Posted on 12/04/2004 8:24:41 AM PST by TRY ONE
Anyone have Before/After Photos of Barry Bonds ---
One photo ~ 20 years ago when Barry was ~ 180 lbs with a hat size of ~ 7 1/2;
And a recent photo showing him ~ 260 lbs with a hat size of ~ 9 3/4;
I find a bit of hypocrisy in the discussions about "performance enhancing" drugs when Viagra and Cialis are the biggest sellers for those wanting a "few more times at bat" so to speak.
If you look at a picture (facial picture) of FloJo from about 3 years prior to her Olympic exploits, it's incredible how her features changed. Classic HGH impact. Regarding Payton, well, a top-level biochemist with a PH.d in anabolic steroids once told me that if you ever wanted to design a program to create liver cancer in a person, just use anabolic steroids. It seems to me that most liver problems take years and years to slowly deteriorate into a condition where a transplant was necessary. Even heavy drinkers and drug users take a long time to develop the damage that ultimately impacts their life significantly. Sure, Payton was a hard worker and a gentleman. But he was able to dish out and take incredible amounts of punishment relative to his size differential with the 300 pound juice heads all over the NFL. We'll just choose to disagree on this one, but it seems to me that an incredible physical specimen like Payton, if he had the makings of liver cancer (which is highly survivable I might add), it would have manifested itself over more years than the sudden turn that his body took.
Regarding Mourning, again, check out his college photos and then look at his physique in the NBA. You make the call. I'm not buying the p.r. posthumous coverups on this stuff.
The main problem I have with the discussion is what is anyone talking about when discussing the term "performance enhancing drug". Is the aspirin an athlete takes to get over stiffness or pain going to be considered a p.e.d.? What about large doses of vitamins or minerals or even drinking Gatorade? What about coritsone? That seems to be an accepted drug to help movement and pain so an athlete can play.
To me I find it hard to condem an athlete when a substance may very well be legal and not banned by his sports association. Major League Baseball comes to mind. Mark McGuire took heat for taking a "supplement" that was both legal and not against the rules of his sport. I have no difficulty with the track athletes who use various methods to get rid of traces of banned substances. As long as the rules are clear to those involved. I presume, that baseball did not "outlaw" many of the substances many of the players involved in this thread took at the time they took them.
This sentence is not clear. I meant that I have no problem banning athletes or others who break rules when the rules are made known and the athlete takes steps not to be caught.
I'm a HUGE baseball fan - but this is a sin. Sure, other factors are involved in his record breaking play - but so is the juice. His records will always have astericks, in my eyes.
Sad.
http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1203/photo/1988.jpg
http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1203/photo/1991.jpg
http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1203/photo/1996.jpg
http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1203/photo/2003.jpg
I went to more games than I can count at Riverfront back in the Big Red Machine days, and Pete Rose was second only to Davey Concepcion in my hero-worship. I still hate the aptly-named "Dick" Wagner for breaking up that team. Morgan, Perez, Rose..they never did any good after their Reds days, did they? Whatta Maroon!
It doesn't matter to me personally that Pete Rose gambled, and I think he should be in the Hall of Fame, but I don't think he should ever be allowed to be involved in the competitive end of baseball again. He has proven repeatedly that, great player though he was, he cannot be trusted. Despite the cynicism and big dollars, trust in the integrity of the game is still the lynchpin. If you lose that, you're not really a sport anymore; just a boring version of Survivor
"And add in the gambling element especially football"
You know, I didn't consider that... You may have broken the code! Perhaps that's why people get so fired up about it.
The whole era is pretty much a big asterisk.
Lyle Alzado (I'm sure I butchered the spelling of his last name)
Slightly off topic, but I wonder if Jimi Hendrix ever consumed anything to enhance his performances?
Yep, Alzado is another one, and he openly admitted that steroids caused the brain tumor that killed him.
it is possible that you are correct.
FloJo did though have long time documented heart arrythmia did she not?....thought the roids could exacerbate that.
Payton was tough and very quick but never really huge so I don't know....though in his era, roid use was common.
Mourning....I profess ignorance. I have not been a fan of Pro Roundball since Erving-Dawkins days.
Giambi is downright scary.
This was Barry Bonds in college?
He has a testosterone-challenged look.
Now I think I understand why he benefited more than any other MLBer from taking the steroids.
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