Hank Aaron said in a video message played on the scoreboard after Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run:
“I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on becoming baseball’s career home run leader.
It is a great accomplishment which requires skill, longevity and determination. Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement.
My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams.”
What do you think of this record? Is this record tainted? Who is the greatest homerun hitter ever?
Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron’s message is professional and generous at the same time.
Barry Bonds denies chemical assistance and has never failed a drugs test: ‘innocent until proven guilty’. He’s allowed to play within the current regime and his achievements should be recognised.
Is the question “Is the record tainted?” a legitimate ‘critical appraisal’ question, or is it innuendo and implied lack of respect that we discourage on this blog?
Is this record tainted is the word ESPN and other major sports sites are using. It’s just a question and it’s legit. He said he used steroid but unknowingly. I think Willie Mays is the best ever.
>>Barry Bonds denies chemical assistance and has never failed a drugs test: ‘innocent until proven guilty’.>>
I’m afraid you’re mistaken there. Innocent until proven guilty is an assumption used in court proceedings. Public opinion is under no obligation to make the same assumption.
A good rule of thumb is if you constantly hear the question “Is this record tainted?”, it probably is. It proves that people don’t trust it.
The greatest home run hitter is still clearly Ruth, who hit a homer once every 11.7 times at bat. Even with steroids, Bonds is well behind that, at one homer every 12.9 times at bat.
Aaron is well behind those two, at one every 16.3, though he was a model of consistency. For a guy who never hit 50 homers in a season to hold the all-time record for 30 years, he had to be a strong performer all the time.
Willie Mays is behind Aaron at one every 16.5.
If you play long enough records will fall. Barry Bonds has long ceased to be a great outfielder and is around just for his bat and even that is quite self-centered – he hasn’t led the Giants to any major championships, just helping his own stats. Clearly he must have superior skills but just as clearly had the benefit from disallowed medications. For you and I in the public, 5-10% difference in muscle mass, strength, etc. won’t make a difference but to an top level athlete, even 1% is often the difference between victory and defeat.
Ultimately, what really hurts him before the fans is that he has at times seemingly gone out of his way to alienate his teammates and fellow players – the one group which should be most sympathetic to his situation.
My verdict: good – even at times great, but in the end, just a curiosity – no one would seriously consider discussing him with Mays, Mantle, or Aaron.
In many ways, this whole episode is completely opposite of the injustice handed Susan by the FIDE in 1999 when they took away her world title by (1) not allowing her adequate time to recuperate from having her baby, and (2) holding the entire match in the challenger Xie Jun’s native country, China.
Fact: In grand jury testimony, Barry Bonds testified that he took steroids over the course of five (5) years while he played Major League Baseball. Although he testified that he unknowingly took steroids before the grand jury, it is hard to believe that he unknowingly ingested and used steroidal creams over a period of five (5) years without knowing their content or side effects. To presume that one of the highest paid and profile athletes in sport would arbitrarily do so while in the presence or under the supervision of his team’s professional trainers and physicians is silly. Simply stated, by admitting to taking banned steroids, yet by claiming that he knew nothing about them, Bonds is simply trying to pass all the blame onto BALCO for his own actions.
Do we no longer take a man at his word; is Barry Bonds unfit to testify in his own behalf and admit his own guilt?
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/01/11/144916.php
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/123059.html
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/whitecollarcrime_blog/2006/12/ninth_circuit_c.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_(sport)
Should we allow all chess players to use computer assistance, and claim to somehow be the equal of unaided chess players? Of course not. Barry Bonds admitted under oath in federal court that he used unnatural performance enhancing drugs while participating in Major League Baseball for at least five (5) years.
Hank Aaron’s — and likewise Susan’s — record should remain intact.
An achievement should not be tainted just because public opinion asks if it is tainted. There must be a more objective standard.
‘Anons’ should not make statements that would get them sued if they were not anonymous. For that reason, they lack credibility. Actually, they might leave the blog-owner legally liable: I don’t know the law on this.
Meaningless legal threats are nothing but childish bullying (fear) tactics best left on the playground or in back-lot gang fights. The fact remains: Barry Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used performance enhancing steroids and steroidal creams for at least five (5) years while playing professional baseball for the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball. Thus, to consider his home-run record on a par with Hank Aaron’s is alike equating computer-assisted chess player’s play with unassisted chess player’s play.
For any naysayers, ponder this question: If a man confesses to a murder, and without prompting or coaching (independently) describes his crime in intricate detail before anyone else in society even knows about the crime, yet no murder weapon is ever found, and, in the absence of any other evidence pro or con to the crime over a reasonable length of time, do we still hold him responsible for the crime?
Reinstate Hank Aaron’s unassisted home run record.
Restore Susan Polgar to FIDE World Champion.
Susan Polger was never ‘FIDE World Champion’. She was the ‘FIDE Women’s World Champion’ – and is now a former FIDE Women’s World Champion – like Antoaneta Stefanova [as in a later SP post, but with capitalisation].
Actually, SP could maybe be FIDE WWC again if she wanted to go for it: JP presumably still isn’t interested in gender-qualified titles.
In my opinion Bonds is a phoney.
Ruth, Hank Aaron, Wille Mays those guys among many others were real great baseball players. Baseball disgraces itself by allowing this to take place. It came down hard on Pete Rose why does it allow Bonds to run rampant?
Bonds is the Kramnik of baseball.
One good aspect of this new homerun record: the Designated Hitter role played no part.
If a DH had broken the record, the new record would be tainted.
I used to like the DH rule, but the game has changed.
GeneM
Well, this will be debated for years to come. I’m not a big follower of baseball, but enjoyed it as a kid. My heroes were Willie Stargell and Steve Blass.
Will we ever have true baseball heroes like we had years ago? I don’t know. I don’t hear kids talking of Bonds like we used to banter about the Pirates “Family” in the late 60’s. Maybe that says something… Rich
Bonds does hold the record. The one for: Most homeruns by a “roids” user.
The straight homerun record has yet to be broken. Perhaps A-Rod can do it.
As FIDE illegally, immorally, and unfairly took Susan’s FIDE World Title (enough already, if you don’t know that it was the FIDE Woman’s World Chess Title, I suggest that you spend your time collecting cereal-box labels and not discussing chess) from her, the ONLY fair compensation (in addition to the fine levied against the FIDE and which they already paid her, that in itself an admission of guilt) is to restore her title WITHOUT HER HAVING TO REPROVE HER CLAIM. This bullying tactic by Kirsan will not subside, it will hang over his head until he makes FULL COMPENSATION to Susan.
The problem is of his making. As long as he runs FIDE only he can solve it.
Null and roid
This comment has been removed by the author.
its a legitimate record. if you do a careful analysis of his record you will see how great it is. so lets start with a precise analysis and not one tainted by racism and non factual information.
1) bonds hit his home runs at sea level ball parks. both pittsburg old three river stadium was and san francisco att is extremly diffuclt to homer inside. were not talking coors field were a pop up becomes a homer. you have to seriosuly crank the baseball to get it out of sea level stadiums.
2) he did it against latin and black players that were never around when babe ruth played. which was basically just a league of white players. so essentially the talent level now is 3 times when ruth played
3) he hit alot of home runs before he got big. when he weighed 180 pounds. other than his single season record of 73 he has always been in the 30-40 homer range way before the steroid allegations
4)the year he switched bats to maple in 2001 is when he set the single season 73 homer record. so the bat being harder would improve his ability to hit homers
5) hes known to weight life and do creatine which puts on a lot of weight
6) you naturally put on wieght when you age
7) the feds have been chasing him looking at every possible source to try and find definitive proof he did steroids but have found nothing
8) he never gets pitched to and the one or two pitches he faces he hits them for homers
9) he faces specialty pitchers and hitter scouting reports which guys like babe ruth never faced
you add this up and include his record 7 mvps. the only man in history with 500/500 homer and stolen bases. his all time walks record. you combine that with 8 gold gloves. you have the hitting equivelent of babe ruth and the running and fielding ability of willie mays. hes the best ever. theres no question about that. the steroid allegations are complete bullshit. made up by the whites hating another nigger breaking a record in there white mans sport. lets face it they use hank aaron as a tool to get to bonds. they couldnt care less about hank aaron. if they can use hank aaron to bring down bonds the racism is more hidden. its all a racist joke to bring down a truly remarkable player.
Anon of 4.00pm: lots of shouting there, probably cathartic but not impressive on the page. Chill pill time.
A previous Anon was specific about a title of Susan’s, not least because she has four, and there others which she does not have.
I fail to see how a thread about baseball turned into a rant about FIDE.
As far as I know, SP has and makes no claim on the FIDE WWCh chess title, and if she has, her most effective route is to go win it back.
I suspect she could, while contributing to the futures of the USCF and mankind at the same time.
wolverine2121,
Respectfully, although I find it impossible to show any respect for anyone, of any race, social group, or age that refers to anyone of any race via expletives, your filthy-mouthed accusations are pure and simply hate-mongering. Secondly, why are you comparing Barry Bonds to Babe Ruth? Barry Bonds supposedly broke Hank Aaron’s Major League home run record, not Babe Ruth. Please do a web search for a photo of Henry Aaron; he’s obviously–and proudly I might add–an African American. Rant and rave all you like, the fact that Barry Bonds cheated while breaking Henry Aaron’s Major League Baseball Home Run record is undeniable.
Your hate-mongering merely magnifies Bond’s mistake, not makes up for it.
Barry Bonds will NEVER be able to shine Hank Aaron’s shoes, on the field, or off.
Perhaps more than any other great athlete ever, Henry (Hank) Aaron exudes sportsmanship, achievement through excellence, and leadership. By comparison, Barry Bonds’ feats are alike those of a chess player’s play while receiving illegal computer assistance during a match. His (her) feats appear magnificent upon first examination, but when the illegal assistance is factored in, these feats become tainted and merely ordinary.
This comment has been removed by the author.
wheres your proof you son of a bich. the whites like to use hank aaron to hide there racism. when hank aaron broke his record he got tonnes of hate mail. i refer to bonds as a nigger because thats my imitation of a white person referring to bonds. i personally dont use the term. this all ties into racism which is now back and in full force in the usa. look at schools in the south there mostly segregated. the country is moving backwards in terms of civil rights. the bonds achievment is all about race. furthermore there is absolutly no proof bonds ever did steroids. theyve been testing since 2004. hes probaly been tested more than anyone and they have never ever found steroids in his system. he already hit alot home runs when he was skinny so was he doing steroids then?????? he hit 500 home runs when he was skinny prior to 2001. what do you have to say about that. dont ever use hank aaron as a way to shred barry bonds achievment. thats so obvious what your doing. you couldnt care less about hank aaron except if you can use him to diminish bonds achievment. if i saw you on the street id rip your eyes out you piece of garbage.
wolverine2121,
Obviously, by even bringing up racism [Could you be a black racist, a proverbial Uncle Tom? Malcolm X warned us about you self-righteous types. Unfortunately, his warnings are rarely heeded anymore.], which is, in this case clearly a facetious argument, merely shows your own desperation in defending Bonds, and suggests that your argument on Bonds behalf has no merit whatsoever.
The proof against Barry Bonds is his own testimony (confession) in front of a federal grand jury investigating BALCO’s steroid dispensations to MLB players where he admitted that he used steroids over a period of at least five (5) years while playing for the San Francisco Giants of the National League. The current grand jury convened to look into Bonds role in these and other drug deals is in session through 02/2008. In light of the public outcry that followed his testimony, Bonds amended his testimony in public by claiming that it was all BALCO’s fault that he used steroids, and that he was merely a baseball player.
