Of the (nearly) universally despised Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, Mike Gimbel opines the duo, “were subject to intense scrutiny and public ridicule and still managed to perform at Hall-of-Fame levels while obviously ‘clean'”. The author is no stranger to public ridicule, his brief tenure as Dan Duquette’s stat guru for the Red Sox typified by somewhat unsophisticated coverage of his wild animal collection (in a Williamsburg apartment, no less). From Worker’s World.com (link culled from Baseball Think Factory)
the years when A-Rod admitted to use of steroids in Texas were years of a downward production for him, not improved performance. PED [performance-enhancing drugs] is a Madison Avenue word, not a scientific word. There is no definition for PED.
Things have gotten so ridiculous that actual PEDs, as advertised on TV by jocks, are completely accepted. The “Five-Hour Energy” drinks openly claim that they improve an athlete’s performance! This type of stimulant has been around for at least a century and was used (think “greenies” [amphetamines]) by MLB players through all that time.
Let’s honor Barry Bonds as the second best hitter in MLB history and Roger Clemens as the greatest pitcher in MLB history. And while we are at it, let’s demand that A-Rod be elected to the Hall of Fame when his name comes up for that vote, and let’s not forget the others who suffered in this massive witch hunt, such as Mark McGwire [who hit 70 home runs in 1998. Bonds hit 73 in 2001]. They deserve our admiration for their accomplishments on the field, not our condemnation!