"When first informed of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker..." -ESPN.com
So let's recap. The jury is still (literally) out on possible perjury charges pertaining to the BALCO scandal, where Bonds used the very similar excuse of "it was whatever my trainer gave me." Now, we get this. Barry Bonds is a cheat and a liar, and very simply, he should just hang it up. Better yet, someone should force his hand. The Giants organization should decide not to offer him a contract for the upcoming season. I don't know of any other team in baseball that would touch him. Unless there's more of a market for 42-year-old, slightly hobbled, slow-moving outfielders who have to put on a friggin' suit of armor before going to bat than I thought. Let's compare Barry, then and now.
This is Barry, circa 1986. A quick, lean, "five-tool" player, shown here at age 22.
And THIS...
Well, this hulking fella is Barry in 2005, at age 41.
One only needs to compare some statistics before things look a little strange. He's always put up respectable batting numbers, and his fielding stats in the early part of his career are amazing. His range factor from his first couple seasons is something to behold:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bondsba01.shtml
But then that number starts trending down, and all the while his batting (particularly home runs) keeps going up. My biggest problem with this guy is the fact that some people (apparently all Giants fans) are in such denial about this. Look at the other big names in the steroid scandal. Mark McGwire. Kept out of the Hall of Fame. Sammy Sosa. Can't even get signed to play for a small team in Japan. Meanwhile, they treat Barry like he's royalty. He isn't. Hank Aaron got in the record books with had work and determination. Babe Ruth worked on a diet of hot dogs, cigars, and whiskey. Barry Bonds stuck a needle in himself and lied about it. Here's hoping that this cheater doesn't prosper any more.
