713!!!

[gridlore]

While I was writing the last entry, Barry Bonds smashed a 3-1 pitch to the upper deck in Philadelphia.

In idiot news, anti-Bonds fans had a sign "Ruth did it on Beer and Hot Dogs."

Newsflash, kids. Bab Ruth played in the Majors from 1915 to 1935. Prohibition, the banning of alcohol mandated by the XVIIIth Amendment, was in force from 1919 to 1933. Which means that during Ruth's moist productive years beer was an illegal substance.

So Ruth's records should be stricken from the books and he should be pulled from the Hall of Fame. At least if the Phillies Phans are right...

Comments

[deathbytamarind.livejournal.com]

This proves my stance on the entire subject: people are going to feel however they want to about him. No information or discussion will change it. Haters will hate him, his fans will support him. Period the end.

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

The difference, of course, is that alcohol in no way 'enhances' an athlete's performance. If anything, he would have done _better_ had he not been a lush.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Ah, but he broke the law! Under Baseball's morals clause (the one the haters are using to try to get Bonds thrown out without any evidence) all that is needed is a prevelant opinion that actions were taken that violated the integrity of the game.

I think blatantly defying the Constitution fits the bill!

We can also point out that Ruth never faced black pitchers either...

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

Racist! ;-)

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

Also: Personally, I think steroids and other enhancement drugs should be legal. The fact is, though, that they're not, and the players, by virtue of signing their contracts, agreed to obey the law. And there's no way in _hell_ he didn't know _exactly_ what chemicals he was using. No professional athlete would be that careless. Not that I really care, I'm not a fan, I just don't like it when celebrities insult the public's intelligence.

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

It's not whether what he did was against the law, but whether what he did was banned by baseball because it significantly affects the outcomes of games. Ty Cobb was a racist asshole who got into fistfights like I drink Cokes. That's a matter for police. The 1920 White Sox threw the World Series and were rightly tossed on their ears.

It needs to be established clearly that Bonds knowingly took steroids in order condemn him, and that hasn't happened. I'm even inclined to let it slide, if proved, on the basis that hormone abuse seems to have been endemic. But yeah, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep if the powers that be decided at that point not to let it slide.

[hlw.livejournal.com]

Newsflash Doug.

Beer is not not a performance-enhancer. If anything it would decrease performance.


Hence people have a valid concern that Bonds' home-runs should be invalidated and any records he "breaks" be restored.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Alcohol affects the mood of the person taking it. Perhaps drinking helped the Babe deal with the stress of being a big leaguer, allowing him to play longer?

Anyway, it was illegal. That's the point.