Captain America, The Wizard of Oz, Barry Bonds and Steroids

In 1941, Timely Comics (well, I think it was called Timely but I know for sure that it was not Marvel) created a character called Captain America. We all know him as Cap with his sidekick Bucky (Cap's Robin - why at this time did all super heroes have to have young boys as there side kick - this is for some other blog to speculate). One thing that I remember about Cap was how he became a super hero. He took the Super Strength Serum. (i.e. Steroids?- this may have been basically what it was). I noticed in the previews for the New Captain America Movie,  they put a scrawny Steve Rogers in some sort of hyper chamber and out pops C. America with his new physique. (I guess the steroids question is going to get played down in this movie). But the moral of the story is the original Captain America was created by a steroids like substance.

In the 1939 movie, the Wizard of Oz, during the part of the movie just before the tornado hits, Dorothy meets the Carnival Wagon Man (i.e. the soon to be Wizard - I can't remember his pre Wizard name). If you take a good look at his Wagon, there is a large advertisement on the side for a Super Strength Formula. Would this formula have been a steroid like substance?. Probably. The moral of the story is Man has been looking for ways to get bigger, stronger, faster, healthier for years.

Barry Bonds is not on trial for using steroids but for lying to the government under oath. If what Jason Giambi testified to the other day is correct (he stated Bonds trainer told him to this extent  "what I have given you was similar to steroids but were not steroids"), I don't see how the government can win this case. If Bonds says Anderson gave him something similar to steroids but were not steroids, how can Bonds be disputed.  Bonds is not a doctor, Bonds did not test what he took. Was Bonds taking something because he thought it would make him bigger and stronger, Heck Yeah. What Bonds thought and what Bonds knows are 2 different things. The moral of the story is what you know and what you think are 2 different things.

In 1994, Baseball began using a new baseball. In 1993, the offensive statistics began to surge because of expansion and Colorado Rockies, the stats increased after 1993 not entirely because of steroids in the game but because of the baseball (and new stadiums). If Steroids caused players stats to surge why did those not linked to steroids stats increase. Players like Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Steve Finley, Luis Gonzalez, Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey all had better stats in the late 1990s than the early 1990s. Even Cal Ripken saw a slight spike in his offense. The SF Giants trainer testified that Bonds's hat sized increased but he also testified that Willie Mays and Willie McCovey's hat sized increased also (though after they retired). The moral of the story is just because someone's head got bigger does not mean it was because of steroids.