Friday, August 10, 2007

Performance Enhancing Drugs

"Me thinks they doth protest too much." Willie Shakespeare

This blog could not not address this subject, given all the press baseball Giant Barry Bonds has received in the past few days. BBR, that's "Before Barry's Record,", the male citizens of my town, Colorado Springs, mostly argued the merits, or sins, of Hillary Clinton, James Dobson, Ted Haggart, George Bush, Dick Cheney, the Iraq Way, and whether or not Paris Hilton's antics are actually news.

Well that all changed on Wednesday! Knowing I'm from San Francisco, in the supplement science business, and a bit of a baseball fan, a number of my science and business colleagues, my CO neighbors, my sons, some personal male friends, and even my UPS man knocked on my office door to see if I had an opinion on Barry Bonds and his supposed performancing enhancing drug use.

I do, and here it is: Barry Bonds has never been indicted or convicted in a court of law for illegal drug use, so he is innocent until proven guilty-end of subject.-except that he has also tested clean ever since they started spot drug testing in all major sports.

I might gently point out that performance enhancing is a regular deal for millions of men; evidenced by Viagra being the number one selling pharmaceutical drug in the world, and herbal-based supplements that promise enhanced sexual performance being the largest selling product group in the supplement arena.

It seems to me that a lot of folks in this country have been looking for any guised reason to get on an outraged moral high horse. I suppose Barry Bonds and baseball is as good a place as any to start demanding accountability.

Have a nice weekend.

17 comments:

Jeffrey Anshel, OD said...

While there will be continued controversy about this issue for years to come, I don't think that the achievement should be overlooked. I agree that he's never been shown to have any banned substance (and he's been thoroughly tested) so until PROVEN otherwise, let's give the guy his due.

Anonymous said...

We are comfortable with our male myths, so don't bust us!

Anonymous said...

I just happened to be reading this post as John's comment came up. I'm sick of you female science writer-think you know everything. Bonds is guilty of juicing and it has nothing to do with my or any other man's Viagra use. Jesus, isn't anything sacred any more?

Anonymous said...

You can mess with everything else. Don't mess with baseball!

Anonymous said...

All science, all the time is
B O R I N G. This is funny stuff. Glad to see you know how to lighten up.

And I hate Barry Bonds! He looks strange.

Anonymous said...

Lets call an enhancement an enhancement. Go Viagra and Go Bonds! IF Bonds was "enhanced", so was almost every other baseball player and THEY haven't broken Hammering Hank's record. Let's leave Bonds alone and we'll leave all of you Viagra enhanced wanna be's alone.

Keep your great blogs coming!

Anonymous said...

758 and counting! Too bad the Giants still lost to the Pirates 8-7

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see that SF's own Joe Montana and Michael Jordan have come out in support of Barry's amazing record.

Hopefully, history will decide that he was a product of an era filled with steroids, HGH scandals-and not just in sports.

We are all affected by the media-driven need to look and perform at levels not possible without cosmetic or drug enhancements.

Anonymous said...

"yawn"

Anonymous said...

This funny/smart post is not just about Barry Bonds. It's touched a nerve a lot of men and women don't want to expose.

Anonymous said...

Baseball is not just a game. It's suppose to offer escape from our cutthroat capitalistic world. The very idea of players using performance enhancing drugs complicates it and makes it messy.

Anonymous said...

It appears that Anonymous is guilty of judging first and getting facts later - much like other red-necks I know.

How does anyone's juicing have anything to do with Anonymous' use of Viagra? And why is he knocking female science writers?

Anonymous said...

I have a question for Dr. Lucia. Just exactly which nerve is she referring to?

Anonymous said...

Why is it OK for a man to take performance enhancing drugs in the bedroom and not take them for to better their performance outside the bedroom?

I feel that I must point out that before the advent of Viagra erectile dysfunction was referred to as impotence. Are men's ego's so fragile that they can't handle the truth? If so, then get over it!!!! As for the Barry Bonds issue, give the guy a break. You'd all love to be in his shoes right about now!

Anonymous said...

Accountability to whom? Obviously Barry Bonds does not have a problem with whatever it is that we do.

Give the guy a break and let him live his life; and you go and live yours.

Anonymous said...

The nerve I was referring to is the one that haunts a number of folks who enhance with implants, Botox, Viagra, and all the other expensive legal and illegal drugs we use to ward off the destructive deterioration of Father Time.

We all compete privately and professionally in some way every day. So let's not be so naive as to think performance enhancement is only an issue in professional sports.

Anonymous said...
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