Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Let's get this over with already, OK?

The Bonds stuff is bubbling back to the surface with the Giambi brothers testifying. Greeeaaatttt. Couldn't be happier more sick of this stuff. Let's hope that we can put it in our rear-view mirrors as soon as possible...at least until Bonds is HOF eligible.

From Jason Giambi's previous testimony, pertinent to Bonds and his usage:

Giambi: “So I started to ask him: ‘Hey, what are the things you’re doing with Barry? He’s an incredible player. I want to still be able to work out at that age and keep playing. … [But Anderson] didn’t ever talk about who he was dealing with, or what Barry was taking. He never explained anything.

“You know I assumed because he’s Barry’s trainer – you know, Barry – but he never said one time, ‘
This is what Barry’s taking, this is what Barry’s doing.’ He never gave up another name that he was dealing with or doing anything with.”
We have a "presumed innocence" mandate in this wonderful country, but after all that we've read, heard, seen, I will forever believe that Bonds was only the biggest name of a huge swath of players who had been using some form of illegal PEDs to boost their performances.

I'm less concerned with the use of greenies as that upper has been used from the 50's on thru today, by many of the players already enshrined in the HOF. That's hypocritical but I don't see that drug as a body-changing agent unlike steroids. I'm not suggesting that I am in favor of players going crazy on speed just to get up for the game, but it's less egregious of an offense to me.

So when Clemens' former trainer McNamee levied this charge (via the Dead Torre Scrolls), it came as no surprise and received little fanfare:
“I didn’t know one pitcher on Toronto’s team that wasn’t taking them when he pitched,” McNamee claims in the book. “It’s speed. Guys were ‘beaning up’ to play golf after workouts.”
There isn't one name in the game over the last two decades who, if it came out he was using PEDs (steroids, HgH, etc.) that would surprise me. Not one name. I don't think anyone is above getting sucked into the allure that these PEDs provided. I would be disappointed if some of the players who I admired turned out to be users, but no one would surprise me.

I just hope the Bonds and Clemens sagas quickly fade into the ether. I just know that won't happen.

2 comments:

Craig Calcaterra said...

"There isn't one name in the game over the last two decades who, if it came out he was using PEDs (steroids, HgH, etc.) that would surprise me. Not one name."

Bartolo Colon? Rafael Belliard?

Jason @ IIATMS said...

I'd guess they thought "the cream" was something to shmear on a bagel or something.