Barry Bonds

One of the baseb entirelys around troublesome issues has been the increase employ of performance enhancing drugs. Retired category slugger, Jose Canseco has claimed that 85 per cent of big leaguers hold steroids and Xen Caminiti, who died in 2004 from drug overdose, stated in a highly announce article in Sports Illustrated that the incidence of steroid use has mushroomed to 50 per cent of active players. Although other players hit stated this figure to be exaggerated, the worry has become widespread within major league baseball.A well cognise sports orthopaedist, Dr. John Andrews asserted that there has been a dramatic rise in muscle and tendon injuries among baseball players related to the increased use of supplements creatine, adult male growth hormone, and steroids (Teitelbaum, 2005, p. 107). The use of amphetamines in major league baseball gained square(a) notoriety in 1970 when Jim Bouton, a pitcher for the New York Yankees during the 1960s and the actor of highly c ontroversial appropriate roll Four admitted using amphetamines and estimated that 40% of other players did as well.As with football, the size and strength of professional baseball players come forth to have increased markedly during the last two decades. As a consequence, suspicions of anabolic steroid use have been dramatically soared during the last decade. In 1995, the general manager of the San Diego Padres admitted to the prevalence of steroid use in at least 10%-20% of the league players (Hinitz, Yesalis, Bahrke, 2002, p. 12-13). Jose Canseco, who was the first player to hit 40 shoesrs and steal 40 bases in the same year, wrote in his book Juiced that he used steroids to help him build the muscles he needed to succeed.He also claimed that (although without proof) many a(prenominal) players in the game had done the same. This cast grave doubts on the home run records congeal by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds and others. In 2005, the congress held a special heari ng to investigate the steroid problem in baseball. Commissioner bud Selig while testifying admitted that the sports hands were tied because of a obscure agreement with the union that represented the players. Baseball was not allowed to test most players for steroids. Even for those who were exposed, punishment was light (Stewart, Kennedy, 2006, p. 61).Barry Bond, the legendary baseball player, shot to business office and fame by winning tether MVP awards in 1990s and he was recognised as the best all round player of the decade. He became the second 40-40 player in 1996, and narrowly missed the fit in 1997. In 1998, he became the first 400-400 player in history. 1 In 2000, the house belonged to Barry, who at the age of 35 was on the brink of a remarkable run of fiver career defining seasons. Up to that point, he had hit 445 home runs over 14 seasons of play. In 2000, he set a personal home run record with 49, and in 2001, he set a new all clipping record with an tall(prenominal ) 73 homing pigeons.The unprecedented late career explosion of 258 home runs in five years raised suspicions that Bonds had pointn illegal performance drugs, much(prenominal) as steroids, which Bonds vehemently denied. In 2003, Bonds hits 45 home runs, which brought him within three of his coach Mays mark on the 1. URL http//www. baseballlibrary. com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Bonds_Barry. stm, retrieved on fifteenth Dec, 06 lifetime list. In 2004, Bonds chased his 660th career home run to join Mays as third on the all time leaders list. But he just fell short of Mays record. He admitted struggling with the notion of sur notch his childhood ne plus ultra.Bonds openly admired his idol and said, I love him so much. It is hard subject to talk around (Linge, p. 178). Finally, in the fifth innings of the Giants home opener, Bonds achieved the fit and coach May verbalised immense happiness that third place on the lifetime homer list was staying within the Giants family (Linge, p. 178). Currently, Bond has 734 home runs, 22 from breaking Hank Aarons career record of 755. He could play only 14 games in 2005 take aftering three operations in his right knee, he came mainstay in full force in 2006 to bat 270 with 26 homers and 77 RBI in 130 games for the Giants in2006.Although he had arthroscopic surgery on his left field elbow in October, he still has potential power. 