How has Roger Clemens lasted so long? How did Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994, when a lot of the power numbers also increased? How did Cal Ripken make it through the last few years of his streak?
Performance-enhancing can improve statistics in other areas besides home runs. Extra strength can get ground balls past infielders and fast balls by hitters.
How did Greg Maddux have such low ERAs in an era when hitting dominated?
It pains me to ask these questions, but they seem fair, especially with Barry Bonds about to break Hank Aaron's record.
2007-05-26 03:16:23 · 7 answers · asked by EyeGuessSo 3 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Let's start with your last question. If you've ever watched the man pitch, then you know full well that he doesn't overpower anyone. In fact, never has done so. Greg Maddux simply has extraordinarly command and control and the baseball smarts to dominate. His older brother Mike, (the Brewers current pitching coach) has the same baseball smarts, but never had the same command or control. You can compare their numbers to one another.
Photos of Clemens from his very early years, compared to photos of him even 10 years later, let alone photos of him now, show the same type of physical growth as is seen in Bonds. I've suspected this for a long time now, but once again, we're talking about masking agents and about the fact that companies such as BALCO exist not to manufacture PED's but to constantly tinker with the formulae, so that their customers can stay 2 - 3 steps ahead of any testing agency. That can't however, disguise the visual evidence.
Gwynn's lowest SLG was .372, in his second year in the show. He had a SLG of over .500 all of four times, each of them surrounded by numbers in the mid-.400's. That's not a huge leap. (Rember the scene in Bull Durham, in which Crash Davis talks about the difference between a .250 hitter and a .300 hitter - a difference of one hit a week over the course of the season?) His highest single season HR total was 17. His SLG came from his ability to hit balls into the gap and down the line, for doubles. I'm not saying that he did or didn't use PED's of any type, just that I'm not certain, from your question, that you've looked all that closely at his numbers. You may have done so, and come to a different conclusion. I have no problem with that.
How did Ripken get through any part of his streak is the better question? Work ethic can only take one so far. Luck was a part of it, but you raise a good question. I still think of Ripken every time I see a battery commercial.
Amphetamines have long history of use in all sports, and baseball was never immune. Most sports, including baseball, are now testing for them, and there are penalties of some type for testing positive. Yes, even in baseball.
As to your first sentence, about anyone other than power hitters taking PED's, I point you to Jason Grimsley.
2007-05-26 04:30:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Based on personal experience, I would say that approximately 25-35% of baseball players take some kind of performance enhancing drugs.
2007-05-26 03:20:35 · answer #2 · answered by El Guapo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
properly i might placed Juan Gonzalez on the roid clientele checklist. He grow to be between the main sparkling circumstances of a participant employing steroids. properly Ken Caminiti (1996 MVP) grow to be a steroid person yet he died from them so. i'm bowled over you dont have Mark McGwire on there. while you're gonna write off adult men like Bonds and Sosa who havent examined valuable for steroids (i think of they did because of their substitute in visual charm and means), yet Mark McGwire might desire to a minimum of be on the suspected clientele. I advise he grow to be all skinny whilst he grow to be on the A's and then he have been given beefed whilst he went to the Cardinals.
2016-10-08 03:53:11 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More pitchers than position players have been sanctioned under the original and revised steroids policy.
2007-05-26 03:19:51 · answer #4 · answered by Chipmaker Authentic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's a common thing in sports - there's a huge scandal going on in europe with regards to cycling.... so .. nothing new under the sun (especially when there is money envolved)
2007-05-26 03:20:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jason Grimsley (I think that was his name) tested positive for steroids, and he was pitching for Arizona at the time.
2007-05-26 03:37:58 · answer #6 · answered by immortal321 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ther was a pitcher who tested positive, but I cant remember his name
2007-05-26 03:20:47 · answer #7 · answered by jeremy B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