Greater Respect for Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds and his Godfather Willie Mays celebrate No. 756!

My respect for Barry Bond’s abilities and accomplishments increases each day as I find out more and more pitchers, like Roger Clemens, were “juiced” (on steroids). I suppose I should have known all along that pitchers were the primary users/abusers of steroids. The very act of pitching creates strains on arm, back, legs, the whole body, which keep pitchers on the trainer’s table more than any of the position players.

There were other, not subtle, indicators that pitchers had joined the ranks of the chemically enhanced. The JUGGS guns provide the evidence.

I remember a few decades ago when any pitcher with a fast ball that cracked 90 mph was called a “flamethrower.” Now that we’re in the era of the routine 100 mph fastball, the 90 mph one is called a “change-up.”

How did pitchers go from a century of struggling to top 90 mph, to two decades of 100 mph hummers?

Go ask Roger. Just get in line behind the Congressmen.

While you’re waiting, consider this.

Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Babe Ruth played on an even playing field, because no one was juicing in those days.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, etc., were playing on an even playing field because almost everyone was juicing.

The guys that weren’t sat on the bench and cashed the little paychecks, and didn’t last long in the majors.