Long rumored as a constant in the baseball world, steroid use is on the rise. The Daily News reported that Giants player Barry Bonds failed amphetamine testing last season. But don’t worry, he doesn’t use steroids. He blamed it on Mark Sweeney, saying he had taken it from his locker.
So if he’s taking whatever kinds of pills he can get his hands on, how does he know for sure that he’s not on steroids? Bonds currently stands in the midst of an investigation for lying about his steroid use. Since he did not appeal his positive test result, he will now undergo six drug tests over the next six months, at the hand of MLB.
Bonds plays for the San Francisco Giants, who are currently finalizing language in Bonds’ contract for next season, $16 million for one year. The work has continued for almost a month since the agreement was reached on baseball’s last day of winter meetings, according to the Seattle Times. Some of the language concerns protocol if he were to have legal issues, like indictment.
Bonds’ starts this season 22 home runs under the 755 career record of Hank Aaron. Many believe he reached that goal with blatant steroid use, though prior to this new report, he had never tested positive for any performance enhancing substances. You could just watch the change in his neck, his head, his body in general and know that something had changed.
He pushed past Mark McGuire’s 70 home-run season, beating him in 2001by three runs to hold the current record. Today he’s pushing toward retirement, if he makes it past his investigation.
He told USA Today, “Right now, I'm telling you, I don't even want to play next year. Baseball is a fun sport. But I'm not having fun ... I love the game of baseball itself, but I don't like what it's turned out to be. I'm not mad at anybody. It's just that right now I am not proud to be a baseball player.”
