Month: August 2005 (Page 6 of 6)

God, I hope so.

Barry Bonds told MLB.com that doctors are recommending he shut it down for the year after they found more fluid buildup in his troublesome knee. “I don’t think you’re going to see me out there this year,” Bonds said during a telephone interview. “That’s the reality of the situation. I’m improving. I’m happy with the progress. I’m working out hard on the exercise bike and the elliptical machine, but I’m just not there yet. The last thing I want is to get back on the field and be out again a week later. The doctors say it’s wise for me to work out hard this winter and be ready to go next season. I want to be out there and play the whole year.”

This is bad news for Giants fans, whose team has actually crawled its way back into contention at 5.5 games behind the Diamondbacks in the pathetic NL West (Arizona leads the division with a 52-55 record), but good news for everybody who hates Bonds. Yes, I hate Barry Bonds. I hate him for cheating. I hate him for tainting the record books. I hate him for being arrogant and unapologetic. I hate him for thinking that he’s bigger and more important than the game.

Is Barry Bonds a great player? Absolutely. Can he do things that no one else in baseball can? Absolutely. But should his legacy forever be tarnished by his admitted steroid use? Absolutely. And do I hope he never takes the field again?

Absolutely.

When Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Curt Schilling and Rafael Palmeiro were called in front of Congress earlier this year to testify on the proliferation of steroids in baseball, McGwire severly damaged his reputation by refusing to answer questions on whether or not he used steroids during his career. Palmeiro, meanwhile, came away looking cleaner than ever after he stared directly at the cameras and said, “I have never used steroids.” We believed him. After all, the only reason he was there was because his name showed up in Canseco’s new book, and we all know how reliable a source Jose is. With all the steroid talk seemingly in his rearview mirror, Raffy became just the fourth player in baseball history to total 3,000 hits and 500 home runs this season, numbers that virtually guarantee him a place in Cooperstown.

Monday afternoon, though, Major League Baseball announced that Palmeiro was suspended 10 games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Suddenly, Raffy doesn’t look any more innocent than McGwire did in front of Congress. Actually, while McGwire simply refused to answer most of the questions being lobbed his way, Palmeiro seemingly lied to baseball fans and to Congress, which I believe is a pretty big no-no.

In a statement, Palmeiro said: “I am here to make it very clear that I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period.” Dude, I believed you before, but not this time.