Barry Bonds is a tremendously talented athlete that deserves to be acknowledged for his many accomplishments.
BALCO head: Bonds among "greatest athletes of all
time"
By Adam Tanner
Thursday, July 26, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As he nears the all-time
Major League Baseball home run record, Barry Bonds
received strong praise on Thursday from the the man
whose steroid business tarnished the reputation of the
baseball slugger.
The San Francisco Giant is just two away from tying
Hank Aaron's 755 lifetime home runs, but questions
about past steroid use have clouded what would
otherwise be a time of national celebration.
Bonds, 43, has denied ever knowingly using steroids,
but his personal trainer served time in the BALCO lab
steroid scandal; the left fielder still faces a
federal perjury investigation into whether he lied
when testifying to grand jury in the BALCO case.
Victor Conte, the former head of BALCO, now openly
speaks of having operated a steroid business in the
past, but strongly denies providing Bonds with any
performance-enhancing drugs. Rather, he has long said
he only advised the single-season home run record
holder with nutritional advice.
Not one to mince words about athletes, Conte praised
Bonds unreservedly on Thursday.
"I've worked with hundreds of elite Olympic and
professional athletes. Barry Bonds, by far, has the
most positive and powerful mind-set of any athlete I
have ever been around," Conte told Reuters.
"The greater the adversity he faces, the greater his
determination becomes to overcome that adversity.
Barry Bonds is not only one of the greatest baseball
players of all time, he is one of the greatest
athletes of all time."
Bonds took the night off on Wednesday but was
scheduled to play again for a late afternoon Thursday
game against the Atlanta Braves, the Giants said.
"As Barry closes in on baseball's all-time home run
record, he is facing unbelievable adversity in all
aspects of his life," Conte said. "However, he will
soon prevail against any and all obstacles and break
the record. Barry Bonds is demonstrating his true
greatness to the world."
