TR,
At ages 36, 37, 38, and 39 Bonds was the League MVP and deservedly so, based on his stats. Some would argue that each of those years he has actually had better numbers overall. So while the 73 HRs stands out as a career number, Bonds has hardly been a one "stickout" year guy. The odd thing is... his best 4 years of his career as a hitter, have been the last 4, all after the age of 36.
I'm not saying the man should be convicted for having these great years at such an old baseball age, but it does make you wonder just a little bit... Doesn't it? Especially in light of the many cases of steroid useage coming out in the open over the past couple years involving other MVP award winners.
Roger Maris was age 33 his last year in the Major Leagues. He was age 26 when he hit 61.
Brady Anderson followed a 16 HR year with 50 at age 33. I remember there was a lot of suspicion of drug usage at the time. However, if I remember correctly (which is highly unlikely) the supplements he was using were legal at the time. So was the Andro considered legal that Big Mac used during his record breaking year.
I do agree with you, that everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. If the steroid use is true, I hope they can prove it. However, in this particular case, I hope Bonds can prove somehow that he did not use illegal steroids.
In a way, no matter what ends up happening, I'm kind of glad that this is getting so much attention. It could end up being a very positive educational experience for a lot of young players.
To me it's not a Barry Bonds thing at all. I could care less if his records stay or get thrown out. The truth is his records will never be forgotten. Whether Bonds is guilty or not guilty, it's about time somthing was done about this very serious problem.
Maybe it takes a player of Barry Bonds stature to wake everyone up. In the end, as unfortunate as it sounds, this might be Bond's biggest and by far most important contribution to the game.