Brent wrote:
Average Joe,
I admire you for sticking to your position while remaining respectful. Anyway, I have a question for you (and all the other defenders of Lance): Do you believe that Barry Bonds took PEDs? If yes, why?
I'm not looking to be admired for anything (certainly not naivete, if that's what I think turns out to be). I just don't think he did it.
I think I see where you are going with this. I present a list of reasons why Bonds is probably guilty and you try to draw parallels to Armstrong and thus accuse me of being a "fanboy". Or if I say no, I think Bonds was clean, I get another round of "Oh Come On, how naive are you?" etc. etc.
I guess it is a lot easier to think that Bonds took drugs. Partly because of the freakish physical changes which took place in him. (I'm a Pirates fan from back when he was playing and remember how much smaller he was.) He has that steroidish, Canseco-like look that is the hallmark of drugs. The drugs people allege Armstrong took don't produce those changes. Also partly because his freakish performances didn't take off until he was in his mid-late 30s. Much like Regina Jacobs, suddenly later in life he became a world beater. Also, admittedly because he is, by all accounts so universally regarded as a humorless prick that he makes Armstrong (even the bad accounts of him) look like Jens Voigt.
All the other stuff - Girlfriend, trainer, all that, adds to it but you could point to people in Armstrong's life and make similar claims on those fronts.
If we could magically find out the truth one way or the other, I would not be surprised to find out Armstrong was clean or he was dirty. I think he was clean but neither would surprise me.