by Dean Geddes
I know Barry Bonds plays very, very far away from anywhere the Fung Wah Bus operates, but this is a national story. Bonds is on the eve of breaking the most sacred of all sports records. 755. And to top it off there is a giant, juicy scandal swirling all around him and his pursuit of Hammerin' Hank.
I should throw in a disclaimer, I'm writing this under the assumption that Bonds has knowingly used steroids for a significant period of time. If you're familiar with the facts surrounding Bonds and BALCO and honestly believe he never used performance enhancing drugs, you're nuts. Seriously crazy. For the sane ones, let's continue.
Bonds is a wretch. Maybe he's an O.K. guy when you get him away from all the reporters and TV cameras. But I can only go by what I see. A huge wretch. But he is also the greatest player of this era, the steroid era, and possibly the greatest player of all time.
It's easy to point the finger at Bonds. He's so incorrigible during interviews, and soon he will own the most precious record in all of sports. Commissioner Bud Selig must love him. While Bonds is out getting ripped in the media and hearing "Barr-oid" chants every time he steps into a batters box on the road, Selig debates whether he will be present when Bonds breaks the record? Are you kidding me?
Selig, with the help of MLB players association president Donald Fehr created the Steroid Era in baseball. No, they didn't hold a syringe to any one's arm. They never had to.
Major League Baseball never tested players for performing enhancing drugs until 2002. And that first policy was a joke. Not one player was ever suspended during the two years it existed. It was a policy that Selig and Fehr hoped would quell public outcry and also let these hulks continue to mash home runs and keep the fans coming back. In 2005, Congress came in and forced them to create a real policy, one with teeth. It was the first year in a very long time that players who chose not to take steroids could compete on a level playing field.
Selig and Fehr, and the organizations they represent, chose to sacrifice the sanctity of the game in order to boost ratings. As steroids ran rampant in MLB locker rooms, they turned a blind eye. You didn't have to juice to be in the Majors, plenty of players didn't. But those who did had an edge.
Most professional athletes are ferocious competitors and have huge egos. How do you think you would react when that guy on the bench starts juicing and taking away some of your playing time? Or that outfielder you know you are better than, starts putting up better numbers and takes your spot in the lineup, and maybe signs a giant contract in the offseason.
I'm not condoning steroid use, but at the same time I'm not going to get on my high horse and condemn the players who did. I can understand why players used them. Sure you could rely on your natural talent. but you might lose your job, you might not get paid as much. And if you juiced, there were never any consequences, other than what you might do to your body.
I should throw in a disclaimer, I'm writing this under the assumption that Bonds has knowingly used steroids for a significant period of time. If you're familiar with the facts surrounding Bonds and BALCO and honestly believe he never used performance enhancing drugs, you're nuts. Seriously crazy. For the sane ones, let's continue.
Bonds is a wretch. Maybe he's an O.K. guy when you get him away from all the reporters and TV cameras. But I can only go by what I see. A huge wretch. But he is also the greatest player of this era, the steroid era, and possibly the greatest player of all time.
It's easy to point the finger at Bonds. He's so incorrigible during interviews, and soon he will own the most precious record in all of sports. Commissioner Bud Selig must love him. While Bonds is out getting ripped in the media and hearing "Barr-oid" chants every time he steps into a batters box on the road, Selig debates whether he will be present when Bonds breaks the record? Are you kidding me?
Selig, with the help of MLB players association president Donald Fehr created the Steroid Era in baseball. No, they didn't hold a syringe to any one's arm. They never had to.
Major League Baseball never tested players for performing enhancing drugs until 2002. And that first policy was a joke. Not one player was ever suspended during the two years it existed. It was a policy that Selig and Fehr hoped would quell public outcry and also let these hulks continue to mash home runs and keep the fans coming back. In 2005, Congress came in and forced them to create a real policy, one with teeth. It was the first year in a very long time that players who chose not to take steroids could compete on a level playing field.
Selig and Fehr, and the organizations they represent, chose to sacrifice the sanctity of the game in order to boost ratings. As steroids ran rampant in MLB locker rooms, they turned a blind eye. You didn't have to juice to be in the Majors, plenty of players didn't. But those who did had an edge.
Most professional athletes are ferocious competitors and have huge egos. How do you think you would react when that guy on the bench starts juicing and taking away some of your playing time? Or that outfielder you know you are better than, starts putting up better numbers and takes your spot in the lineup, and maybe signs a giant contract in the offseason.
I'm not condoning steroid use, but at the same time I'm not going to get on my high horse and condemn the players who did. I can understand why players used them. Sure you could rely on your natural talent. but you might lose your job, you might not get paid as much. And if you juiced, there were never any consequences, other than what you might do to your body.
Bonds is a product of his time. Baseball Almanac has a stat, OPS+. They put the "+" next to certain stats in order to compare them to other players during the same year. For those that don't know it's the best way to compare players who played in different eras, and under different conditions. If you hit .275 in a year when the league average batting average was .275, then your "batting avg+" would be 100. If the number is over 100, then you did better than the league average.
It's a good stat if, say, you want to compare Pedro's 1.74 ERA in 2000 (during the steroid era when the league average ERA was an astounding 4.97), to Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 (the year before they lowered the mound when the league average ERA was 2.90).
If your curious, Pedro's ERA+ was 285 in 2000, compared to Gibson's 258 ERA+ in 1968.
O.K., back to OPS+. The top three seasons all-time all belong to Bonds. That's right, all-time. When you compare Bonds' season in 2002 to his juiced peers, he still comes out ahead of Ruth, or Williams or Aaron, or anyone else when compared to their peers.
We may never again see somebody as locked in as Bonds was from 2001-2004, when he won four straight MVP awards. If you had the pleasure of watching him during this time, it is something you will never forget. I won't run through his stats, it would take forever. If you missed it and your not familiar with them or just haven't seen them in a while, you should. They are unreal.
So whether you hate him or love him, just be thankful you got to witness him, one of the greatest players ever, play the game. It's a shame our generation is a juiced one, but don't put that on Barry. He didn't make the rules, he just played the game.
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