programs. We're already seeing it."

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by socalwingfan

a bombshell would be proof that Barry wasn't on juice

[flambers]

Originally Posted by troutman

Yes, he was "caught", but Barry said he didn't know what he was taking (obviously a real whopper of a lie).

I suggest you look at the book. The evidence is overwhelming and well-documented.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...G90HJF4N22.DTL

Fainaru-Wada and Williams based their narrative "on more than a thousand pages of documents and interviews with more than 200 people, many of whom we spoke to repeatedly."

From 2003 through 2005, Fainaru-Wada and Williams wrote nearly 100 stories for The Chronicle, lifting the BALCO investigation into an international story and eventually leading to congressional pressure that forced Major League Baseball to twice toughen its steroids policy.


Fainaru-Wada and Williams based the book on a wide range of material, Williams said.

"There are statements to federal investigators, sworn testimony, a secret recording of Greg Anderson and on-the-record interviews, and the gist of our story is all supported by material that we can point to the sources on," Williams said. "It's all going in one direction. There's not any equivocation on this that's compelling or believable. We also have relied on unnamed sources who have given us a story that's very consistent with what the public record says about Bonds and steroid use."

As for why the story matters, Williams said, "I think it's important for baseball to corral performance-enhancing drugs and not tolerate them, because the tolerance for those drugs will inevitably seep down into the colleges and the prep programs. We're already seeing it."

Sure the evidence is overwelming but until someone catches Bonds on Droids and gets him suspended this book is nothing but here say. Bonds and his camp will deny the story.

Remember he is still playing Ball.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by flambers

Sure the evidence is overwelming but until someone catches Bonds on Droids and gets him suspended this book is nothing but here say. Bonds and his camp will deny the story.

Remember he is still playing Ball.

It's not hearsay; it's all from the horses' mouths. And again, Bond was caught on "droids"; he just denied knowing what he was taking.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1937594

Barry Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn't know they were steroids, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by flambers

Sure the evidence is overwelming but until someone catches Bonds on Droids and gets him suspended this book is nothing but here say. Bonds and his camp will deny the story.

so with your logic, anybody who commits a murder has to have direct witnnesses, or otherwise they wont go to jail?

[troutman]

Barry's own web-site:

http://barrybonds.mlb.com/players/bo...rry/index.html

What a swell guy.

I've been a life-long Giant's fan, but it's been hard cheering for the team since Barry arrived. It was obvious to me from the start that Barry was cheating.

[Calgary Flames]

Who cares, they need cheating in baseball to make it more exciting. It's so damn slow!!!!!!!!

[nfotiu]

Okay, he was caught, but caught doing what? Doing the same thing that seemingly every other prolific home run hitter during the 90s has been strongly rumoured/admitted/caught/plead the fifth/etc. to taking. It wasn't against the rules in the time of question. Baseball turned more than a blind eye, they celebrated the guys they knew were taking them. McGwire was openly taking andro (which is now banned, but then it was okay? but steroids which also banned weren't?) during his big HR year.

I'm sure baseball would have loved for all of this to stay secret, but now it's out, what do they do?

[flambers]

Originally Posted by troutman

It's not hearsay; it's all from the horses' mouths. And again, Bond was caught on "droids"; he just denied knowing what he was taking.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1937594

Barry Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn't know they were steroids, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

How about this statement from the TSN Article on Bonds

"Bonds, who testified before a California federal grand jury looking into steroid use by top athletes, repeatedly has denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Phone messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment from his lawyer and publicist were not immediately returned Tuesday."

"According to reports in The Chronicle, Bonds testified to the grand jury in late 2003 that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who pleaded guilty in the BALCO case last July to steroid distribution and money laundering. Bonds said he didn't know that what he was using was a steroid, the newspaper reported. "

There is no proof Bonds knowly used Droids, therefore he will be playing for the Giants this year and could break the Homerun record.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Table 5

so with your logic, anybody who commits a murder has to have direct witnnesses, or otherwise they wont go to jail?

You are innocent until prooven guility....... The last time I remember he is still playing ball what does that tell you?

For the record I do believe he used the stuff but he will never admitt to it nor will he ever be caught do it.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Its just a sad commentary on the state of baseball.

While I agree with your entire post, I would mention that it is more a sad commentary on sports altogether. It would be incredibly naive to believe that baseball is the only sport that has drug cheats, or that is willing to turn a blind eye to them if it helps the bottom line.

[Cowperson]

Well, he's guilty as sin.

The problem baseball has is that he didn't commit any crime . . . . . not as per baseball rules at the time.

But you are certainly seeing people rounding on Bonds right now - as they should - but we should ask ourselves where they were when they were cheering Bonds and his kind on in those grand home run derby's.

How about Bill Plaschke today in the LA Times with this comment?:

After years of protecting steroid-using criminals such as Bonds, it is only fitting that baseball now spend a summer sharing his cell with no hope of escape.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseba...adlines-sports

Was Plaschke calling Bonds a criminal the glory years? I rather doubt it. It was probably the opposite.

There is still a chance Bonds could become a criminal, if its determined he lied before a grand jury.

Cowperson

[troutman]

I'm a Giants fan, but I did not cheer Bond's home run record. I always knew in my heart that he cheated, and I'm sure most other fans did too. Some just did not care that he cheated.

Bonds needs to be penalized somehow, but the interesting part will be to see to what extent the Giants and MLB share the blame. And, will MLB have the guts to retroactively erase some other tainted records (Mark and Sammy)?

Sadly, Bonds might suffer the worst penalty of all; there is no telling how much his life may be shortened by the drugs he took.

[habernac]

If you want to blame anyone, blame Selig. He's the one who didn't have the stones to set up a program to strictly test for drugs. This is the sport where Steve Howe had more than 10 suspensions for drug use before being kicked out of the league (or did he just retire?).

I love baseball and I'm glad they've got some better rules in there now. But I say there still wouldn't be any if congress hadn't threatened action because in the eyes of the commisionerr it was "good for the game".

Sadly, Bonds might suffer the worst penalty of all; there is no telling how much his life may be shortened by the drugs he took.

and I won't shed any tears. You cheat, you face the consequences of your actions.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by troutman

I'm a Giants fan, but I did not cheer Bond's home run record. I always knew in my heart that he cheated, and I'm sure most other fans did too. Some just did not care that he cheated.

Bonds needs to be penalized somehow, but the interesting part will be to see to what extent the Giants and MLB share the blame. And, will MLB have the guts to retroactively erase some other tainted records (Mark and Sammy)?

Sadly, Bonds might suffer the worst penalty of all; there is no telling how much his life may be shortened by the drugs he took.

I agree, but remember Bonds is not the only one. There is allot of players (hitters and Pitchers) that have done the same thing. I just hope they clean up the sport.