So Bonds finally did it. Good for him.
Now can someone please explain to me why I'm supposed to hate someone who allegedly took substances that weren't actually banned by baseball at the time he took them? And why, if we know that amphetamines were in widespread use in the game from the time of its inception until their ban in 2005, his alleged use of steroids is somehow worse than the widespread use of amphetamines by so many others?
The inattention paid to the issue of amphetamine use demonstrates everything that is wrong with this debate. Steroids may do a lot of thing, but everything they do is indirect. For example, your time in the gym may be far, far more effective, but you still have to spend time in the gym. Amphetamines, by contrast, will directly affect your how you play on nearly a minute by minute basis. And both of them will allow you to play under conditions that might otherwise force you to remain in the dugout (Don't believe me? Go read a bio of Mickey Mantle). And yet somehow, amphetamines are ignored but steroids violate the "sanctity of the game." That makes less than no sense.
Amphetamines weren't banned until 2005. If we're going to add an asterisk to Bonds' name for alleged steroid use, then let's add an asterisk to every other name that's been put in the books prior to 2005. Because, hey, its been alleged they did something that later became illegal, and apparently that's all that matters.
UPDATE: One other thing I forgot to mention. Regarding the steroid era and the Hall of Fame.... it's not called the Hall of Skill or the Hall of Natural Physical Prowess. It's call the Hall of Fame. Words matter, people.
UPDATE II: I don't want to hear questions about Aaron v. Bonds. This isn't about who is a better human being, or who is a better role model, or the quality of anyone's character. It is about who hit more small white balls with big wooden sticks over tall fences that were very far away. No matter how much you, I, or anyone else loves sports, that's all this record really is about. The rest of it matters, of course, but not when it comes to this record.
But hey, when these two come up for the Greatest MLB Humanitarian award, drop me some more emails and we can have that debate. What's that you say? There is no such award? Oh. Right...
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