Thus, you claim that if you confess to a crime in front of a federal grand jury, a confession that is recorded/reported accurately and not coerced from you, as well as not elicited from you under false pretenses; and later you change your story and say that you did nothing wrong at all because now you conveniently forget your earlier testimony or simply lie about it, that we should not object?
That you have the gall to claim that Hank Aaron is a puppet of whites purely reflects more on your own ignorance than it does on Hank. How many death threats did Barry Bonds get before/after breaking Aaron’s record? How many angry white racist demonstrators did Barry Bonds ever have to stare down in Deep South MLB parks during pre game warm-ups? Spare me your spoiled, ill-informed, self-righteous ranting about how much prejudice Barry Bonds has suffered. Instead, tell us how Bonds abandoned a wife and child and lost the subsequent paternity suit. Tell us how Aaron works with inner-city ghetto kids, of ALL RACES.
Your vile, selfish, ill-informed, ungrateful words merely reflect your ignorance and lack of gratitude to those who walked the picket lines in the race riots, to the civil rights leaders that brought you crust of bread and better education, to those that sacrificed their own futures so that your ilk could live their dream of equality in America.
In the words of the great Malcolm X: “You are not my brother, you will always be a prisoner to your own prejudice. Your words are those of a naive, selfish, spoiled fool.”
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060414/ai_n16168756
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060727&content_id=1578457&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Hey! Now there’s an idea: let me use a chess computer program while playing grand masters and maybe I’ll win a few games! Split the point between Fritz and me.
Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports
by Mark Fainaru-Wada, 2006, Penguin Group (USA), ISBN 1592401996
“The book is among the most damaging accounts of reported steroid use by Bonds. According to the authors, Bonds began using stanozolol, the same drug for which Ben Johnson tested positive after winning the 100 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics, starting in the 1999 season. By 2001, the year Bonds broke Mark McGwire’s single-season home run record with 73, he was alleged to be using the following performance-enhancers:
* “The cream and the clear,” two alleged designer steroids distributed by BALCO
* Human growth hormone allegedly sold on the black market by cancer patients to whom it was legitimately prescribed
* Insulin, which reportedly enhances the bodybuilding effects of growth hormone
* Testosterone decanoate, a steroid often nicknamed “Mexican beans” or “Red beans”
* Trenbolone, a steroid typically used in livestock, especially cattle
* Stanozolol, sold under the brand name Winstrol
The authors also allege that at other times he used:
* Clomid, a drug normally prescribed for infertility used to mask the effects of steroid use
* Deca-Durabolin, a common steroid used by bodybuilders
* Norbolethone, a steroid developed for the meat industry in the 1960s but never marketed because of doubts about its safety. This drug was the foundation of “the clear,” which was reformulated at least twice.
According to the book, Bonds was inspired to use steroids after watching McGwire’s 1998 home run record chase with Sammy Sosa. He began working with Greg Anderson, who would later be hired by the Giants. Anderson reportedly received the substances at issue from BALCO. He also kept meticulous records of Bonds’ program; the authors report that Anderson’s records indicate that Bonds took up to 20 pills a day and learned to inject himself. The book also claimed that the Giants chose not to confront Bonds about his change in physical appearance, fearing that they would alienate their star slugger, or worse from the team’s standpoint, create a drug scandal immediately before the opening of their new stadium.
Bonds sued the authors and publisher of the book over its use of grand jury documents and tried to block the publishers and authors from profiting from such documents. On March 24, Judge James Warren denied the request, citing free speech protections for the authors and that the lawsuit had little chance for success. On June 12, 2006, Barry Bonds dropped his lawsuit against the authors.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Shadows
http://www.gameofshadows.com/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592401996/ref=nosim/bestbookbuys00
756 is nothing compare to Sudaharu Oh record of 868 home run in his 22 seasons with Japanese Profesional Basebal League.
Sudaharu Oh is the MAN.
this baboon never read a word of what i said let alone understood it. bonds has never been proven to have taken steroids. unlike you i dont convict someone until theres definitive proof. you dont even understand what i said about hank aaron. i said the whites use hank aaron to get at bonds. they care nothing about hank aaron at all. i have never said anything bad about hank aaron himself you illogical irrational low comprehension level monkey. listen carefully to what is said before you start making absurd statements that i called hank aaron names. as for bonds why is he even bigger now after hes been tested for steroids repeatedly by baseball. obviously if he was doing steroids and then stopped shouldnt he shrink in size. yet he seems to have gotten bigger since he stopped taking them. if you had even one shred of logic even a tiny shred of rational thought to your words someone might actually listen to your incoherent rambling.
wolverine2121,
With your name-calling and moronic ranting and raving Susan should censor you. Bonds used Clomid, a drug normally prescribed for infertility used to mask the effects of steroid use so he would pass the tests. You, like Bonds, are nothing but a phony.
Celebrating 756: Boy, That Was Awkward
JOHN MCGRATH; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: August 9th, 2007 01:00 AM
“Six nights before Barry Bonds touched home plate and turned toward a reception committee notable for its stiff smiles, the Seattle Mariners’ Yuniesky Betancourt ended a 12th-inning tie with a hit that set off a celebration reminiscent of a scene from ‘The Sandlot.’ Betancourt, nimble as a tailback, had to execute a series of deft moves to avoid getting tackled by the giddy mob that rushed the infield.
Recalling the shortstop’s ear-to-ear grin, I wonder: How is it possible for a routine single, in a middle-of-the-week night game, to pack more spontaneous joy among teammates than the blast that broke the most revered record in pro sports?
The scripted ceremony in San Francisco wasn’t depressing – that’s too strong a word – but it didn’t stir the soul or warm the heart. The life-affirming mood of elation that should’ve underscored a slugger’s 756th career home run was replaced by the sense that a dubious record chase deserves an awkward aftermath.
