I'm sure that everyone is shocked and surprised at the fact that two reporters for the <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i> have in their new book asserted that Barry Bonds, despite his many denials, indeed followed a regimen of performance-enhancing drugs, mostly steroids, for several years.

In 1998, two SP softball players from this area changed over one winter from rather normal builds to extreme muscular bulk. These guys were each in their late 30s. One guy's swing didn't change that much, and he remained a singles hitter. The other guy became almost an automatic home run. He would chop at pitches over his head and line them way over the 300-foot fence.

The singles hitter died after playing one bulked-up season. The crusher played 6 more seasons and is now also dead.

I do not <i>know</i> that their bulking up and their deaths were related, but . . .

[Edited by greymule on Mar 7th, 2006 at 04:03 PM]

Barry Bond's denials have no more meaning than Rafael Palmeiro's did.

Probably less. People tended to believe Raffy, as he hadn't bulked up so obviously. The only people who believe Barry Bonds' denials probably are helping OJ search for his wife's true killer.

Nice story. Only problem is that there is no medical evidence that proper use of steroids is medically unsafe.

Everyone automatically points to Lyle Alzado (sp) in an attempt to show the results steroids may cause to a human. Only problem is that even Lyle's doctor stated that none of Alzado's problems were affected one way or the other by the use of steroids.

Then again, abuse of any substance can cause unhealthy situations and it doesn't have to be drugs, legal or not.

<b>Only problem is that there is no medical evidence that proper use of steroids is medically unsafe.</b>

It's true that the question of steroid safety doesn't lend itself well to control-treatment studies and thus statistical proof. And I know that here and there you find a doctor who pooh poohs the danger. But sometimes you can put 2 and 2 together anyway.

If "proper use of steroids" means temporary application of low doses to treat certain conditions, then I suspect the above statement is true. However, we know that steroids cause significant physiological changes throughout the body. I cannot believe that there are not severe negative consequences to use of steroids to pile on muscular bulk. In fact, even without steroids, adding the bulk alone is if nothing else a strain on the heart.

I remember hearing for decades that there was no medical evidence that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer, too. In the 1950s, cigarette ads showed white-coated physicians pointing to diagrams and figures, explaining how cigarette smoking was a health aid. Remember the cigarette ads featuring Major League ballplayers?

Over the next decade or two, I suspect we will see a statistically significant increase in the numbers of early deaths by athletes who bulked up with steroids. But proof is something else. After all, the skinny singles hitter who at age 32 goes from 170 to 240 and now bench presses 450 pounds will claim he did it with Wheaties.

Part of my point. Anything injected into the body in excess will cause a health problem, not just steroids. And yes, it has it drawbacks, but, as you noted, it's likely a natural process may cause an unhealthy situation.

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I remember hearing for decades that there was no medical evidence that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer, too. In the 1950s, cigarette ads showed white-coated physicians pointing to diagrams and figures, explaining how cigarette smoking was a health aid. Remember the cigarette ads featuring Major League ballplayers?

Yes, and if the federal government didn't stick their nose into it, we would still be seeing them. It's called making money through endorsements. Meanwhile, people still die of lung cancer without ever having smoked and you have two-packers for 60 years living healthy lives. I'm not saying it isn't bad for you, I hate the stench of a cigarette whether in the air or on someone's hair or clothing. Of course, it wasn't so much the tobacco that causes the cancer, but the additives and associated pulp products.

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Over the next decade or two, I suspect we will see a statistically significant increase in the numbers of early deaths by athletes who bulked up with steroids.

Isn't that the same thing Ralph Nader said about Corvairs and Saccharin?

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But proof is something else. After all, the skinny singles hitter who at age 32 goes from 170 to 240 and now bench presses 450 pounds will claim he did it with Wheaties.

Trust me, when referring to a SP player, that's not steroids, it's Bud!