In all likelihood, history will be made sometime this week. Barry Bonds will finally break the all-time home run record currently held by the legendary Henry Aaron. You don't need me to tell you this. Its been the talk of the sports world for a long time now.
The controversy remains the hot topic. Did he use steroids? Is the record legitimate? Has he tarnished the sport and its image? Should we honor the accomplishment? What kind of message does this send to kids?
Allow me to present this situation in a new perspective. There are a few things we should keep in mind before passing judgement on Bonds.
First of all, we must respect the American principle of Innocent Until Proven Guilty. Baseball is the National Pastime, and must respect the American Legal System and its traditions. Suspicion is not guilt. Yes, there is certainly much that causes suspicion, but thus far nothing has been discovered that can point to certain proof in a court of law. Until guilt is proven, we must accept his record as legitimate accomplishments.
In addition to proving the use of any chemical supplements, it must also be proven that those supplements somehow enhanced his ability to perform on the playing field. Certainly, steroids and growth hormones will enable a player to hit a ball further. But no chemical will enhance a player's hand/eye coordination and increase his ability to actually make contact with the ball more consistently. Steroids increase strength, but not synaptic reflexes which control muscle speed. They will also will not improve a player's decision making ability on the field or help him identify a pitches more accurately. A stronger player is not necessarily a smarter player.
There are numerous accusations regarding power hitters using steroids. But few people are talking about pitchers using steroids. Why? Pitchers now are capable of throwing many more pitches than they did 30 years ago, and they throw the ball faster with a more complex variety of pitches. The stress and torque put on a pitcher's are is much greater now than it was in decades past. We see many pitchers returning to top playing form soon after injuries and surgeries that would have ended a carreer in years past. Yes, medical science has improved greatly since 'the old days'. But common sense tells us that if hitters are using substances to get ahead, then it stands to reason that pitchers would be doing it too.
We also need to consider the legality of the substances in question. How can you punish a player for using something that is new and has no laws to prohibit it? When the current steroid rules were written, HGH (Human Growth Hormone.. a synthetic form of a chemical produced naturally in the human body) did not exist. Only recently has it become commercially available. If it did not exist, then there certainly cannot be any rule to specifically prohibit it. And if they pass a rule today to ban it, then they can not reasonably punish a player for using it last week You just can't go back and apply rules retroactively.
Some people have said their is a rule that prohibits performing enhancing substances, and this blanket rule implys a ban on HGH and any new substances that might come along. I call that arguement bullshit. GATORADE is a perfomance enhancing substance... it is a liquid potassium infusion that prevents cramping in the muscles. But nobody is rushing to ban Gatorade. They are trying ot pick and choose which substances they allow and which ones they do not.
Lets look at this from the historical perspective. When Aaron broke his record, he was subject to a great deal of bigotry and hatred. His race was an issue with many fans. Even in 1974, there were many whites in this nation who refused to accept the success of the Civil Rights Movement. Many people argued that Aaron had an unfair atheletic advantage because he was black. The theory was that black men were bigger and stronger than the average white man due to selective breeding during the slave era, which continued on down the line to the present time. (The same bigots who used this argument were careful never to claim that blacks were 'physically superior' due to this breeding. They too chose to pick and choose the details they acknowleged.)
Clearly the racial issue faded with time and education. Aaron was simply a superior player, and history has recognized this fact. The record of Henry Aaron does nothing to diminish the accomplishments of Babe Ruth, who's record Aaron shattered. They were two different men, playing in two different eras. It is worth noting that Ruth's carreer was also steeped in controversy and many people hated him vehemontly during his playing days.
There are many other arguments that people are using in attempt to discredit Bonds' record. The balls are made differently. Stadiums are built differently. The bats are made differently. Global warming has changed the atmosphere to favor hitters. The uniforms are made differently and allow easier arm movement. The list goes on. If you can imagine it, it has been used to discredit Bonds.
The record books are full of statistics that can be called into question. The question is this: should we really quesion them all? Look long enough at any great player, and flaws will be found.
The bottom line is this: Under the current rules, Bonds has set the record fair and square. If something is revealed later that strikes his feats from the recordbooks, then we will can start awaiting the next superstar to discredit. Alex Rodriguez is closing in on home run #500. I hope he realizes whats waiting for him in a few years. He better start clearing the skeletons from his closet right now.
