Posted on 07/26/2007 12:17:43 PM PDT by BGHater
When Barry Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's career home-run record, he will receive a mixed reaction from baseball fans, his peers in the major leagues, and the men governing our national pastime.
Although Bonds has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, allegations of steroid use emerged during the BALCO investigation. San Francisco Chronicle reporters used leaked grand jury testimony and painted a disturbing picture of his training methods.
This controversy will forever taint Bonds' epic power surge. His record won't come with an asterisk, but it will join the list of dubious achievements earned by athletes under suspicious circumstances.
Here are 11 of the most glaring examples:
Lance Armstrong's Tour de France winning streak
Many European cycling fans view Armstrong the way many baseball fans view Bonds — with skepticism. Armstrong never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs while winning the Tour seven times in a row, but published reports in Europe have detailed alleged infractions.
The French newspaper L'Equipe claimed it could prove six of Armstrong's urine samples from the 1999 Tour tested positive last year for the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO). Armstrong's official response to that story: "I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance enhancing drugs."
He has been the subject of much newspaper, magazine and book reporting on the topic. Each time he denied the charges. The subsequent Floyd Landis controversy marred the sport, though, as did widespread doping admissions by former cyclists.
Michael Strahan's NFL sack record
The New York Giants defensive end was running out of time to break Mark Gastineau's 17-year-old record of 22 sacks in a season. Strahan was stuck on 21-1/2.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.foxsports.com ...
(*)....
B.S. Nothing tainted about Armstrong's amazing feat.
Although Bonds has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs ... has he ever tested negative for PEDs? If not then the statement should be "Although Bonds has never beem tested for performance enhancing drugs ..."
Sorry, but quoting the French in the Lance Armstrong case just destroys all credibility. They hated the fact that he came in and won THEIR race year after year after year. Lance was one of the most drug tested athletes in the history of sports.
I liked him up until yesterday when I saw him cycling with Silky Pony...
Usually I see stuff like that first on FR, ot e-mail, but I got that yesterday. I like it, and hope vick gets his arse chewed right off.
Nothing tainted about Armstrong’s amazing FEET!....
I liked him up until he divorced his wife and started slumming around with that toilet paper skag.......
His association with that commie bitch Sheryl Crowe didn't bug you?
I'm not real familiar with the ins and outs of baseball, but, as a protest, can't teams just decide to walk Bonds every time he goes to bat so he never breaks the record?
Sports writers are egotistical morons, bitter at the world because everyone makes more money than them.
Gordie Howe’s sixth decade of hockey? Richard Petty’s 200 victories? Marite Koch, 400-meter world record? No one gives a damn about those.
I remember Gordie Howe as a great hockey player, Petty as great racer, and Koch....well, I don’t remember Koch.
God how I’d love to see him mauled by dogs. Poetic justice.
Unproven allegations against Lance Armstrong by the French? Hmmmm got anything else? If not, then Lance remains untainted...
Yes, they could. I hadn’t thought of that, it’s a damn good idea.
At least in the sports world.........
They could, but he gets up to the plate around 400-500 times a season. If they were to put him on base every time, that would give the Giants a free runner. A lot of baseball games are close games, decided by a couple of runs.
Of course, they can just throw at him and try to injure him...
Somewhere on that list should be Mark McGwire’s 1998 record of 70 home runs.
The hell it won't...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.