11/05/24
May 08, 2007
Big Papi backs Bonds, doesn't know if he took steroids: Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz says he thinks people should give Barry Bonds credit in his chase for Babe Ruth's record. Ortiz also said he couldn't be sure if he'd ever taken steroids or not.
I agree with Papi, in one respect. If Selig isn't going to throw Bonds out of baseball, he needs to show him the same respect that he would to any other player. Otherwise the game does look like a joke, and Selig will look like another white, racist, asshole. Until some FACTS come out that PROVE Bonds used 'roids, Selig needs to sack up and be a man. If he isn't going to show up and support Bonds, he needs to make a statement to the effect: "I believe Barry Bonds is a cheater and I refuse to acknowledge his accomplishments."
posted by yay-yo at 03:15 PM on May 08, 2007
I concur. Big Papi hit the nail on the head on both, the Barry Bonds steroid issue and the status of whether or not the commissioner of MLB will be in attendance to Bonds' record breaking milestone. I applaud him.
posted by BornIcon at 03:30 PM on May 08, 2007
Well...why don't we just find someone else to be Commissioner? Bud Selig doesn't have the world's best track record, and he's often been the butt of a lot of good jokes that I've heard. Yes, and while there is suspicion about Bonds and his use of steroids, there's no hard evidence against him. While he may be a creep, he is still (in the eyes of the law) an innocent creep. So as Baseball fans, while we may hate the fact that he is closing in on the record, we need to respect him as a player and respect his chase for one of the most prestigeous records in all of sports, because he could be innocent (even though he did say he took some stuff 'unknowingly') Plus it doesn't hurt to have Bonds on your fantasy baseball team...where arrogance and asshole-ness don't count against you...
posted by chemwizBsquared at 03:31 PM on May 08, 2007
I've always thought that Selig was an idiot, Barry Bonds notwithstanding. I also agree with Ortiz. Whether or not the whole world BELIEVES that Bonds took steroids, nobody has PROVEN that he has. To this point, it's all conjecture. When I think about what would make me feel personally worse, applauding Bonds' accomplishment or booing it, I think that if it was proven that he didn't cheat and he was denied recognition for his accomplishment, that would be my own greater wrong, rather than cheering on a man who was later found to be cheating. I know, I know. Many shades of gray.
posted by THX-1138 at 03:48 PM on May 08, 2007
Bonds is 11 away from the record. No, I don't mean THAT record, but the record held by Carlton Fisk--72 home runs hit after turning 40. All of which happened after any of the alleged. Pretty damned amazing... Actually the same home run may break both records--they only showed the Fisk stat once, so I am not 100% sure, though I'm sure it will come up again...
posted by mo at 04:24 PM on May 08, 2007
While he may be a creep, he is still (in the eyes of the law) an innocent creep. That might mean something if we were talking about the "eyes of the law". So as Baseball fans, while we may hate the fact that he is closing in on the record, we need to respect him as a player and respect his chase for one of the most prestigeous records in all of sports, because he could be innocent (even though he did say he took some stuff 'unknowingly') Need to respect him? Sorry, there's no need to respect him. That's a personal decision.
posted by justgary at 04:48 PM on May 08, 2007
The more people bitch about Bonds, the more I'm pulling for him. We haven't seen any proof that Bonds used steroids, but for sake of argument I'll stipulate that he did. He's already hit 10 homers this season. Can he possibly be on steroids now? I don't see how it would be possible, since he's the most scrutinized person in baseball. And if he's not on steroids now, that weakens the argument that he was on steroids before. Home runs are easier to come by than they used to be. Fourteen players hit 500 home runs over 120 seasons of major league baseball up through 1995. Four players could reach 500 this season, which would mean 10 players reached 500 homers in the last 12 seasons.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:01 PM on May 08, 2007
Bonds said he took the cream and clear, so, is that not an admission of performance enhancement use or does he need to do one of those half-vague press conferences that Giambi did? And hey, I'm a Giants fan. I'm pulling for the dude, but I'm almost positive he said he took something.
posted by igottheblues at 06:12 PM on May 08, 2007
I saw something in the Dallas paper about how support for Bonds follows racial lines,with blacks pro and whites con.That too is bullshit.Anyone can look at a scrawny kid and then seen an overmuscled hulk. I don't see all that body mass coming from the weight room.
posted by sickleguy at 07:34 PM on May 08, 2007
Anyone can look at a scrawny kid and then seen an overmuscled hulk. Anyone can resort to useless hyperbole too, apparently. Bonds was never "scrawny" to begin with.
posted by qbert72 at 08:46 PM on May 08, 2007
Bonds said he took the cream and clear, so, is that not an admission of performance enhancement use Bonds said that he had used something that was a cream and something that was clear that were given to him by his trainer as an arthritis balm and flaxseed oil. He never said they were the cream and the clear, and he said that he didn't believe that they were steroids.
posted by bperk at 08:49 PM on May 08, 2007
The whole mess makes me sick. Bonds took the juice, as did everyone of the McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Canseco,and others group. For any of them to claim ignorance to what substances they put in, or on, their bodies is laughable. Average citizen's do not take medications without knowing what they are, and prized athletes certainly do not either. I need not respect any of them. I need not applaud his achievement. I wish they would all go quietly away.
