Bonds asterisk

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I also don't believe steroids give players as much of an advantage as many people seem to think. Steroids can make players bigger and stronger, but also more susceptible to injuries. Look at Giambi and Caminiti. They had a few big years before breaking down. Is this really helping them?

[/ QUOTE ]
I tend to agree. I know strength helps sone. But they also don't help with concentration or the mental aspects of the game. If anything 'roid rage would have the opposite effect. And they sure don't help a better put the bat on the ball, or feel the strike zone.

[Topflight]

I'd also like to have the corked bat come back along with spitballs.

Why are we so conservative. I don't even see how that is cheating.

[jesusarenque]

No it isn't. MLB imposed no penalty before the new CBA.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

strength = bat speed
bat speed = more time
more time = more (and better) hits

Add to that increased speed and throwing strength and you've got quite an advantage. Yes, you must have some sort of natural talent to put these advantages to work, but they certainly are advantages.

[jesusarenque]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Look at Giambi and Caminiti. They had a few big years before breaking down. Is this really helping them?

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, the fact that Giambi has $80M+ left due to him thanks largely to a couple good years at a very opportune time tells me yes it has helped him tremendously.

[/ QUOTE ]

We are talking about records/asterisks. How much money a guy makes is irrelevant.

[bwana devil]

[ QUOTE ]
Weight-lifting enhances ability. Protein powder? Creatine? Vitamin pills? Androstendione?

[/ QUOTE ]

I certainly don't see anything wrong w/ weight-lifting. That is all natural. I am too ignorant on medications and physiology to comment on the effects of the other substances so I won’t try and fake it.

[J.R.]

It has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that corking a bat doesn't help much, if at all.

With respect to power, yes. But with repect to contact/hitting for average, there is a very good argument I haven't yet seen debunked that having a bat with the same surface area, yet of a lower weight, allows a hitter to sit on a pitch (wait before starting to swing) and yet still be able to get around on it and make contact, therby allowing the hitter to not be as fooled by an offspead pitch or to chase a pitch out of the zone as well as enabling a hitter to more successfully make contact with a pitch that has "late movement".

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I certainly don't see anything wrong w/ weight-lifting. That is all natural. I am too ignorant on medications and physiology to comment on the effects of the other substances so I won’t try and fake it.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't see anything natural about it. You weren't boprn with that strength. It didn't come from doing anything natural. You set out lifting for the specific purpose of increasing your strength. It's just another artificial way to increase ability.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
strength = bat speed
bat speed = more time
more time = more (and better) hits

[/ QUOTE ]
I said it's an advantage. I just think the advantage is overhyped.

[BradleyT]

Steve Zaban(sp?) on the radio this morning said they should put a little syringe instead of an asterisk lol.