B-Man
03-03-2004, 11:50 AM
This story is not going to die or fade away. Bud Selig's gag-order is an absolute joke--his attitude is, when you've got a problem, instead of dealing with it, try to sweep it under the rug! The fans and the media aren't going to let this story die, and eventually the players that are clean are going to demand a legitimate testing program to protect their own reputations.
Baseball has a major problem on their hands. This is going to be a story all season, and perhaps longer.
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The Sporting News
Mar. 3, 2004 1:37 a.m.
In an interview with Sporting News Radio's Rick Ballou, former major-league outfielder Andy Van Slyke said that Barry Bonds "unequivocally" took steroids.
Van Slyke, who was a teammate of Bonds' in Pittsburgh, shared his thoughts on the steroid controversy and Bonds' alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.
Following is a transcription from the interview ...
Ballou: How difficult will this season be for Barry Bonds?
Van Slyke: I think it is going to be very difficult. Even before Barry was taking steroids, or allegedly was taking steroids when I played with him, I weighed more than him and yet he was still a tremendous player. He still had good power and he was an MVP.
The physical facts are the physical facts and when you're thirty-six, seven, and eight years old is not when you peak with your home run production. You're supposed to do that when you're twenty-six, seven and twenty-eight years old. Not only that, you're not supposed to smash the home run record or smash your own personal record at that age.
If it's coming, I think it's probably due, just like anything else in Barry Bond's past. If it's bad press, it's usually his responsibility.
Ballou: Are you telling us, in your opinion, that it looks like Barry Bonds has taken steroids?
Van Slyke: Unequivocally he's taken them, without equivocation he's taken them. I can say that with utmost certainty.
Now, I never saw him put it into his body, but look, Barry went to the bank with the robber, he drove the car, he got money in his pocket from the bag that came out of the bank. Come to your own conclusion. Did he spend the money?
You decide. I think he did.
The physical evidence is there. People do not gain thirty-five pounds of muscle in their late thirties without a little bit of help.
Ballou: Have you thought about the fact that some players, some sluggers, look thinner this year in spring training?
Van Slyke: Of course I've thought about it. There's no question. The skewed thing about this steroid issue is you have to remember first of all that six to seven percent of the players got caught.
THG, the new synthetic steroid, was not part of that test because they didn't have any idea where to look for it; they didn't know what they were looking for. Human Growth Hormone was not part of that test. If you were caught the first time, you had a chance to take it a second time. Then, the first time, if you were caught, it was not part of the final results of the test, so the numbers could be astronomical, as far as I'm concerned.
You have to be a complete idiot to test positive but at the same time the players knew there wasn't any penalty phase, even if they were caught.
So, I would really have to believe the number, conservatively speaking, is at least double that. Having said that, that means there has to be at least four players on every team in the major leagues on steroids. That's a lot of players.
When you look at the physiques of some of these players around the league, you can understand why people are very concerned about the integrity of the game and why Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, and previously Mark McGwire ... these guys are looked at like, 'Hey, if the evidence is in front of my face, I have to point my finger somewhere and if the numbers say there's two to four players on every team, then your physique tells me that you're the guy.'
The facts are the facts. Seven percent, conservatively speaking, maybe twenty percent have taken steroids at the big league level.
Someone's taking them (steroids). It isn't Bo Hart. It isn't Randy Johnson. Let your eyes see for themselves.
If the evidence points to a certain player, then that's just the way it is. The physical evidence with Barry (Bonds) is right in front of our eyes.
I don't think we need to apologize for the fact if we think a certain player has taken them or not.
Baseball has a major problem on their hands. This is going to be a story all season, and perhaps longer.
==========================================
The Sporting News
Mar. 3, 2004 1:37 a.m.
In an interview with Sporting News Radio's Rick Ballou, former major-league outfielder Andy Van Slyke said that Barry Bonds "unequivocally" took steroids.
Van Slyke, who was a teammate of Bonds' in Pittsburgh, shared his thoughts on the steroid controversy and Bonds' alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.
Following is a transcription from the interview ...
Ballou: How difficult will this season be for Barry Bonds?
Van Slyke: I think it is going to be very difficult. Even before Barry was taking steroids, or allegedly was taking steroids when I played with him, I weighed more than him and yet he was still a tremendous player. He still had good power and he was an MVP.
The physical facts are the physical facts and when you're thirty-six, seven, and eight years old is not when you peak with your home run production. You're supposed to do that when you're twenty-six, seven and twenty-eight years old. Not only that, you're not supposed to smash the home run record or smash your own personal record at that age.
If it's coming, I think it's probably due, just like anything else in Barry Bond's past. If it's bad press, it's usually his responsibility.
Ballou: Are you telling us, in your opinion, that it looks like Barry Bonds has taken steroids?
Van Slyke: Unequivocally he's taken them, without equivocation he's taken them. I can say that with utmost certainty.
Now, I never saw him put it into his body, but look, Barry went to the bank with the robber, he drove the car, he got money in his pocket from the bag that came out of the bank. Come to your own conclusion. Did he spend the money?
You decide. I think he did.
The physical evidence is there. People do not gain thirty-five pounds of muscle in their late thirties without a little bit of help.
Ballou: Have you thought about the fact that some players, some sluggers, look thinner this year in spring training?
Van Slyke: Of course I've thought about it. There's no question. The skewed thing about this steroid issue is you have to remember first of all that six to seven percent of the players got caught.
THG, the new synthetic steroid, was not part of that test because they didn't have any idea where to look for it; they didn't know what they were looking for. Human Growth Hormone was not part of that test. If you were caught the first time, you had a chance to take it a second time. Then, the first time, if you were caught, it was not part of the final results of the test, so the numbers could be astronomical, as far as I'm concerned.
You have to be a complete idiot to test positive but at the same time the players knew there wasn't any penalty phase, even if they were caught.
So, I would really have to believe the number, conservatively speaking, is at least double that. Having said that, that means there has to be at least four players on every team in the major leagues on steroids. That's a lot of players.
When you look at the physiques of some of these players around the league, you can understand why people are very concerned about the integrity of the game and why Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, and previously Mark McGwire ... these guys are looked at like, 'Hey, if the evidence is in front of my face, I have to point my finger somewhere and if the numbers say there's two to four players on every team, then your physique tells me that you're the guy.'
The facts are the facts. Seven percent, conservatively speaking, maybe twenty percent have taken steroids at the big league level.
Someone's taking them (steroids). It isn't Bo Hart. It isn't Randy Johnson. Let your eyes see for themselves.
If the evidence points to a certain player, then that's just the way it is. The physical evidence with Barry (Bonds) is right in front of our eyes.
I don't think we need to apologize for the fact if we think a certain player has taken them or not.