posted by dviking at 09:55 PM on May 08, 2007
sickleguy, I don't think you understand what steriods does to the body. It does not help you hit balls. But it helps the muscles recover very quickly from rigorous weightlifting. If Barry is taking the stuff it is not helping him knock balls out the park, but it is helping his ability to stand on those bad knees and recover afterwork outs. However I would doubt that he is even able to take the suff during the season since he is the most scrutinized player in the game. Therefore steriods has nothing to do with Barry when his on a Baseball diamond. Do you know what happen when you stop taking steriods? Assuming Barry can't take it during the season...his steriod powers would be nagated because it only works when you are taking is consistenly otherwise you get fat and Barry is anything but fat. Maybe a fat head, but that is about it. Also, if steriod is this almighty enhancer of ability then why is Barry not jumping higher and running faster? So steriod only affects the upper bodies ablity to perform at peak? Barry is the greatest HR hitter to play the game. the sooner we respect his accomplishments the sooner we accept our identity as a Nation.
posted by momplapa at 10:45 PM on May 08, 2007
And hey, I'm a Giants fan. I'm pulling for the dude, but I'm almost positive he said he took something. posted by igottheblues It's funny. You can ask people who believe bonds is innocent and they'll tell you there's no proof. If you ask them what evidence there actually is, and they have no idea, they just know there's no proof. If you ask people who believe he did take steroids what the evidence is and they'll also generally be clueless, instead falling back on his weight gain or other flimsy arguments. If you actually look at the evidence it overwhelmingly points to bonds taking steroids. To say he didn't goes against a mountain of evidence. You basically have to stick your head in the sand or believe in a large conspiracy to frame the guy. Most people who maintain bonds is innocent will point to his never failing a drug test that, if he was taking steroids, he would have done everything he possibly could to beat. Considering that in the era of steroid abuse so few players were caught, it doesn't come as a shock. Anyone can resort to useless hyperbole too, apparently. Bonds was never "scrawny" to begin with. posted by qbert72 I don't think the weight issue is evidence of anything, but for argument's sake Bonds was 6-1, 185 his first year. To put that into perspective Julio Lugo, who is rail thin, is 6-1, 175. Dustin Pedroia, who looks like he couldn't get into an R movie, is 5-9, 180. Not a single non-pitcher on the Yankees weighs less than 190. I'm not sure what the weight limit for scrawny is, but he was definitely a slim, wiry guy who is now anything but.
posted by justgary at 11:39 PM on May 08, 2007
In Highschool, I weighed 185. I now weigh 225 and I'm A LOT younger than Bonds. No steroids, just good eatin' and lifting. When you get older your metabolism slows down. MOST people gain weight as they get older.
posted by yay-yo at 11:56 PM on May 08, 2007
Dustin Pedroia, who looks like he couldn't get into an R movie, is 5-9, 180. There is no way Dustin Pedroia is close to that. 5'7" is being generous.
posted by yerfatma at 06:11 AM on May 09, 2007
posted by yerfatma at 06:26 AM on May 09, 2007
Bonds is 11 away from the record. Scratch that, make that 10 away.
posted by BornIcon at 07:22 AM on May 09, 2007
I'm not sure what the weight limit for scrawny is, but he was definitely a slim, wiry guy I'm 6-2, 140. That's scrawny. 185 is right in the middle of the healthy weight range for a 6-1 male.
posted by qbert72 at 07:26 AM on May 09, 2007
I also agree with Oritz. He's a great player, playing in an era when home runs are quite plentiful and a lot of ballparks are built for homers. Baseballs reaction to the record chase is comical. They are such hypocrites, and just totally confused. I'll never personally condone anyone gaining an unfair advantage by use of PEDs, but baseball only wanted to look the other way. Now they want to look the other way with regards to Bonds. He may be a jerk, but if I had my wish, he'd get to within one homer of the record, walk off the field, and retire on the spot, basically saying, "There MLB, keep your precious record. Pull your collective heads out of the sand once and for all."
posted by dyams at 07:49 AM on May 09, 2007
He may be a jerk, but if I had my wish, he'd get to within one homer of the record, walk off the field, and retire on the spot, basically saying, "There MLB, keep your precious record. Pull your collective heads out of the sand once and for all." I can't believe you said that dyams because I said the exact same thing yesterday to my barber. I swear, the exact same thing. Well, minus the 'jerk' part since I don't know him on a personal level to call him that.
posted by BornIcon at 09:58 AM on May 09, 2007
Yeah, the "jerk" comment is only going by some of the stories regarding his attitude, the way he treats others, etc. but I could really care less if he is a jerk. I don't have to hang around with him.
posted by dyams at 10:02 AM on May 09, 2007
I'm 6-2, 140. That's scrawny. 185 is right in the middle of the healthy weight range for a 6-1 male. posted by qbert72 Difference between sports world and real world.
posted by justgary at 10:09 AM on May 09, 2007
Yeah, I hear you. I don't hang out with him either so I could care less if he's a jerk or not but whatever story comes out concerning Barry Bonds you gotta take with a grain of salt. I do agree that he should retire 1 homer short of breaking the HR record and tell the very same people that turned their heads for over 20 years when they knew exactly what was going on, to kiss his ass. But in all retrospect, we all know he's going to knock it out the park, trot around the bases and give his 'Fuck you' smirk.
posted by BornIcon at 10:17 AM on May 09, 2007
For anyone who is on the F-Barry bandwagon and believes that steroids are the reason for his numbers, where are all the other 'roided up players? How come all of the other guys who were supposed to have used steroids are out of the game? Why is Bonds, who is obviously clean now, still smacking homeruns at a furious pace? Where are all of the roid heads and their homeruns? Oh I get it, Steroids only help people named Barry Bonds.
posted by yay-yo at 06:01 PM on May 09, 2007
Oh I get it, Steroids only help people named Barry Bonds. Allegedly.
posted by BornIcon at 08:11 AM on May 10, 2007
I absolutely agree with him about the Commissioner. Selig was commissioner and he didn't do anything about steroids. Now he is ambivalent about Bonds breaking the record? Complete and total hypocrisy.