2 ancestry in 1998 with injection 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 to a greater extent sophisticated with passing years. These facts were published in Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters at the forefront of reporting BALCO steroid dissemination scandal.The Book revealed day-to-day detail of how often and how deeply Bonds was engaged in the persistence doping. According to the book, Bonds used the drugs in virtually ev ery conjectural form, by either injecting himself with a syringe or universe injected by 2. Retrieved from the URL http//sportsline. com/mlb/players/playerpage/7447 on 14th Dec, 06 his trainer, swallowing pills, placing drops of liquids under his tongue, and in case of BALCOs ill-famed testosterone based cream, and he applied it locally.The authors compiled the information over a two-year investigation that included, but was not limited to, court documents, affidavits filed by BALCO investigators, mysterious memoranda of federal agents (including storys made to them by suspensors and trainers), grand jury testimony, audiotapes and interviews with more than 200 sources. 3 Bond while denying the charge of steroid use was rather vague in his denial statements. In one of his statement Bond was quoted as saying, Doctors ought to quit worrying well-nigh what ballplayers are taking. What players take doesnt matter.Its nobody elses business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer. It takes more than muscles to hit homers. If all those guys were using stuff, how come theyre not all hitting homers? 4 concourse from all walks of life, from baseball fan, players, and analyst reacted to Barrys steroid controversy and the concomitant BALCO trial. Baseball player Turk Wendell reacted in Denver Post, If my personal trainer, me, Turk Wendell, got indicted for that, theres no one in the world who wouldnt think that I wasnt taking steroids.What, because he is Barry Bonds, no ones issue to say that? I mean, obviously he did it. (His trainer) admitted to giving steroids to baseball player. He just 3. http//sportsillustrated. cnn. com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/news. excerpt/index. html retrieved on 15th Dec, 06. 4. http//sportsillustrated. cnn. com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/bonds. quotes/index. html, retrieved on 15th Dec, 06 doesnt want to say his name. You dont have to. Its clear just seeing his body. 5 Journalists were although divided in their op inion regarding the issue, majority were convinced that Bonds was guilty.Journalist George Will have expressed his view about Barry Bonds, his steroid use and its impact on the baseball statistics in the following lines. According to him, (Barry) Bonds records must remain dampen of baseballs history. His hits happened. Erase them and there entrust be discrepancies in baseballs bookkeeping about the records of the pitchers who gave them up. George Orwell said that in totalitarian societies, yesterdays weather could be changed by decree. Baseball, therefore America, is not like that. Besides, the people who care about the record book serious fans will know how to read it.That may be Bonds biggest worry. 5 The group who sympathises with Barry Bonds feels that he is a victim of racial prejudice. They feel that rase if it is true that Bonds takes steroids, the attention that he receives far outshines that of any other athlete under investigation in the same probe. What the allegatio ns of steroid use criminate is that Bonds had reached his achievements on the field unfairly, and given his reputation as an unlikable player, the sportswriters and fans imagine to believe this allegation.Beyond his actual guilt or innocence in this steroid probe, the publics interest in Bonds involvement with steroids goes beyond the fact that he is an accomplished baseball player (Bloom, 2004, p. 111). 5. http//thesteroidera. blogspot. com/2006/08/memorable-steroid-era-quotes-1995-2006. html retrieved on 15th Dec, 06 Considering the fact that Barry Bonds was a steroid user, which has been proven without doubt, he should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. This is a case of cheating and deceiving the public who passionately follow the game.If he is inducted into the hall of fame, it will be tantamount to accepting his useless act, which will be detrimental to the future of baseball. Moreover, since Pete Rose was denied the hall of fame for his deceiving act, it will be justifi able if Bond is treated in the same manner. As his name is already tainted, it is unlikely that people will remember him, forty, cardinal years from now. His unsporting conduct and violation of sports ethics will finally obscure him from popular memory. Only those with excellent and untainted track record, honorable integrity, and true sportsmanship deserve to be incorporated into the Hall of Fame.References Bloom, J (2004) Barry Bonds A Biography, Greenwood Press, USA Hinitz, D. R. , Yesalis, C. E. , and Bahrke, M. S (2002) Performing enhancing substances in sport and exercise, Human dynamics Publishing Linge, M. K (2005) William Mays A Biography, Greenwood Press, USA Stewart, M, Kennedy, M (2006) Long Ball The legend and lore of the home run, Milbrook Press, p. 64 Teitelbaum, S. H (2005) Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols, University of northeast Press. The Hastings Centre Report (1985) Blood, Sweat, and Drug The high cost being number one, Vol. 15, No. 5. p. 2