Now it looks like I am just piling on.

I considered the other types of cheating, and probably should have mentioned it.  And yeah, in that sense, cheating is almost a part of baseball.  But common sense can easily dictate the difference between scuffing balls and using steroids.  At least it seems that way to me.  Maybe I'm in the minority.

I didn't really want to go into a Griffy v. Bonds either.  I just used him as an example of how Bonds was not the game-changing athlete that he became after he used steroids.  He was a great baseball player in the same tier as other great baseball players, and was a surefire Hall of Famer, but he wasn't the limitless potential you describe as a reason to appreciate him.  We might as well elect his syringe to the HoF if that's the case.

but by most indications Clemens is great to his teammates -- and doesn't behave like a child with the media.
If a player treats those to groups badly he's almost certain to get that kind of treatment.

I can't disagree that race doesn't play a part of it, but Clemens at least gets along with people who count. Bonds tends to insulate himself from reality and pit himself against the world. Plus he's chasing the holy grail of sports stats.

I was going to mention the other day about the Clemens steroid thing -- and also how he suspiciously quits and finds ways to get off the mound or out of teams when things aren't going his way. If he’s getting lit up in a big game you can pretty much bank on him pulling a hammy or developing a limp on the way to the dugout.

But I also think it has to do with the record.  If Barry were not approaching the most famous record in all of American sports, he would not be receiving near the attention that he is.

You are right, though.  Players like Clemens seem to be getting a free pass.  Where's his investigation?  It's bullcrap if you ask me.

...what you can already do.  Bonds was already a Hall of Famer.  But he wasn't the best power hitter ever.  He wasn't even the best power hitter of his generation.  So while it's true that Bonds still had to be gifted, we already knew he was gifted.  But would you have even written this article if not for steroids?  Of course you wouldn't.  Because Bonds would never have become the absurd hitter that he did.  David Ortiz's comment missed the point.

If I juiced myself up with every PED known to man, could I go out and hit 70+ home runs a year?  No, simply b/c I lack the other skills which it takes to hit those HRs.  

However, if you are already in possession of those other skills, then the PEDs will make you bigger/faster/stronger etc.  

Bonds could always hit for average.  He was always a very disciplined hitter.  However, the one thing that he was historically unable to do was hit HRs on a nightly basis.  Bonds unarguably had the skill set to be a great hitter (for average) before the PEDs, and he was a great hitter.  What he didn't have was the power to routinely hit those balls 400+ ft.  PEDs will absolutely help with that aspect.  

My ire with Bonds is a combination of his obvious use of PEDs, his total disdain for the fans which make his lifestyle possible, and my own sense of what is right and wrong.  

Cheaters aren't supposed to win, yet here we are with someone who has cheated his way to the brink of the most famous sports record of all time.  That is why I can't enjoy this.  Asking anyone to sit back and enjoy the show it is Clayton Williams-esqe: the act is too offensive for me to get anything from it.

There's a difference between Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds here, and that's that Barry gave himself the advantage, whereas Ruth's advantage was out of his control.

And more than that, there's no way to prove that Ruth's accomplishments would have been lessened if the league had been integrated.  Yes, he probably would have faced better pitching, on average.  And yes, the average level of hitting would have been elevated.  But it's still fairly obvious that Ruth was a once-in-a-lifetime player, irregardless of who he played with.

There's kind of a slippery slope with the segregation argument as well.  There were no Hispanic or Japanese players until very recently.  Do we footnote all records prior to these?  What happens when we have our first Iraqi player, do all records go out the window?

I don't think it's fair to compare Bond's advantages with Ruth's.

But short response:  you're wrong.

I think that settles that....

Like PB with Bonds, I have child hood baggage with Rose, so that makes me bias.
But I don't think what Rose did as a manager should exclude him from being recognized for his performance as a player. They are mutually exclusive issues, IMO.

The Hall of Fame voting needs to be blown up and a new set of voters using a new system should be installed. Not just because of this issue, but because they have yet to demonstrate a consistent criteria for induction voting -- and clearly are led by personal bias.

I understand why some don't think Rose should be in. I just happen to think otherwise.

This whole thing is overblown, that's why.

The smear job on Bonds has been incredibly disproportional to the crime. With all due respect, your level of outrage towards Bonds is mystifying. So much so that, if you really are as offended by this as you appear to be, sports probably aren't the thing for you. Football players, baseball players, swimmers, track and field athletes, cyclists - they're all full of athletes who enhance their performance with modern chems.

Either the whole range of sports should disgust you, or you probably shouldn't sweat it so much. Sports have been, are, and always will be full of players who do whatever they can to be the best.