The controversy remains the hot topic. Did he use steroids? Is the record legitimate? Has he tarnished the sport and its image? Should we honor the accomplishment? What kind of message does this send to kids?
Allow me to present this situation in a new perspective. There are a few things we should keep in mind before passing judgement on Bonds.
First of all, we must respect the American principle of Innocent Until Proven Guilty. Baseball is the National Pastime, and must respect the American Legal System and its traditions. Suspicion is not guilt. Yes, there is certainly much that causes suspicion, but thus far nothing has been discovered that can point to certain proof in a court of law. Until guilt is proven, we must accept his record as legitimate accomplishments.
In addition to proving the use of any chemical supplements, it must also be proven that those supplements somehow enhanced his ability to perform on the playing field. Certainly, steroids and growth hormones will enable a player to hit a ball further. But no chemical will enhance a player's hand/eye coordination and increase his ability to actually make contact with the ball more consistently. Steroids increase strength, but not synaptic reflexes which control muscle speed. They will also will not improve a player's decision making ability on the field or help him identify a pitches more accurately. A stronger player is not necessarily a smarter player.
There are numerous accusations regarding power hitters using steroids. But few people are talking about pitchers using steroids. Why? Pitchers now are capable of throwing many more pitches than they did 30 years ago, and they throw the ball faster with a more complex variety of pitches. The stress and torque put on a pitcher's are is much greater now than it was in decades past. We see many pitchers returning to top playing form soon after injuries and surgeries that would have ended a carreer in years past. Yes, medical science has improved greatly since 'the old days'. But common sense tells us that if hitters are using substances to get ahead, then it stands to reason that pitchers would be doing it too.
We also need to consider the legality of the substances in question. How can you punish a player for using something that is new and has no laws to prohibit it? When the current steroid rules were written, HGH (Human Growth Hormone.. a synthetic form of a chemical produced naturally in the human body) did not exist. Only recently has it become commercially available. If it did not exist, then there certainly cannot be any rule to specifically prohibit it. And if they pass a rule today to ban it, then they can not reasonably punish a player for using it last week You just can't go back and apply rules retroactively.
Some people have said their is a rule that prohibits performing enhancing substances, and this blanket rule implys a ban on HGH and any new substances that might come along. I call that arguement bullshit. GATORADE is a perfomance enhancing substance... it is a liquid potassium infusion that prevents cramping in the muscles. But nobody is rushing to ban Gatorade. They are trying ot pick and choose which substances they allow and which ones they do not.
Lets look at this from the historical perspective. When Aaron broke his record, he was subject to a great deal of bigotry and hatred. His race was an issue with many fans. Even in 1974, there were many whites in this nation who refused to accept the success of the Civil Rights Movement. Many people argued that Aaron had an unfair atheletic advantage because he was black. The theory was that black men were bigger and stronger than the average white man due to selective breeding during the slave era, which continued on down the line to the present time. (The same bigots who used this argument were careful never to claim that blacks were 'physically superior' due to this breeding. They too chose to pick and choose the details they acknowleged.)
Clearly the racial issue faded with time and education. Aaron was simply a superior player, and history has recognized this fact. The record of Henry Aaron does nothing to diminish the accomplishments of Babe Ruth, who's record Aaron shattered. They were two different men, playing in two different eras. It is worth noting that Ruth's carreer was also steeped in controversy and many people hated him vehemontly during his playing days.
There are many other arguments that people are using in attempt to discredit Bonds' record. The balls are made differently. Stadiums are built differently. The bats are made differently. Global warming has changed the atmosphere to favor hitters. The uniforms are made differently and allow easier arm movement. The list goes on. If you can imagine it, it has been used to discredit Bonds.
The record books are full of statistics that can be called into question. The question is this: should we really quesion them all? Look long enough at any great player, and flaws will be found.
The bottom line is this: Under the current rules, Bonds has set the record fair and square. If something is revealed later that strikes his feats from the recordbooks, then we will can start awaiting the next superstar to discredit. Alex Rodriguez is closing in on home run #500. I hope he realizes whats waiting for him in a few years. He better start clearing the skeletons from his closet right now.
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