So... I guess it's OK to cheat, enforced or not. May God bless us, each and everyone.

The point is that nobody has yet proven that Bonds knowingly cheated: not enough to indict, let alone enough to convict.

Innocent until proven guilty, and they can't even nail down "might be" guilty.

Maybe it's time to open sports up to anything. If an athlete wants to potentially cause permanent damage to himself by using drugs, then let him do it openly. When paychecks are followed by that many zeroes, cheating under the present system is going to happen. Always has, always will.

I don't know if Bonds knowingly cheated. Even if he did use steroids, it wasn't illegal until 2003 (I think that was the year), so if he was cheating, it's only been since then. Has he been drug tested since 2003? You bet. Results? Negative.

It also doesn't help that MLB's drug testing program is a joke. Apparently they've grown some balls this year because they've handed down a couple of long suspensions, but for all the hype, very few players have been *proven* to be cheating.

My dear Ted,

Why are this guy and his drug habits so damn important? Because of his using steroids, illegal or not, he was in the majors due to his enhanced abilities and not because of his real abilities.

By him taking up space in SF (or anywhere else he did or could have played), he certainly kept someone else out of the "show" who, maybe not as good as the "enhanced" Mr. Bonds, was as least as good as the straight Mr. Bonds.

Mr. Bonds was in Washington a few day ago, and for whatever reason, maybe lack of "enthusiasm" or maybe a potential "test" or two, he literally sucked the air out of the stadium. The first game was, what?... 0 for 4?... couldn't catch a fly?... guess he needs some Gatorade.

Sorry, my friend... seems something is missing.

Viesturs

PS

Rafael Palmeiro also never "knowingly" took any enhancing medications. I guess the gnomes or faeiries went a calling one night.

V.