Bonds’ son, Nikolai, was first to greet him at the plate – actually, the only person to greet him at the plate – but rather than embrace the teenager, Bonds pointed to the sky in acknowledgment of his late father, Bobby Bonds.
A few feet away lurked the great Willie Mays, concentrating on untangling a microphone chord, too busy to savor the moment. Mays looked like the cruise director of a ship that already had sailed.
At least commissioner Bud Selig wasn’t in the house to make things even clumsier. When Bonds hit No. 755 on Saturday in San Diego, Selig got up from his seat, only to suffer a panic attack: Should I cheer like a fan, you could see him wondering to himself, or wear the look of a stern taskmaster?
He settled for resembling a tourist who lost his cash card.
Substituting for Selig in San Francisco were Major League Baseball executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, although nether participated in the 10-minute ceremony.
‘Please direct your attention to the video board,’ the ballpark public-address announcer blared, ‘for a very special message from a very special someone.’
The video board revealed the familiar face of Henry Aaron, whose 101-word congratulatory statement was typically gracious. Aaron called the record ‘a great accomplishment which requires skill, longevity and determination.’
As the TV camera showed Bonds watching the dethroned home run king on the giant stadium screen, it created a tableau that might have been imagined by George Orwell.
The real Aaron was home in Georgia, asleep.
When the fireworks smoke cleared, play resumed with the Giants leading the Washington Nationals, 5-4, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bonds had gone 3-for-3 on his big night, having hit a single and a double before belting the opposite-field homer that sailed into the stands in left-center field. His trademark swing was back – and enough adrenaline remained in his tank that he could have performed cartwheels and handstands between every inning – but this home run chase was never about winning games or invigorating a listless, last-place team.
The Giants arranged for Bonds to take his position in left for the top of the sixth, then depart to the tune of another standing ovation. The game? The 8-6 defeat San Francisco suffered was an afterthought, the least of anybody’s concerns.
With Bonds out, the producers on the ESPN2 telecast replayed the homer, again and again.
‘A 435-foot shot,’ play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien said. ‘Nothing cheap about it.’
Wrong. It was as cheap as a forged autograph, as cheap as a phony replica jersey, as cheap as all the other home runs Bonds has hit since 1999, when he decided that if such lesser talents as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa could make headlines with their beefed-up power numbers, he could trump both of them.
So a Hall of Fame player got familiar with some the most advanced performance-enhancing drugs yet invented – drugs that, combined with masking agents, defy detection – and began an astonishing assault on the record book.
Bonds hit as many as 45 homers once during his first 13 years in the majors; since 2000, he has done it five times, including the single-season mark of 73 in 2001, which he achieved at age 37.
Bonds’ natural concession to the aging process would have put him in the 550-600-homer range at retirement. Now, after homering again Wednesday, he’s at 757 and counting. No wonder the milestone homer in San Francisco felt less like a main event than a requiem for a heavyweight.
As Bonds was thanking everybody from his teammates to the Nationals, his former trainer, Greg Anderson, spent another night behind bars. Anderson, incarcerated for the past year, refuses to cooperate in the perjury case prosecutors have assembled against his longtime friend.
Bonds bristled when Anderson’s name was mentioned by a reporter during the postgame news conference – you’d bristle, too – but he was surprisingly u pbeat about the phone call he took from the commissioner.
Selig later issued a statement about baseball’s formal recognition of the homer record, which could be condensed into three words: To be continued.
As for the man of the hour and his uncertain future inside the storm of the century, O’Brien, the ESPN announcer, put it best.
‘No major leaguer,’ he said, ‘has ever been in the place he is now.’
With skill, longevity and determination – not to mention the miracle-working drugs that morphed a superior baseball player into a superhuman one – Bonds has arrived at a place nobody has gone before.
But it’s a lonely and melancholy place, a place where the new home run champ declined a hug from the son in front of him in order to recognize the father he couldn’t see.”
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/columnists/mcgrath/story/129075.html
how can you say any records before non whites is legitimate. should babe ruth records be legitimate. did babe ruth face pitchers like pedro martinez or johan santana. did he face the black josh gibson who has the single season record of 1.12 era. did he face joel zumaya with his record breaking 107 mph fastball. the answer is no he didnt. he faced white players with not the same ability of todays players and torched them. that to me deserves 150 asteriks besides babe ruths name. as far as hank aaron even he never faced alot of the latin and black players of todays game. when he started playing blacks were very few in number and the latin players were scarce. the game now is so much better because of the inclusion of latin and black players that bonds achievment is absolutly legitimate. you probaly have never hit a baseball in your life. steroids dont help you hit a 100 mph pitch to straight away center. ask anyone player and theyll tell you steroids does nothing to help you hit a pitch. thats if he did steoirds which he didnt you imbicile. its never been proved that he did steroids. about the masking of steroids. if they are able to mask steroids so easily why do they even have testing. doesnt that defeat the purpose. you cant mask steroids they can find out if steroids is in your system by checking your testosterone levels. obviously your mentally challenged. your arguments are so weak and pathetic. some loser writes a book and you belive that. some guy whos trying to save his ass in victor conte says he gave anderson masking agents and you belive a con artist???? get some real hard facts not just facts written by people tyring to make a profit or losers trying to avoid jail time.
Ha ha ha ha this is really funny. “The accused doth protest his innocence in spite of the evidence most profoundly.”
Cheezy cheezy cheezy = Barry Bonds
This is not over yet, Bonds is still being investigated. If he gets away with his cheating, then I’m going to implant a computer program under my skin and become the brilliant chess player that ever lived, without equal. Then, I will use it to cheat at cards and become ultra wealthy, too.
People will forever marvel at my brilliance, and only little wolverine2121, Barry Bonds, and me will know the truth. It’ll be out little secret.
