Hi Kelly,
I don’t know you so I guess I should stop by admissions and introduce myself once the semester begins. I’m not sure I would make a good first impression when we meet. You see, besides being a professor at Lourdes I am also a lifelong Yankees fan and Barry Bonds is my favorite player! I do think we have some things in common however. It is clear from your blog that you are passionate about baseball. I don’t know anyone who likes baseball more than I do. It is also one of my life’s goals to see a game at every major league stadium. I have been to 20 MLB parks and 6 AAA parks so far but they are building new parks faster than I can visit. I also agree that steroids have hurt the game of baseball. However there are a number of points in your blog that I disagree with and I would like the chance to respond.

Have you ever seen pictures of him before he got good? He was just your average size baseball player.

Bonds was good from the beginning! He was a three time All American at Arizona State.
He was the sixth player taken in the 1985 draft. He spent less than one season in the minor leagues before he became a star with Pittsburgh. Bonds was listed as 6’2 195 his rookie season. He is currently listed as 6’2 230. I have gained more than 35 pounds in the last 22 years and I know it wasn’t from steroids. In addition he comes from a great gene pool. His father Bobby was an all star and had perhaps the best combination of speed and power of any player in the game. Unfortunately alcoholism kept Bobby from being one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Barry’s second cousin is “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson. Barry’s aunt (I am sorry I don’t remember her name) won an Olympic gold medal in track and field. For good measure Willie Mays (his godfather) took young Barry under his wing and mentored him (perhaps trying to compensate for an often distant or absent father).

Do I think Barry took steroids? Probably. What impact did that have on his career? In the book “Game of Shadows” there is a compelling mathematical analysis of possible steroid use on Bonds’ strength and number of home runs. Assuming for the moment Bonds achieved his current 755 home runs with the help of steroids, how many might he have hit without them? Without going through the math on this space, a credible estimate seems to be between 600 and 650. That would make him “only” the fourth greatest home run hitter of all time, trailing Aaron, Ruth, and Mays. That I think is the real shame. Bonds didn’t need to cheat to be a certain inductee into the Hall of Fame. Instead of celebrating one of the greatest players the game has ever seen we are booing and pointing fingers.

The Baseball Hall of Fame banned Pete Rose from ever being voted in. Why? For cheating? No. Not even close. They will not let him in because he bet on baseball games. That's it. He did not cheat, he did not fix games, he simply placed bets.

Rose bet on baseball. I don’t think you should minimize the impact that may have had on the integrity of the game. He was a manager at the time. I do believe that Rose was enough of a competitor that he never bet against his own team. However even betting on his own team could have altered the way he managed the game and ultimately the outcome. The number of possible scenarios in which Rose’s gambling could have influenced the outcome of games are nearly endless. Let me suggest just one hypothetical scenario. As I am sure you know, baseball is a long season and a manager has to have a long term view. There may be times when you have to let a game go to protect your players for the long haul. You sacrifice one game to keep your players rested and healthy for the rest of the season. Now suppose Rose bet heavily on his team to win when he had his ace pitching. He might be inclined to leave that tired ace in during a close game that he needed to win to avoid losing big money rather than go to a shaky bullpen. What effect does that have on that ace pitcher later in the season or later in his career? Also isn’t not betting on your team when you normally bet for your team to win an indication that you lack confidence you can win? Isn’t that a defacto bet against you team? What Rose did was a very real threat to the integrity of the game. In my opinion a manager betting on baseball (even just on his own team) is a far more serious problem than a player using steroids.

Until Pete Rose is voted in, I will not ever see the hall of fame

That would be a shame. Regardless of what you think of Bonds or Rose, the Hall of Fame is a wonderful place to visit. Baseball has a rich and colorful history. To be able to see artifacts from that history up close, even for only a day, is an experience every true fan should experience.

I would like to make one last point. How are we to judge Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, et al? With the exception of Raffy none of the others have ever been caught (if you don’t count Sammy’s exploding bat). Don’t you think there are pitchers who use steroids? How many more home runs could Bonds and have hit if he didn’t have to face pitchers who were juiced? Since MLB began a more serious (but still inadequate) drug testing program most of the players who have been caught have been minor leaguers and guys who ride the bench. My guess is that many players are juiced, perhaps as many as 20%. This makes it impossible to compare players across generations. In the “deadball era” Frank Baker hit something like nine home runs in one season. He hit so many he earned the nickname “Home Run” Baker. Was he better than Babe Ruth? Ruth’s training regimen consisted of beer and hot dogs. What could the Babe have done if he had lifted weights and had a personal trainer and dietician like so many of the modern players? I think when we look back at this period in baseball history we will have to put all records in the context of “the steroid era”. To single out Bonds as a cheater is unfair.

Bob Campbell
PS There may be hope for me in your eyes. I’m married to a Tigers fan!

I was not going to respond because this isn't a baseball forum, but those who know me, know I have a hard time keeping quiet, especially about one of my passions.

I am not saying at all that Barry Bonds wasn't a good player from the beginning. I'm not saying it is impossible to gain weight. You pointed out you have gained more than 35 pounds in the last 22 years. I'm assuming it wasn't all muscle like Bonds though. Just a guess. I don't know of ANYTHING that will make your head bigger in size, except for steroids.

As for pitchers taking steroids, absolutely I think they do. However, that is comparing apples and oranges. Pitchers are not taking steroids for the same reason that hitters take steroids. Pitchers are not trying to bulk up, that would be bad for a pitcher, because they need to be flexible on the mound, not huge. Pitchers take steroids for a different reason. A lot of people do not realize that steroids are not only performance enhancing, they make you bigger, faster, stronger, but steroids are probably one of the greatest anti-inflammatory drugs out there. They are taking the steroids to recover quicker. Their arms get sore fast from pitching. Steroids will relieve that soreness so they can pitch more balls per game and more games.

To say I am calling out Bonds is not correct. I know there is a lot of juicing in baseball. I actually think 20% is low. I think the number of players juicing is (or at least was) much higher. I think even Pudge Rodriquez who plays for the Tigers juiced. It's funny how he was much bigger and Jose Canseco's book comes out and he drops 20 pounds. I am not saying Barry Bonds is the ONLY player in baseball to juice. But he is the only one who broke the record. That is why he is under the microscope. If it happened to be my favorite player Brandon Inge nearing the record and I thought he juiced, I would be writing the same thing.

I think it says a lot about Bonds when the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, stands with his hands in his pockets when Bonds ties the record. I think it says a lot about Bonds when he watches his homeruns go over the fence with his arms in the air.

"How many more home runs could Bonds and have hit if he didn’t have to face pitchers who were juiced?" Well you could easily flip that around and say how many homeruns would Bonds be short if HE hadn't juiced. It does go both ways. Bonds taking steroids is what makes that warning track ball a homerun. Would he have broke the record if he hadn't juiced? The world will never know.