When Barry Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's career home-run record, he will receive a mixed reaction from baseball fans, his peers in the major leagues, and the men governing our national pastime.
Although Bonds has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, allegations of steroid use emerged during the BALCO investigation. San Francisco Chronicle reporters used leaked grand jury testimony and painted a disturbing picture of his training methods.
This controversy will forever taint Bonds' epic power surge. His record won't come with an asterisk, but it will join the list of dubious achievements earned by athletes under suspicious circumstances.
Here are 11 of the most glaring examples:
Lance Armstrong's Tour de France winning streak
Many European cycling fans view Armstrong the way many baseball fans view Bonds — with skepticism. Armstrong never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs while winning the Tour seven times in a row, but published reports in Europe have detailed alleged infractions.
The French newspaper L'Equipe claimed it could prove six of Armstrong's urine samples from the 1999 Tour tested positive last year for the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO). Armstrong's official response to that story: "I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance enhancing drugs."
He has been the subject of much newspaper, magazine and book reporting on the topic. Each time he denied the charges. The subsequent Floyd Landis controversy marred the sport, though, as did widespread doping admissions by former cyclists.
Michael Strahan's NFL sack record
The New York Giants defensive end was running out of time to break Mark Gastineau's 17-year-old record of 22 sacks in a season. Strahan was stuck on 21-1/2.
With just 2:42 left in the fourth quarter of Strahan's final game of the 2001 regular season, the Green Bay Packers led the Giants 34-25. Packers quarterback Brett Favre called a running play, then tried a "naked bootleg" play by rolling out to Strahan's side without a blocker.
When confronted by Strahan, Favre flopped and gave up the record sack uncontested. Since Favre had joked about Strahan's record quest before the game — suggesting a side deal between the two could be arranged — the achievement appeared dubious.
"I just react to what happens," Strahan said after the game. "He was booting out on the same play earlier and I missed him, as far as containing and keeping him in the pocket. This time he went down and I hopped on him. What am I supposed to do? Get up and say, 'Brett! Why didn't you throw it?'"
Further diminishing Strahan's "record" is Deacon Jones' unofficial mark of 26 sacks — earned before the NFL kept such statistics.
Marite Koch, 400-meter world record
One of the most durable track and field records of all time is also one of the most questionable. On Oct. 6, 1985, Koch ran a 400-meter race in 47.60 seconds.
In subsequent years, nobody came especially close to touching that record. Evidence subsequently gleaned from East German secret police files indicated that Koch was involved in that country's doping program.
The Daily Mail of London asked current 400-meter star Sanya Richards if she believes Koch cheated. "That's a tough question but I have to say no," Richards said. "I have to believe that the mark is there and it's the mark I have to pass. If she was never busted, she was clean. That's how the sport is."
Marite Koch, 400-meter world record
One of the most durable track and field records of all time is also one of the most questionable. On Oct. 6, 1985, Koch ran a 400-meter race in 47.60 seconds.
In subsequent years, nobody came especially close to touching that record. Evidence subsequently gleaned from East German secret police files indicated that Koch was involved in that country's doping program.
The Daily Mail of London asked current 400-meter star Sanya Richards if she believes Koch cheated. "That's a tough question but I have to say no," Richards said. "I have to believe that the mark is there and it's the mark I have to pass. If she was never busted, she was clean. That's how the sport is."
Si-Hun Park, 1988 light-middleweight Olympic champ
Roy Jones Jr. should have won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In the title bout, he battered Park relentlessly, out-punching the South Korean boxer 86-32 in his homeland.
And yet Park was awarded the victory by a 3-2 decision. This became the gold standard for Olympic judging travesties, and it triggered scoring reforms for future Olympics.
Park apologized to Jones. One judge admitted the decision was wrong. The three judges who voted against Jones were suspended. Sheepish officials awarded Jones the Val Barker trophy as the top boxer in the Olympics.