Bonds Exposed
Shadows details superstar slugger’s steroid use
Posted: Tuesday March 7, 2006 2:55PM;
Updated: Tuesday March 7, 2006 5:32PM
NEW YORK (SI.com) — Beginning in 1998 with injections in his buttocks of Winstrol, a powerful steroid, Barry Bonds took a wide array of performance-enhancing drugs over at least five seasons in a massive doping regimen that grew more sophisticated as the years went on, according to Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters at the forefront of reporting on the BALCO steroid distribution scandal.
The authors [of Shadows], Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, describe in sometimes day-to-day, drug-by-drug detail how often and how deeply Bonds engaged in the persistent doping. For instance, the authors write that by 2001, when Bonds broke Mark McGwire’s single-season home-run record (70) by belting 73, Bonds was using two designer steroids referred to as the Cream and the Clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle.
BALCO tracked Bonds’ usage with doping calendars and folders — detailing drugs, quantities, intervals and Bonds’ testosterone levels — that wound up in the hands of federal agents upon their Sept. 3, 2003 raid of the Burlingame, Calif., business.
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.
According to the book, Bonds gulped as many as 20 pills at a time and was so deeply reliant on his regimen that he ordered Anderson to start “cycles” — a prescribed period of steroid use lasting about three weeks — even when he was not due to begin one. Steroid users typically stop usage for a week or two periodically to allow the body to continue to produce natural testosterone; otherwise, such production diminishes or ceases with the continued introduction of synthetic forms of the muscle-building hormone.
Bonds called for the re-starting of cycles when he felt his energy and power start to drop. If Anderson told Bonds he was not due for another cycle, the authors write, Bonds would tell him, “F— off, I’ll do it myself.”
When informed of the book this morning and asked if he was concerned about it, Bonds told a group of reporters gathered around his locker, “Nope. I won’t even look at it [the book]. For what? I won’t even look at it. There’s no need to.” He then walked away.
The authors compiled the information over a two-year investigation that included, but was not limited to, court documents, affidavits filed by BALCO investigators, confidential memoranda of federal agents (including statements made to them by athletes and trainers), grand jury testimony, audiotapes and interviews with more than 200 sources. Some of the information previously was reported by the authors in the Chronicle. Some of the information is new. For instance, in an extensive note on sourcing, the authors said memos detailing statements by BALCO owner Victor Conte, vice president James Valente and Anderson to IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky were sealed when they first consulted them, but have been unsealed since.
The preponderance of evidence is by far the most detailed and damning condemnation that Bonds, formerly a sleek five-tool player, built himself into a hulking, record-setting home run hitter at an advanced baseball age with a cornucopia of elaborate, illegally-administered chemicals. Through 1998, for instance, when he turned 34, Bonds averaged one home run every 16.1 at bats. Since then — what the authors identify as the start of his doping regimen — Bonds has hit home runs nearly twice as frequently (one every 8.5 at bats).
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.
According to the book, Bonds, in comments to his mistress, Kimberly Bell, often dismissed McGwire with racially-charged remarks such as, “They’re just letting him do it because he’s a white boy.” But Bonds looked at McGwire and his hulking physique and decided he needed to dramatically increase his muscle mass to compete with him.
It was immediately after that 1998 season, the book said, that Bonds hooked up with Anderson, a gym rat known to obtain steroids and growth hormone from AIDS patients in San Francisco who were legally prescribed the drugs but sold them to make money. The authors write that the San Francisco Giants, Bonds’ employer, would later discover through a background check that Anderson was connected to a gym that was known as a place to score steroids and that he was rumored to be a dealer. Yet the Giants — who didn’t want to upset their superstar — continued to allow Anderson free reign about their ballpark and inside their clubhouse.
The authors write that Anderson started Bonds on Winstrol, also known as stanozolol, the longtime favorite steroid of bodybuilders, disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson and baseball player Rafael Palmeiro. In 100 days, Bonds packed on 15 pounds of muscle, and at age 35 hit home runs at the best rate of his career, once every 10.4 at bats. But he also grew too big, too fast. He tore his triceps tendon, telling Bell that the steroids “makes me grow faster, but if you’re not careful, you can blow it out.”
The book said Anderson and Bonds subsequently tweaked the program, adding such drugs as the steroid Deca-Durabolin and growth hormone, which allowed Bonds to retain his energy and physique without rigorous training. Not only did the growth hormone keep him fresh, but after complaining in 1999 about difficulty tracking pitches, he noticed it improved his eyesight as well.
Bonds added more drugs after the 2000 season, when Anderson hooked up Bonds with BALCO and its founder, Conte, according to the authors. In addition to the Cream and the Clear, the steroids designed to be undetectable, Bonds took such drugs as Clomid, a women’s infertility drug thought to help a steroid user recover his natural testosterone production, and Modafinil, a narcolepsy drug used as a powerful stimulant.
Whereas Anderson’s drug acumen had been forged in the gym culture, Conte and his chemists brought Bonds to another level of sophistication, by prescribing him elaborate cocktails of drugs designed to be even more effective and undetectable. For instance, the authors write that in 2002, when Bonds won his fifth MVP Award and had a .700 on-base percentage in the World Series, he was fueled by meticulous three-week cycles in which he injected growth hormone every other day, took the Cream and the Clear in the days in between, and capped the cycle with Clomid. The cycle was followed by one week off. The authors write that Anderson usually administered the drugs to Bonds at Bonds’ home, using a needle to inject the growth hormone and a syringe without a needle to squirt the Clear under his tongue.
In addition to detailing the drug usage, the excerpt portrays Bonds as a menacing boor, a tax cheat and an adulterer given to (probably because of the rampant steroid use) sexual dysfunction, hair loss and wild mood swings that included periods of rage. The authors report that Bonds gave Bell, with whom he continued his affair after his second marriage in January 1998, $80,000 in cash in 2001 from memorabilia income not reported to the IRS. Theirs was a volatile relationship. Bell retained answering machine recordings of him after he threatened to kill her, remarking that if she disappeared no one would be able to prove he even knew her.
In 2003, as their relationship completely unraveled, Bell angered Bonds by showing up late for a hotel rendezvous. According to the excerpt, Bonds put his hand around her throat, pressed her against a wall and whispered, “If you ever f—–‘ pull some s— like that again I’ll kill you, do you understand me?”
A few weeks later, the authors write, Bonds told Bell, “You need to disappear.”
In secret grand jury testimony obtained by the authors, Bonds testified that he did not know what the substances were that Anderson gave him and he put in his body, saying at one point, “It’s like, ‘Whatever, dude.'” Bonds testified under a grant of immunity, though he was told the immunity did not extend to perjury.
Bonds begins this season with 708 home runs, seven short of passing Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list and 48 from surpassing Hank Aaron as the all-time leader. Three knee surgeries limited Bonds to 14 games last season, have reduced his mobility and left in question his fitness for regular duty this year.
In October, Conte was sentenced to four months in prison and four months of home confinement as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Anderson pled guilty to money laundering and a steroid distribution charge. He was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement. Valente pled guilty to reduced charges of steroid distribution and was sentenced to probation.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/news.excerpt/index.html
Well, if bonds is so innocent, where iss all the public outcry? Where is the NAACP? Why are no other great African American sports players publicly supporting Bonds? If Bonds is so innocent, why isn’t Oprah jumping all over the accusers? Why isn’t Jesse Jackson jumping all over the media, the accusing Major League Baseball (MLB) players, the BALCO defendants, the trainers, etc.?
If Bonds is so innocent of steroid use, where is his support?
You already know the answers to these questions.
Barry Bonds’ Alleged Mistress Speaks Out
Monday, August 08, 2005
NEW YORK — This is a partial transcript from “At Large With Geraldo Rivera,” Feb. 12, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.
GERALDO RIVERA, HOST: Say it ain’t so, Barry Bonds. One of our guests says she was the slugger’s lover for 9 years. And tonight you’ll hear her say she saw him using the steroids the home run champ has vehemently and often denied.
Her name is Kimberly Bell. And beginning when she was 24 years old, Kimberly says for the next nine years she was the slugger’s girlfriend and later mistress after he married. We have reviewed a series of documents presented to us by Kimberly, including airline tickets, love notes and photographs and believe there is substantial evidence that a relationship existed. You are about to hear, for example, a voice mail message left by the slugger.
BONDS: You better reach out and page me once in a while or you’re up to something other than that. Girl, I ain’t playing.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
RIVERA: And while the story of a baseball player’s love life is off our usual beat, what Kimberly has to say about the single-season home run king’s alleged steroid use may be relevant since it may shed light on what is being called the worst drug scandal in baseball history.
Kimberly joins us from San Francisco along with our friend Aphrodite Jones, the best-selling author with whom Kimberly, incidentally, is writing a tell-all tentatively title, “Bonds’ Girl.”
Ladies welcome.
Kimberly, before you tell us about your relationship with Barry Bonds, what evidence, if any, do you have of his alleged steroid use?
KIMBERLY BELL, BARRY BOND’S FORMER MISTRESS: What I’m familiar with is all of the changes that occurred in his body over the course of those years as a result of the intimate relationship that we did have.
RIVERA: Describe that would you Kimberly?
BELL: Some of the changes included everything from acne on his back to a great deal of bloating that he was very concerned about that other people would notice.
RIVERA: What do you mean concerned about? Did he mention to you he was afraid the fans or his teammates might notice a change in his body?
BELL: Absolutely, yes. And he wanted to know if I thought it was obvious. And that if I thought that other people would be aware of it.
RIVERA: And what did you answer?
BELL: I smiled politely and said no, everything was fine.
RIVERA: Did you ever experience any of what they call roid rage with Barry?
BELL: I have some experiences with that, yes. For example, if he was angry with something I would say or upset, he would be very quick to draw his hand back as if to hit me just to see me flinch so that he could laugh about it.
APHRODITE JONES, AUTHOR: What is interesting about that is that Barry Bonds changed his behavior with Kimberly Bell. She is with him from 1994 through 2003. And it wasn’t until he allegedly admitted to her that he used steroids that his behavior started to change. And he became much more aggressive, much more controlling and became somewhat physical toward her in a way that was frightening to her and threatening to her.
RIVERA: But wait a second, Kimberly, I didn’t hear you say that Barry admitted using steroids. Did he admit, specifically, to using them to you?
BELL: Yes. And it is something that we will discuss in the book.
RIVERA: Just be a little more specific this evening.
BELL: Yes, he did tell me. He told me between ’99 and 2000 that this is something that he was doing.
JONES: He told Kimberly Bell that he used steroids, because he had an arm injury, Geraldo. And he used it, in his words, not the way everybody else used it, that he wasn’t shooting anything up. Kimberly, perhaps, you can say it exactly the way Barry told you.
BELL: The way he explained to me was that what he was using was helping him recover quicker from his injuries. And that as a result of that it caused the muscles and then the tendons to grow at a faster than the joint could handle.
RIVERA: All right. So he never used, specifically, the word steroids?
BELL: Oh, no, he used the word steroids. He said this was something everybody was doing.
RIVERA: And also Kimberly has evidence of other players who also are major names under investigation that Bonds made her aware of that were using steroids.
I’m just wondering, why now Aphrodite. Are you trying to cash in on the steroid scandal?
JONES: Geraldo, let’s face it, the steroid scandal is the biggest thing to hit sports that we know of in decades. And as it happens, my work with Kimberly Bell on her story — remember Kimberly Bell was Barry Bonds’ girlfriend for 9 years. She gave a decade of her life to this man who wound up getting married. And she decided to stay with him, regardless because this is the love of her life.
I understand this as a woman. And I also, in working with Kimberly, throughout 2004, found out not only does she know about his steroid use, but she knows a lot of things about what it is like to be a Barry Bonds girlfriend and sit waiting by that phone and jump how high when that man calls.
