Barry Bonds did steroids?
No way! Never would have thunk it. Barry Bonds? You're kidding me, right? In all seriousness, Sports Illustrated broke the story today about a book to be published in the coming weeks that details Bonds use of performance enhancing drugs starting in 1998. The book's title is "Game of Shadows," and it's by two reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle. It appears these guys have done their homework, too. They have thousands of documents and over 200 interviews to back their claims. I haven't read the book or the SI excerpt yet, but I do know this. Bonds is f***ed.
Among the more interesting claims of the book is the fact that Barry's motivation to start using was the great Home Run chase of 1998 with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. I seem to recall reading quotes from Bonds around that time that give that story legitimacy. No direct quotes about steroids of course, but I distinctly recall a tone of jealousy from Bonds in those days. If you compare pictures of Bonds from 1997 to 2000, it's night and day. People just don't bulk up like that without help. So he started using, and using a lot. The book claims he was sometimes taking 20 pills at a time, and became an expert, not unlike Jose Canseco, at juicing up. He's done it all. Winstrol, THG, HGH, the Cream, the Clear, Flintstones Vitamins, you name it.
So what's next? Should Bonds be suspended? Permanantly banned? Should his records be wiped? No, no, and no. Technically, what he did was not against MLB rules at the time. MLB has been testing players for three years now, and Bonds has yet to turn up positive. How many other players were using? Should we wipe out their records, too? Are we going to go back and test all players in history? Should we extract DNA samples from Babe Ruth's bones? If a pitcher wasn't juicing, and Bonds hit a game winning homer, should that homer not count and the outcome of the game be reversed? Did the Cubs really win the World Series in 2003, if a few roid-aided balls didn't go their way? No. What's done is done. Just get the game clean, and move on with life. Even if he never took a single steroid, Bonds is and will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's the best player we've ever seen. Everyone will know his pinball-machine numbers from the early 2000s are inflated a bit, but they also will know that the man could hit. Steroids will follow this man to his grave. He won't be able to escape it. He will also go to his grave as the greatest hitter of his generation.