Beginning in 1998 with injections in his buttocks of Winstrol, the same steroid used in the 1988 Olympics by Ben Johnson and last year by Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds allegedly took a wide array of performance-enhancing drugs, including human growth hormone, over at least five seasons in a massive doping regimen that grew more sophisticated as the years went on, according to Game of Shadows, a book to be released later this month written by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams.
No shit.
Am I the only one who doesn't care? I guess I understand the furor of 'doping' and such in sports, but I don't share in it. Did Ben Johnson not actually run really fast? Does Bonds not hit the ball very very far with a great deal of regularity? And don't feed me the 'bad for their health' line - I don't think it's a big secret that professional athletes tend to end up with permanent impairments. It's part and parcel with pushing for every last ounce of performance.
Update: In the comments, Bill adds
I'll say it: legalize performance enhancing drugs. Most have legitimate real-world applications and under a doctor's supervision aren't that hazardous. With the legitimate drugs and vitamins available, along with training improvements gained from DNA research, the line is becoming extremely fuzzy.My thoughts precisely.
There are ballplayers with 20/20 vision who are having Lasik surgery for that slight improvement to 20/10 or 20/15. Athletes have hyperbolic chambers in their bedrooms to simulate high altitudes.
Mr. Furious feels, er, differently:
Bonds is going to wish he retired. The treatment he receives at ball parks this year will be merciless. I cannnot imagine that even his hometown fans will restrain themselves after reading this. Good. Bonds is a complete dick, seemingly without any redeeming qualities. Others who have been caught (Giambi) have issued mea culpas, asked for understanding, or at least been stand-up or nice guys in other ways. Not Bonds. He has been a prick his whole career and taken it to new levels since this BALCO thing broke. . . it just cements him as a the asshole and liar we all suspected as well.Well, there is that as well...
6 comments:
I've left this elsewhere, but this pretty much covers it for me:
I'll say it: legalize performance enhancing drugs. Most have legitimate real-world applications and under a doctor's supervision aren't that hazardous. With the legitimate drugs and vitamins available, along with training improvements gained from DNA research, the line is becoming extremely fuzzy.
There are ballplayers with 20/20 vision who are having Lasik surgery for that slight improvement to 20/10 or 20/15. Athletes have hyperbolic chambers in their bedrooms to simulate high altitudes. Here's an article from Outside magazine where the author underwent 8 months of more or less illegal performance enhancements. Interesting stuff.
Make it all legal.
I'm in it for the schadenfreude. I hate Bonds, and will relish his Tour of Shame all season long.
If only he were a Yankee.
My take.
Many years ago, a comedian suggested the idea of an all-doping Olympics. (I think it was George Carlin, but I'm not sure.)
Think about weight-lifting: Imagine a weight-lifter who, in addition to years of hard-core training, and the use of human growth hormone, and steroids, also took a hit of angel dust before going out to clean and jerk a couple of tons! Yeah! Hulk SMASH the record books!
(Huh-huh, I said 'clean and jerk'.)
No one else is going to point out the difference between hyperbolic and hyperbaric and hypoxic and hyperoxic?
It wouldn't be very hyperbolic to say that I can be pedantic from time to time.
Now there is hyperbaric oxygen therapy that is therapeutic for burn victims, and many athletes claim benifits from hypoxic sleeping combined with hyperoxic training, on the other hand for the serious super duper supernatural training regime there are these Hyperbolic Time Chambers.
So I don't have a point just a question, Bill, which is your favorite Dragon BallZ character?
oops.
I can't answer for Bill, but my favorite is Vegeta. That's probably not at all a surprise,
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