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Call him.

There’s hardly a player in the NFL who isn’t or hasn’t used steroids. And most of the exceptions are kickers, punters, and quarterbacks. It’s rampant in the college game, as well.

The fact of the matter is that athletes have been bending the rules as long as sports have been around. If Ty Cobb is in the Hall of Fame, so should Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. No questions asked.

And what of NASCAR racers who cheat? Happens ALL of the time.

It’s also worth asking the question as to how many 90-mph fastballs existed back in Hank Aaron’s days. And why so many more now? Might it be that *gasp* Barry Bonds is facing pitchers who might be using performance enhancing drugs, as well?

I just find the outrage and snootiness of baseball and sportswriters to be a little ridiculous. And all of the so-called experts really have no clue, either. You heard them all buying into McGwire using Andro. Please. McGwire was using a lot more than Andro during that streak. If they’d spoken to a doctor about its use, they’d know that Andro is essentially worthless.

I’m just curious what would happen if Barry Bonds was a more forgiveable guy, a more likeable one. A Cal Ripken-type. Then what?

I just find the outrage and snootiness of baseball and sportswriters to be a little ridiculous. And all of the so-called experts really have no clue, either.

I would categorize you as one of those so-called experts. Hence people have the right to view you as having no clue.

Example 1:

Are you saying that illegal performance-enhancement drugs are the main reason that 90mph fastballs are more common than in Aaron's days? Are you therefore implying that targeted-training techniques, improved nutrition, medical advances have nothing to do with old sporting achievements being topped? Long jump, high jump, marathon, shot put, pitching, hitting yada yada yada?

The "everyone does it" defense is weak. The "more-than-you-would-guess" position is the more realistic view and avoids any "all-or-none" preachiness.

Barry Bonds is a talented baseball hitter but he still deserves every bit of criticism that is coming his way.

Good points. I agree that had Bonds been friendlier to the media a lot of this would have never become an issue. Back in the 60’s and 70’s announcers and sportswriters used to chuckle as umpires tried to find where Gaylord Perry hid the foreign substance(s) with which he doctored the ball. But he’s in the Hall of Fame with nary a comment despite being CAUGHT cheating. But he was “good old Gaylord Perry.” I could be wrong, but I think Don Sutton was accused of doctoring the ball too, but there he’s in the Hall too. (If I’m wrong about Sutton I apologize.)

I don’t know much about Andro or whatever, but obviously a lot of people who point to pictures of Bonds before and after never saw Mark McGwire in the early 90’s as opposed to the behemoth that he became. But again, he was a lovable lug playing in one of the most home team player-friendly cities in the world, St. Louis.

Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, and a few others threw 90+ mph heaters when they were pitching, but they were considered the exception rather than the rule. It’s the norm now. I don’t know if it’s better conditioning, technique or whatever. I don’t think that that can be a factor either way because then you could get into the whole issue of Babe Ruth hitting his homers that counted against only white guys, Aaron against only Americans and few Hispanics, and Bonds againt the whole world. That’s not something any of them could control, so I don’t think that it’s relevant.

Teams have been known to freeze balls or bake balls to help their pitchers. Should we put an asterisk after all of those pitchers’ records too? Oh wait, that’s the old “competitive advantage” thing that we chuckle about, just like soaking the base baths, letting the grass grow or cutting it short to help the home team, grooving bats, scuffing baseballs, stealing signs, phantom tags of second on double plays, etc. Face it...baseball is all about cheating. It’s my favorite sport, but players cheat constantly. If people get caught they should pay for it...but I don’t think Bonds has been proven “guilty” or tested positive yet.