CNNSI has just released an exclusive report that will appear in the March 13 edition of Sports Illustrated that Barry Bonds has used steroids since the 1998 season over jealousy towards the attention given to Mark McGwire.
The authors describe how Bonds turned to steroids after the 1998 season because he was jealous of McGwire. Bonds hit 37 home runs in ’98 — a nice total and the fourth most of his career at that point — but he was ignored by fans and the media who were captivated by McGwire’s 70 home runs and his duel for the record with Sammy Sosa, who hit 66 that year.
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.
Bonds would not comment on the book that will be released in which SI gathered this information. What does this do to the Bonds legacy? And how will the public view him as he approaches Ruth and Aaron? Does this damage Bonds as much as the proven test does to Palmeiro?
I think that baseball fans…much like you guys need to wake up and realize a few things. Whether or not Bonds did or does roids, he has never tested positive. And instead of getting all over Bonds just because they hate him, why don’t they go after Mark “rocky dennis” McGwire.
Plus, Bonds has never had a reason to be jealous of anyone in baseball.
I’m sick of this story, and it should not be heard from again unless he tests positive!!!!
Philip, you should “wake up and realize a few things.” Most people hate Bonds for the same reason they don’t like Terry Pendleton, Ray Knight, or that bully kid in junior high. Sometimes we just don’t like people. McGwire didn’t get bad press because he gave the media what they wanted and because St. Louis is the capital of love-your-brother-America-and-give-him-a-cupcake America. Pete hated McGwire when he was the only one who basicaly admitted to Congress that he took steroids. But if you remember, he was quickly forgotten because the Palmeiro story broke.
You’ve got to realize that whether he tests positive or not is completely irrelevant. MLB doesn’t want him to test positive, so they’re not going to give him a test that he would fail. If you believe that he’s only guilty if he tests positive, then you’re drinking the cool-aid that Bud Selig is serving.
Since you brought up Pete Rose . . . do you think it would be okay if he gambled and was never caught gambling? Or do you think it is better if they catch those who gamble?
I guess your Pete Rose question was not aimed at me, Brian, but I in fact realize a lot.
Like I realize that McGwire is crap, and I don’t care whether people like/hate/love Bonds, the story is generic at best, with no fact based evidence. It’s always my trainer told my mom’s best friends brother’s uncle that Bonds is on roids. No crap, Einstien, his neck is 36″ around. But the point i make to you is this…innocent until proven guilty. Sorry about all of you Bonds, Pendleton, & Knight haters you seem to miss the big picture…on the field they were great. Just watch the game and enjoy it, and stop worrying about everything else!!
I guess I don’t agree with your “innocent until proven guilty” point. Otherwise, I’d go out today and break every rule I can get away with, and then complain when people don’t like me for it. I prefer “guilty because you did it.”
phil, in a court of law it’s innocent until proven guilty because there are always poice and judges and juries. but you can’t say innocent until bonds tests positive because they weren’t testing back then.
They started testing for real last year, and bonds was hurt all year. there’s enough circumstancial evidence to make even the most sceptical person wonder, and this book adds to that. It’s got info from over 200 interviews and 1,000 documents, which is a lot of stuff to be some conspiracy to frame him.
and people get on him mostly because he brings it on himself. When bigmac was breaking records he talked about how great the game was, and then he disappeared. When palmeiro got 3,000 hits he avoided the press. What has bonds done?
He’s gone out in public saying that he wants to break babe ruth’s record because he’s white. He wants people to “stop talking about him,” him being the games most legendary hitter. When you do that, and there’s a lot of evidence that you cheated, you’re going to piss people off.
What some people call facts.
Again, even if he did them, which we all know he probably did, he has not been caught, steroid rules are new, and its an old story. Get over it.
Hey Brian, nice “guilty cause you did it” argument. And you know he did it because…wait you don’t know.
I suppose every time you have been accused of someting it was because you did it. Of course not. That argument is horrible.
Again, we figure he did it, he’s a monster, but there is nothing that can be done. As your buddy Al said, testing just started. Everybody needs to get over it and realize, roids or not, hate him or like him, Bonds is great!!!!