But even though the IOC later determined that the three judges had been wined and dined by Korean officials, the decision stood.
Although Bonds has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, allegations of steroid use emerged during the BALCO investigation. San Francisco Chronicle reporters used leaked grand jury testimony and painted a disturbing picture of his training methods.
This controversy will forever taint Bonds' epic power surge. His record won't come with an asterisk, but it will join the list of dubious achievements earned by athletes under suspicious circumstances.
Here are 11 of the most glaring examples:
Lance Armstrong's Tour de France winning streak
Many European cycling fans view Armstrong the way many baseball fans view Bonds — with skepticism. Armstrong never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs while winning the Tour seven times in a row, but published reports in Europe have detailed alleged infractions.
The French newspaper L'Equipe claimed it could prove six of Armstrong's urine samples from the 1999 Tour tested positive last year for the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO). Armstrong's official response to that story: "I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance enhancing drugs."
He has been the subject of much newspaper, magazine and book reporting on the topic. Each time he denied the charges. The subsequent Floyd Landis controversy marred the sport, though, as did widespread doping admissions by former cyclists.
Michael Strahan's NFL sack record
The New York Giants defensive end was running out of time to break Mark Gastineau's 17-year-old record of 22 sacks in a season. Strahan was stuck on 21-1/2.
With just 2:42 left in the fourth quarter of Strahan's final game of the 2001 regular season, the Green Bay Packers led the Giants 34-25. Packers quarterback Brett Favre called a running play, then tried a "naked bootleg" play by rolling out to Strahan's side without a blocker.
When confronted by Strahan, Favre flopped and gave up the record sack uncontested. Since Favre had joked about Strahan's record quest before the game — suggesting a side deal between the two could be arranged — the achievement appeared dubious.
"I just react to what happens," Strahan said after the game. "He was booting out on the same play earlier and I missed him, as far as containing and keeping him in the pocket. This time he went down and I hopped on him. What am I supposed to do? Get up and say, 'Brett! Why didn't you throw it?'"
Further diminishing Strahan's "record" is Deacon Jones' unofficial mark of 26 sacks — earned before the NFL kept such statistics.
Marite Koch, 400-meter world record
One of the most durable track and field records of all time is also one of the most questionable. On Oct. 6, 1985, Koch ran a 400-meter race in 47.60 seconds.
In subsequent years, nobody came especially close to touching that record. Evidence subsequently gleaned from East German secret police files indicated that Koch was involved in that country's doping program.
The Daily Mail of London asked current 400-meter star Sanya Richards if she believes Koch cheated. "That's a tough question but I have to say no," Richards said. "I have to believe that the mark is there and it's the mark I have to pass. If she was never busted, she was clean. That's how the sport is."
Marite Koch, 400-meter world record
One of the most durable track and field records of all time is also one of the most questionable. On Oct. 6, 1985, Koch ran a 400-meter race in 47.60 seconds.
In subsequent years, nobody came especially close to touching that record. Evidence subsequently gleaned from East German secret police files indicated that Koch was involved in that country's doping program.
The Daily Mail of London asked current 400-meter star Sanya Richards if she believes Koch cheated. "That's a tough question but I have to say no," Richards said. "I have to believe that the mark is there and it's the mark I have to pass. If she was never busted, she was clean. That's how the sport is."
Si-Hun Park, 1988 light-middleweight Olympic champ
Roy Jones Jr. should have won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In the title bout, he battered Park relentlessly, out-punching the South Korean boxer 86-32 in his homeland.
And yet Park was awarded the victory by a 3-2 decision. This became the gold standard for Olympic judging travesties, and it triggered scoring reforms for future Olympics.
Park apologized to Jones. One judge admitted the decision was wrong. The three judges who voted against Jones were suspended. Sheepish officials awarded Jones the Val Barker trophy as the top boxer in the Olympics.
But even though the IOC later determined that the three judges had been wined and dined by Korean officials, the decision stood.