RIVERA: Are you a gold digger, Kimberly?
BELL: Absolutely not. I had a great job at this time.
JONES: And you know something, Geraldo.
RIVERA: Wait a second, wait a second. I know a lot of things. But Kimberly, go back to you. What do you think of Barry Bonds in the pursuit of the home run title? Should it be tarnished by what you saw?
BELL: Absolutely.
RIVERA: Tell us.
BELL: There are a lot of fans out there paying a lot of their hard-earned money to go watch these players play. And to know that they are making millions off of what is essentially a lie. It’s kind of sad.
RIVERA: And as you sit there tonight, you say that Barry Bonds’ prowess as a hitter, as a slugger is a lie?
BELL: Some of it, yes. Everything after, I’d say, 2000.
RIVERA: And the reason being?
BELL: That I’m aware he used them, based on what told me.
RIVERA: Steroids.
BELL: And the physical changes that I’m aware of. Correct.
RIVERA: And when he testifies that he never knowingly took steroids: Is Barry Bonds lying?
BELL: I believe so.
RIVERA: Kimberly, where do you hope this takes you?
BELL: I would like the equivalent of what was owed to me, which was either the house or the two-years income that I lost which almost equates to each other. And then I want to get on with my life and be able to do so. And at this point, I can’t. And it is difficult to watch him on TV every day smiling and talking about what a great familyman he is, what a great athlete and giving credit a lot of credit to a lot of people.
RIVERA: And not you. OK, Kimberly. I appreciate it, Kimberly Bell, Aphrodite Jones. “Bonds’ Girl,” the book they have on the market.
I appreciate you’re coming by for this exclusive interview. Thank you very much.
JONES: Thank you.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147456,00.html
The Full Audio Clips from the previous article:
BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICEMAIL: Message marked urgent saved today at 6:14 a.m.
BARRY BONDS, PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER: Hey, you know I hate talking to this thing. You know I can’t take it if I don’t know where you are. Later.
VOICEMAIL: End of message.
BONDS: You better reach out and page me once in a while or you’re up to something other than that. Girl, I ain’t playing.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
Barry Bonds and the “Urban Myths” About Steroids
Gary Gaffney – August 7th, 2007
As we all know, a huge trail of controversy continues to follow Bonds and his achievements. There’s his peevish personality, kept under wraps in recent days, and, most significantly, his alleged use of anabolic steroids. But there are several “urban myths” surrounding this controversy as well.
The major issue regarding the legitimacy of Bonds’ home run record continues to be his purported use of anabolic drugs. Although referred to as “a steroid user,” sources indicate Bonds’ use of anabolic drugs goes far beyond steroids.
Myth #1: Steroids were not prohibited by the MLB when Bonds allegedly used the drugs.
Wrong. In a well-documented 1991 policy memo, MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent told all MLB clubs that steroids were prohibited in baseball. Current Commissioner Bud Selig reiterated that policy in 1997. Thus, during the summer of baseball rejuvenation, when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire engaged in an “pharmacological” home run derby, anabolic steroids were clearly prohibited in baseball. Likewise, during the preponderance of Barry Bonds’ MLB career, baseball clearly prohibited steroids.
This myth exists because, with the interference of the MLB Player’s Association, a steroid testing policy with teeth was not implemented until 2003.
Myth #2: Steroids were not illegal when the big home run hitters allegedly used them to increase power in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Anabolic steroids were never “legal” to be dispensed by trainers, street pushers, friends or meddlers like BALCO boss Victor Conte. Steroids, long recognized as powerful medicines with serious side effects, were only available with a physician’s prescription.
Furthermore, the The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 and the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 made anabolic steroids a Schedule III controlled substance. A physician needs a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled substance number to prescribe these drugs. The DEA also mandates special procedures for prescribing them requires physicians to justify such prescriptions to patients in a more rigorous manner than other drugs.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and amphetamines are likewise DEA-schedule drugs with many of the same stipulations (in the case of amphetamines, even more).
Myth #3: Bonds never took steroids, never tested positive for steroids, etc.
There are many aspects of this myth. First, if one refers to the main source document, Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (a book that has never been refuted or legally challenged), one finds evidence indicating that Bonds “allegedly” took more drugs than just steroids:
* A number of anabolic steroids including THG, a steroid never marketed or approved for U.S. use; also stanozolol, trenbolone, and nandrolone
* HGH
* Insulin
* Clomid (a fertility drug that steroids abusers use to prevent estrogen side- effects like gynecomastia:abnormally large mammary glands)
* and (as named in media sources) Stimulants
Further, if Bonds obtained these drugs from BALCO executive Victor Conte and/or personal trainer Greg Anderson, as related in grand jury testimony, then there was no legal prescription for them (as if use of these drugs would be legal in a healthy MLB player anyway).
Although it may be true that Bonds never tested positive for anabolic steroids (and even this may not be true), Bonds appears to have tested positive for amphetamines in 2006.
Finally, Bonds admitted to a U.S. grand jury that he used steroids known as “the cream” (a testosterone-based ointment) and “the clear” (a designer steroid called THG). The transcripts were sealed but later leaked. Bonds claims he didn’t know these were steroids, a statement very hard to believe.
Many observers, including the press, continue to propagate a confusing fog of misinformation about Barry Bonds’ use of performance-enhancing drugs. In summary, the important points to remember include:
* MLB did prohibit steroids as early as 1991; anti-doping testing, however, did not occur until 2003
* Anabolic steroids, as well as HGH, are illegal without a justified physician’s prescription
* The Bond controversy involves not only anabolic steroids but other anabolic and performance-enhancing drugs as well as stimulants
Myth #4: Steroids won’t help players hit home runs.
Some fans argue that it takes hand-eye coordination to hit home runs, and that “steroids (PEDs) will not improve this athletic skill.” Once again wrong. An athlete needs basic skills to perform at a high level. However, drug enhancement of athletic ability clearly occurs.
