Bonds*

[drew6013]

who cares about steroids. It was part of the game. was it cheating? yes. but cheating is part of baseball. you are fool if you think otherwise. drew

[RiggoDrill]

The way the media has handled the whole PED thing has been pathetic - inuendo, obfuscation, and ignorance.

Barry Bonds may not be a very nice man, but he hits the baseball very hard and establishing himself as the all-time Home Run King will be a fitting acheivement to cap a brilliant career.

[bomp helium]

hey Bonds haters, if you don't like him, don't watch him...

He's a joy to watch...the eyes, the incredible bat speed, the discipline...he's the best pure hitter since ted williams...steroids don't help you do that...

where's your outrage about the NFL?...ya think maybe some of those guys used steroids maybe?...hello?...

the two sportswriters who made a career from trying to bring down the big dog are small little men...ever seen em?...bitter little bat boys who can't run from the computer to the coffee machine without wheezing for air...a truly pathetic, whining pair...like most sportswriters these days, I see...

I don't care if he's a jerk...I think I'd have little patience with garbage-spewing sportswriters as well...a crisp summation of what goes on between the lines is the sum total of what we want from a sportswriter...

Probably half the league used steroids in the day, BEFORE THEY WERE MADE ILLEGAL...that includes oh, say maybe Clemens, Gagne, Pettite, Lidge and just as many pitchers as hitters...they're illegal now, so it's safe to assume none of the above are using them...and Bonds is still thumping the ball, at 42...hell, I have trouble getting out of a chair at 42...

please, use your brains...this is just the media doing what they do...squeezing every last bit of a blood out of a dead horse...

it's shame you all missed Bonds in 2005...walked 232 times...walked intentionally with the bases loaded...the most feared hitter EVER...

so go ahead and celebrate Babe Ruth, a loud-mouthed drunken jerk if there ever was one, or the smug, bitter Hank Aaron...I'll celebrate Bonds, who's just as much of a jerk as those guys but with better plate discipline...

[TomSiebert]

Yes, Bonds is a jerk. Yes, he cheated. Yes, he's probably still cheating.

BUT -- During his heyday a bunch of guys were juiced. Some of them actually LIED in front of Congress. Those are the guys you should REALLY be angry with. One of them pointed his finger at our elected representives and copped such an attitude as he swore he never used steroids. A season later, he was busted for steroids.

More pitchers than hitters have been busted for steroids. How many pitchers were hurling under the influence to Bonds?

Mark McGwire cried like a baby and said he wasn't there to talk about the past instead of fessing up. How disgraceful is that?

I'm not here to defend Bonds. But he's a black man, and he's getting more sh!t about this than anybody else. Does anybody else think there might be a connection? It's not the only thing, and it's not the only thing by far, but if you don't admit there's more here than face value, you're not being any more honest than he is.

tws

[Roscodog]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I actually like Bonds.

[dinsdale]

Say it ain't so!! Defenders of Bonds???? He and all the other cheaters should be left out of the HOF - he's as innocent as O.J.

Bonds was a Hall-of-Famer already in the mid 90's - blinding speed, great defense, thirty HR's a season, a fantastic all-around player. At the age when ALL ballplayers slow down - he suddenly got a lot better? More powerful? It's a slap to all the players who did not cheat to support this guy now.

I also hope somewhere down the road they can tie some evidence to the commissioners office or some owners to show that they knew what was going on and turned their back on it. Just like with Enron the bad eggs need to be discovered and tossed out for the good of everyone else.

[Roscodog]

I'm not defending him, and I'm not saying he didn't use steroids, I'm just saying I kind of like the guy. I liked him during the period you talked about when he was a great player, skinny and probably not using anything. I just didn't quit liking him.

[dinsdale]

He was always one of my favorites - the best player in baseball in the mid 90's - but that player is long gone. Tempted by the drugs, maybe mad about the attention given McGwire, who knows?? I used to be a big Pete Rose fan also but I cannot support him any longer either.

[markp65]

Some of the responses within this thread reveal everything anyone needs to know about how this country has gotten into the deep, numb slumber we're in. Wow.

I can hear the big call right now... "Ahem... Your attention please. Ladies, gentlemen, shoulder-shruggers, excuse-makers, whaddaya expect-ers, cynics, justifyers, remote control operators... Now batting for the San Francisco Giants, here he is, Left Fielder...

BOOM! There goes number 756... It's back... It's deep... It's being brought to you by Bigwoozy Beer... It's... O'er the land of the woefully indifferent and the home of the willfully blind! Woo hoo! He did it! Mission accomplished! Heck of a job Bondsie!"

I need to get on board with this. Shopping channel should have the BB 756 commemorative plaque to stick above the mini-mansion mantle any moment now... Certainly by the time the Paxil kicks in. BB is gonna look awesome between the Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch pewter plates. Wonder which Am-Idler they're gonna get to lip-sync the anthem?

One question: To those of you who'll be leading the studio audience cheers when Barry breaks Hank's record... exactly what is it that we're applauding? Thanks!