Barry Bonds recent milestone equaling and surpassing Hammering Hank Aaron’s record of 755 home runs has surely garnered 755 differing opinions.

I imagine if any of us were to walk through Lewiston or Auburn and took a sampling survey of anyone older than 10, we would hear many voiced thoughts on the subject. Be it from a baseball fan, a sports fan, or an ordinary Joe.

Everyone has given some thought regarding steroid usage and record breaking, albeit Lance Armstrong, Mark McGwire, Marion Jones, etc.

Although there are many questions, the responses are very few and extremely evasive. These evasive answers either come from the baseball’s commissioner, Bud Selig, or George Mitchell, head of the committee assigned to investigate the steroid scandal, or, most of all, Barry Bonds himself.

As you read you probably have correctly surmised my personal opinion in regards to steroid use. I have repeatedly voiced my thoughts and feelings to anyone who will listen.

There is rampant use of steroids in sports.

But, my next statement may suprise you, this is where I may need an ‘*’ behind my name.

While I do feel strongly against the use of steroids in sports, I also believe Barry Bonds and those before him, such as McGwire, Armstrong and Jones, “may” have used steroids, but that steroid usage did not help them become excellent at what they do or did.

Steroid use did not help Bonds, McGwire, (or Sammy Sosa for that matter) have better hand-eye coordination. Steroids perhaps helped these men to hit it further, but not better. Lance Armstrong beat cancer, he won the Tour De France several times and had three children, did steroid use probability help him achieve all of these? Marion Jones had very respectable results in her sport.

Although steroid usage may be rampant, the general public cannot condemn an athlete for their God-given talent. Steroid use helps an athlete recover from injury more rapidly, and will help with muscle growth.

But, there is also exercising and training. Are we ruining our bodies for old age? Are we seeing ‘*’ and passing judgments about our integrity and reputations for the world to question now and forever?

The true question we need to ask ourselves is would we be able to do all that and still be that great?