Why is this article any different than anything else we have already heard? How many reports have there been about Bonds doing steroids? Thats like a new article about Michael Jackson molesting another kid. No kidding! But the fact is Bonds may be the best player ever. He will continue to pack out stadiums, and I will be the first in line to see him when he comes to cincy!
Al wrote “They started testing for real last year, and bonds was hurt all year.”
I’ve maintained all along that this is more than just a coincidence. Bonds was protecting his legacy and place in the history books by sitting out the season. The MLB was finally cracking down and (as we now know from the Palmiero case) even the top stars we’re being targeted. It can take months for this stuff to clear the system and Bonds wasn’t taking any chances. Sosa for instance tried playing “off the juice” and ended up embarassing himself to the point where his market value plummeted to 500K and now to avoid further humiliation and like Bonds, to preserve his place in the history books, is retiring. I’ve also maintained that Barry’s main goal at this point is not to pass Aaron but to simply pass the Babe and get out while he can. Fortunately, this book may prevent that from happening, if indeed its facts are indisputable and wouldn’t it be ironic that the guys that wrote it are “SF Chronicle” reporters. Brought down by his own people. What does that say???? So long Barry, you arrogant prick, you’re a horrible role model for our nations youth and deserve no sympathy.
It’s pretty hard to say that this is a generic story. Bonds is chasing the most hallowed record in the sport, and this book argues that he’s cheated to do it (BTW, the steriod rules are NOT new – they’ve been in effect for about 15 years, just not enforced). Yes, this has been said before, but not with this much force and documentation.
Obviously he never tested positive because of the lack of a testing program, but this book suppossedly presents overwhelming evidence, albeit circumstantial, establishing that he juiced up. You can certainly be convicted in a court of law with circumstantial evidence, and there’s no reason why MLB can’t call his accomplishments into question if this evidence holds up.
And Chris, I totally disagree that “every big power hitter was on the juice from about 1997-2003.” Griffey, ARod, there’s plenty of guys who stayed clean and now benefit from having the posers separated from real thing.
Actually Bonds isn’t a poser, far from it. There was a time when the argument was Griffey or Bonds. Befor he did steriods. Bonds wasn’t the first player to do steriods. The nation went crazy over McGwire and Sosa, knowing they were on roids. Now Bonds is on them
and suddenly its wrong ans its a disgrace to baseball! Bull crap. Whats next? Are we gonna restrict weight lifting? Are we gonna put every player on the same diet? Players in the 50’s didn’t have the same advances in health that we have now, so should we throw away all of the record books after the 50’s? Just get off of his back and enjoy Bonds while we still have him! Cause love him or hate him..there will never ever be another one like him!
If only the mainstream news media had the courage to take on powerful people as sports journalists do.
I love watching Barry Bonds play baseball. I’ve already bought my tickets for when the Giants come to Cincinnati this year. I can’t wait.
If only the mainstream news media was honest and sports journalists cared more about the game than they do themselves and their own agenda I might actually care what they say about Bonds.
Mainstream media likes “brokeback mountain”, hates Barry Bonds. Wonder why I like Bonds.
Greg, I can’t believe you said, “Bonds should retire”. He’s about the best thing we’ve got to watch. Jealousy, Jealousy.
Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe all deserve to occupy a circle of baseball hell. Every single one of them has betrayed anyone that’s a fan of the game, whether you realize it or not.
Greg, Greg, Greg,
what in the world are you talking about? By the way, did you ever look at Shoeless Joe’s stats from his supposed throwing of the series.
Re the Barry Bonds story, I’m sick of SI’s hypocrisy. They lament the fall of the sports hero like’s its some kind of new phenomenon. I take SI writer Phil Taylor to task in my blog essay, read it at http://mymountain.blogspot.com/2006/03/si-lament-there-are-no-more-heros.html
my god, I thought I forgot about Jimmy Haynes….
pete bet on his team, that he was both the manager of and a player for, to win. That’s not betraying the game, in fact I think it should be encouraged, sort of an extra incentive clause in contracts.
“We’re going to give youa million dollar base salary, and a million to gamble on your team to win. Play hard and win the game, and that million could be a lot more, loaf, and it’ll be gone.
I noticed you didn’t want to touch my Shoeless Joe Jackson comment, so I’ll help you out.
In the series he suppsoedly helped throw, Jackson hit .375, set a record for that time with 12 hits, scored 5 runs, had 6 rbis, and made no errors in 30 attempts.