Research indicates that a baseball’s velocity coming off the bat is related to bat speed. Researchers have shown that muscle development increases bat speed, and thus “hit ball” velocity. Weight training will improve bat speed; anabolic drug use can add extra power.
Other PEDs improve athletic performance, too. Stimulants improve concentration as well as motor coordination. HGH, in conjunction with steroids or insulin, appear to improve strength and recovery. For each aspect of human performance, a drug can be found to enhance that parameter.
Lastly, as I’ve written at Steroid Nation, when anyone whines about how unfair life is to superstar Bonds, just remember that doctors involved in the steroid business — such as James Shortt who wrote prescriptions for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers – and the trainers are ending up in jail. The players using drugs go free.
Performance-enhancing drugs will continue to be a problem in the U.S., although the impact may be mitigated with laws declaring the use of such substances prosecutable as sports fraud. European countries prosecute drug cheats with such statues, although it remains to be seen how ultimately successful such efforts will be.
http://blogs.britannica.com/blog/main/2007/08/barry-bonds-and-the-urban-myths-about-steroids/
get a life you white loser. most people belive barry did nothing. just a few racist kkk members that believe criminals like victor conte who is trying to avoid jail time or some book from a guy trying to make a profit who will write anything and say anything to increase book sales. next thing youll tell me you read a book that we have aliens living on this planet. where does your stupidty end. we know the answer it doesnt. your a moron of morons. you believe anything you read. get a life. your a nobody.
70%+ Major League Baseball Fans Favor Bonds Censorship
Baseball fans, the results are in in a recent poll conducted exclusively at 22 Major League Baseball stadiums: 29,322 favored Bonds censorship as all-time MLB home run king while 11,718 favored that he be acknowledged in spite of his steroid abuse. Of the 50,000 ballots distributed at the parks, more than 80% were returned validating the result.
There you have it, the fans have spoken.
wolvwerine2121,
I hope that someday, when you grow up, that you can overcome your racism. That you can cast aside your pitiful prejudices and live the dream that so many African Americans demand. The issues, facts, details, and people will speak and think for themselves. That you shadow box with a phantom Caucasian rather than address these issues, facts, details, and people only speaks volumes of your own fears and prejudice…words wisely once proffered by my first cousin, the great Arther Ashe.
Barry Bonds’ Shocking Confession: “It Was The Hemorrhoids.”
Record-breaking 2001 Season is Forever Tarnished
In a posting on his personal website, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds confirmed speculation that he did indeed have hemorrhoids during the magical season in which he hit seventy-three homeruns. For years Bonds has lived under a tarnished reputation as a player who succeeded by cheating, and for years Bonds has denied any wrongdoing – until Monday.
“I’m tired of running from the press, I’m tired of living a lie to the fans,” the internet posting read in part. “I hit seventy-three homeruns because I had hemorrhoids, and only because I had hemorrhoids. Without them, I could not have performed at the level I did. I am ashamed on this day, and will be forever haunted by those ‘roids. I know my legacy is tarnished, and I have myself and the ‘roids to blame.”
Bonds falls into a grey area, given the current high standards of testing in Major League Baseball, and may actually escape any punishment whatsoever. When Bonds had the ‘roids, the league was not yet testing for them. Now, with Bonds on the verge of breaking sports’ most vaunted record – Hank Aaron’s lifetime homerun mark of 755 – Bonds says he’s ready to play it straight. But MLB is not exactly happy about the record being eclipsed.
“He took advantage of a loophole in the rules because we weren’t on the lookout, and his performance as a player was enhanced due to the ‘roids,” said MLB spokesman Adrian Crone. “Most certainly, there were other players with ‘roids, but I don’t think any of them benefitted like Bonds did. Except Mark McGwire. And Sammy Sosa. And Brandy Anderson. And Jason Giambi. And Ivan Rodriguez. And Jose Canseco. And roughly forty-one percent of the league.”
—- See Shocking Before and After Pictures on weblink (below)—-
Since Bonds was clean of ‘roids by the time testing was implemented, he will continue to play for the San Francisco Giants this season at a salary of over $15 million, and will continue to persue the homerun title. Bonds says his days of cheating are over, and now he’s ready to play for a World Series title.
“I now know that ‘roids are not the path to victory, and real glory lies in hard work,” Bonds’ statement read. “As a five-time MVP, I can say that all future records will be broken by a hemorrhoid free Barry Bonds.”
Hank Aaron, now living in rural Georgia, says he does not know how Bonds’ announcement will affect him. “Remember when I hit the record breaking homerun and those two white guys came out and ran the bases with me? What the hell was that all about?” Aaron said in a released statement.
“Get out of my house, white boy,” Aaron added.
Whether Bonds breaks the record and ends up in the Hall of Fame is yet to be decided, but a cloud will forever hang over the head of Barry Bonds and his ‘roids.
http://thisblogisabomb.blogspot.com/2007/02/barry-bonds-shocking-confession-i-did.html
what more proof do i need than bonds never testing positive for steroids!!!!!hes been tested probaly more than anyone in baseball since they began testing in 2004. i believe legitimate sources like major league testing. which im sure uses very advanced teqniques to find steoirds in a persons system. bonds has actually gotten bigger than he was in 2004. so if he was doing steroids from 2000 shouldnt he have shrunk in size??? yet hes gotten bigger. you rely on facts by criminals and people tyring to increase book sales. they have absolutly zero credibility. yet a racist like you doesnt need credibility from a source to try and take down a supreme accomplishment by a black man. youll believe a street thug selling crack on a corner if it allows you to discredit a black man who has reached the highest level of achievment.
Inside word is that the commissioner is waiting for the legal investigationcommission to make their final ruling on Bonds, then comes the censure.
Hmmm…interesting reading, only why is this person repeatedly ranting and raving about racism? This is like guys caught shining/poaching deer claiming prejudice against anyone using headlights.