Jason and Barry, Fan poll
The media likes to poke fun at Jason Giambi, like Boston Dirt Dogs showing him with a green tint, and an incredible hulk body. How much of it is true though? You can take this season and see both sides of the Giambi story. It started out with his press conference apology, and the shrinking of his bulk. He then proceeded to hit with the authority of a 98 pound weakling for the first 2 months. NY even wanted him to go to the minors, just to see if he could play the game with this reduced body size. Then something happened around June. His body changed back to the massive arms and shoulders he once had. Whispers started that he was taking HGH. Human Growth Hormones. If you were told if you take this drug you could go back to being the star you once were, and there isn’t any test that MLB uses to detect this, would you do it? The only test for HGH is a blood test, and the baseball union will never let anyone put a needle into their bodies, so why not do it? Jason’s story is unique because his body has had rapid change 3 times in the last 2 years. Coincidently when his body is big he hits like a superstar, and when it shrinks, so does his baseball ability. The only solution would be for the baseball world demand that baseball take an Olympic approach to testing. Nobody wants to see cheaters winning and setting records, so why can’t baseball come clean like other sports?
The next story for the game to deal with is Barry Bonds. On March 21 I wrote this in “Around the Horn” the day before he had his crutch conference with his son at his side. “Bonds should just retire because of his bad knees, and then it will only be the records that need to be revised. The words of Senator Jim Bunning should remain with us all. “they (the records) all should be withdrawn, altered or stricken from the books,” Bunning said.”
With Barry getting ready to beat the Babe in 3 weeks, it is time to take the words Senator Bunning said and follow through. Everyone knows the home run records of the past decade are a fraud. If Bud really wants to place his name with the great ones in the game, then right now is his chance for glory. Make the following statement, right after Barry says he is going to play again. “MLB announces that all home run records set from 1995-2002 will listed under a separate category. Records will be listed 1871-1994 and post 2002 under one and those between 1995-2001 under another category.” This way Roger, the Babe, and Hank will never be changed to Barry. Let Barry have his own section, but it does not enter the Hall of records where everyone else is listed. If you ask every fan to vote on what Bunning said, you would see how fans really feel. Instead of some Latino great baseball players voting, let fans vote about the real issues in the game.
Question 1 Should baseball restore Roger Maris as the single season home run hitter?
Question 2 Should all the home runs hit from 1995-2002 be listed under a separate category by baseball records?
Question 3 Should baseball follow the words of Hall of Fame and Senator Jim Bunning? “They (the records) all should be withdrawn, altered or stricken from the books.”
Question 4 Should baseball have the same drug policy as the Olympics?
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The Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson