If Barry Bonds claimed not to know who Turk Wendell was, presumably he’ll be more familiar with the Phillies’ Cory Lidle.  From the Philadelphia Daily News’ Marcus Hayes.

Cory Lidle has a serious problem with Bonds and his alleged steroid use as Bonds closes in on Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs, chasing Hank Aaron’s 755. He doesn’t think the record 73 homers Bonds hit in 2001 should stand.

“I don’t think it’s legitimate,” Lidle said before last night’s Phillies-Braves game.

What he could have done without performance-enhancing drugs – which he hasn’t been proven guilty of [using], which I’m not buying – you can maybe take what he had done in his prime, before his head started growing at an enormous rate, and just make those projections,” Lidle said. “Say that, ‘This is what he could have done.’ Maybe it’s 550 home runs. I don’t know. It definitely wouldn’t have been anything close to 700.”

For Lidle, both what Bonds now represents and who Bonds is are personally offensive.

“I’ve never met him,” Lidle said. “I don’t know him. I know what I’ve heard. I’ve heard a lot of things where he doesn’t treat people very well. That doesn’t sit well with me.”

“The reason I’m not scared to speak out is – I don’t think he’s a dumb person – basically, he had decisions to make,” Lidle said of Bonds. “Whether he wanted to treat people good or treat people bad. Whether he wanted to pump drugs into his body or stay clean. I believe he chose the [former].

“It’s sad. I’m not a player-hater. I like to see players get paid as much as they can. But without friggin’ cheating.”

Next week : Doug Sisk, Dick Littlefield and Pat Rapp join the chorus of not-quite-household names brave enough to condemn Bonds.