ESPN.com had an intersting article today providing a bunch of scientific evidence and statistics on a multitude of factors that would improve barry bonds performance becausse of the steroids, things like strength, bat speed improvements, eyesight improvements, etc.
usually when great power hitters hit 34-35 years old (like bonds was when he began using steroids), his home runs per at-bat decreases significantly.....bond's went up significantly. so at an age he should've been getting about 1 homer for every 13-15 AB's, he was getting 1 per 8 AB's.
anyways, they ran a bunch of numbers and looked at the statistics of everything (including bond's previous performance, how the steroids effected his average distance per fly ball or homer and how many homers that would've stayed in the park without, how many games he would've missed due to injury, etc) involved with the steroid use.
They came up with the number 616. That's where he'd be today without steroids according to this very convincing article. I was a graduate student and some of the studies they did seem very significant.
There is no denying Bonds is a GREAT ballplayer, and there is also no denying, according to baseball's rules, that he is a CHEATER. it's a shame because he would've been remembered as the greatest hitter of our time and maybe ever even without the 'roids, but now his "legacy" will forever be tainted. you do the crime, you do the time.
on a side note, i really believe with all the studies going on right now regarding testosterone and it's effects on anti-aging and the body once you get older that by the time i am 40 (27 now), taking some form of testosterone in safe doses will be as common as taking a vitamin in the morning. guess i'm opening up another discussion!
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