Barry Bonds and the Juice: Tropicana It Ain't

Hey guys, Sip's already written a piece for today (it appears immediately after this one), but I wanted this site to do its part in raising awareness of Barry Bonds' steroid use. The link above (click on the title of this post) leads to a synopsis of the forthcoming Barry Bonds expose Game of Shadows, penned by two San Francisco Chronicle scribes who reported on the BALCO investigation.

As regular readers know, we here at Yankees 2000 hate what steroids have done to the game, and this is the surest evidence yet that Bonds, the most prominent suspected juicer still active (and potentially of all time, although a case could be made for Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa), was actually a committed steroid user.

Of course, anyone who's watched Bonds grow (perhaps mutate is a better word) over the years doesn't need to be told that, but documented evidence is always nice.

Look at that picture. Remember that guy? Hell of a ballplayer. He, Bobby Bo and Andy van Slyke used to scare the shit out of me back in the day.

But that guy is no longer. Truth is, he hasn't been the same guy in, ooh, nigh 10 years.

And actually, that's a bit of a surprise for me. As per this article, it looks like I'll need to adjust my personal memory of Bonds' steroid use.

You see, I've long said that the surest proof that Bonds was a different player, that is, a juiced-up player, in 2001 (when his personal single-season home run record jumped from 49 to, hmm, 73) was that in the postseason of 2000, John Franco was allowed to pitch to him with the game on the line. Franco struck him out, and the Mets took home a wild 5-4 win after 10 innings.

According to the book/article, Bonds' steroid use began in 1999. Bonds was irked at watching McGwire and Sosa soak up public adoration while his paltry 37 home runs made him an also-ran. So he decided to bulk up and bulk up big. Bonds improved his ABs-per-HR rate from 16.1 through the age of 34 to 10.1 at age 35. The season? 1999. That personal single-season high I mentioned before 73? That was set in 1999.

(Although in fairness, a scrawny, pre-steroids Bonds did hit 46 in 1993. No matter what the steroids investigation proves, it is worth remembering -- in a funny way it almost seems tragic to remember it -- that of all the guys who took steroids, perhaps no one needed them less than Barry Bonds.)

Since 1999, Bonds has only gotten bigger, better, and more dangerous at the plate. Meanwhile, he has evidently grown smaller, worse, and less consistent in the sack. But that's the price you pay for a personal fortune, hitting records, and baseball immortality I guess.

But maybe that won't be the only price paid by Bonds. It remains to be seen whether the price Bonds will pay is ultimately measured only in raised eyebrows and whispers, or whether it is disrepute, asterisks next to his records, and baseball infamy the likes of which only Pete Rose could relate to.

They can't take away his fortune, but they can take away his good name and his place among the all-time greats. Will they? Time will tell.

The good news, I guess, is that no longer is the media keeping quiet on the matter of steroid abuse in baseball. Indeed, articles like this one suggest they're ready to help blow its top off.

- A.F.O.M.G.