Your arguments just went down another notch…but good try.
Hey Al, nice to hear somebody speaking the truth. Charlie Hustle rocks!!!!!
I can’t believe it, another blog I agree with. It is so ignorant the way people view gambling and baseball.
#1. I believe if Pete bet it was for the Reds to win
#2. If a guy bets on his team to lose, unless he’s a pitcher, he has only so much he can do about that, and a manager can yank him at anytime
There’s a whole lot more that’s worse than betting in baseball…the existence of the Chicago Cubs for example.
27) Assuming Pete only bet on his team to win, one can infer that the days he didn’t bet on his team to win, he didn’t expect them to do so. And anyone involved with gambling that knew he was betting on HIS OWN TEAM could infer the same thing, therefore casting doubt on the integrity of a game’s outcome.
28) Gambling is the worst thing that can happen in the game, because if the integrity of the result of a baseball game is in question, then there really is no point in playing baseball games. People watch sports to see the best team win (on a given day), and in 1919 the Cincinnati Reds were not the best team in baseball, because the other team threw the series. It’s not fair, and it stinks.
i don’t understand how not betting on your team to win casts doubt on the integrity of the game.
If you bet on your team to win that means you think you will. If you then don’t bet on your team to win the next day, that doesn’t mean that you don’t think they’ll win, it means you didn’t bet. Betting on them to lose would mean you didn’t think you were going to win.
Yes it’s true that gamblers might assume that because you didn’t bet that you were saying something, and i’m sure some did with pete, and i’m sure some lost money when the reds won some of those games. but he wasn’t throwing the games either way, because he would have had nothing to gain from doing so.
So pete rose may have lost some gamblers some money because they guessed wrong based on his habits. big deal.
as long as someone involved with the game never does anything to suggest that they aren’t trying their best to win (like taking a bribe to throw a game or betting on their team to lose), gambling on your team only affects gamblers, and guess what: that’s why it’s a gamble.
there was a great article on ESPN when pete’s book came out about a player before the blacksox year announcing to the press that he was betting on his team to win, to fire them up.
Players and coaches go to the media and guarantee victory in a certain game all the time for the same reason. If that player then doesn’t guarantee victory in some other game, does that mean that he thinks the team is going to lose, or worse, that he’s throwing the game?
Great point Al, I don’t even feel the need to argue now.
Philip, Bonds is guilty.
Who really cares….I don’t, and neither do a lot of other fans of the game. The guys is possibly the best ever.
5 of the 11. Less than 50%…but again I don’t care. Just legalize the crap, and lets have some real fun watching Adam Dunn on roids!!!!!
Chris,
sure, i see the point about associating with gamblers, and it’s a fair one, but to me it’s like this:
there are offenses that directly hurt the game, and those that indirectly hurt the game. throwing a world series game, or taking roids clearly fall into the first category and should carry HUGE penalties for all the reasons people have said about integrity.
Offenses like smoking crack or associating with gamblers fall into the latter category of indirect offenses, and should carry lesser consequences. Was the Straw kicked out of baseball for doing blow? no. did it probably hurt his team’s chances of winning? yes.
Pete should have been given some counceling maybe for his gambling addiction, but there’s no evidence that anything he did directly impacted the game, where as there is for the blacksox, jason giambi, and now bonds.
Chris,
I think Al’s point was this, the sign is stupid. It should say, “Don’t throw a game, & don’t juice up”. If there’s going to be a sign you would think it would be something more major.
Maybe even, “Derek Jeter is overrated”
i don’t know if that comment was a response to mine, but what i’m talking about is principle, not rules, as we all have been here. this whole thread was about bonds, who by the rules hasn’t done anything wrong because he hasn’t tested positive. that doesn’t mean what he may or may not have done isn’t open for discussion.
i happen to think the big sign and all that is stupid on principle, as i’ve explained, and i don’t think pete rose was any more of a detriment to the game’s integrity than the cheaters, racists, violent criminals, and junkies that are in the HOF or will be soon.
there’s no proof that pete did anything that ever impacted the result of a game. Ask redsox fans if the same can be said of Giambi, who’s two HRs in game 7 ’03 knocked them out of the playoffs, months before he would admit to juicing. sign or no sign.