LOS ANGELES (AP) -It was steroids awareness day at Dodger Stadium, and it had nothing to do with Barry Bonds.
Approximately 100 Little Leaguers were at the ballpark before Thursday night’s game against Bonds’ San Francisco Giants for a two-hour session led by Los Angeles center fielder Juan Pierre, hitting coach Bill Mueller and former Dodger Lou Johnson. The boys and girls, ages 12 to 17, received a Dodger goodie bag.
“I’m the one who can tell you if you work hard you can make it,” Pierre said. “I’m not that big. I haven’t hit a home run in 600 at-bats, but I use what I can. I’m a speed guy, so I use my legs.”
The 43-year-old Bonds headed into Thursday night’s series finale with 754 home runs, one from tying Hank Aaron’s record. There are suspicions the slugger’s pursuit was fueled by steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, which he has long denied knowingly taking.
In their book “Game of Shadows,” released last year, authors Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada wrote that Bonds started using steroids because he was jealous of the attention paid to Mark McGwire’s home run race with Sammy Sosa in 1998.
Bonds, a seven-time NL MVP and 14-time All-Star, broke McGwire’s season mark with 73 home runs in 2001, then passed Babe Ruth for second on the career homers list last year – leaving only Hammerin’ Hank in his way.
When asked whether he thought Bonds had used steroids, Pierre responded: “I don’t know. I’m staying away from that one.”
The awareness event had been rescheduled from its original date, June 29. It featured four stations – nutrition, strength and conditioning, medical information and hitting.
“I saw that today when I was coming into the park in the taxi – steroids awareness clinic,” Giants infielder Rich Aurilia said. “Pretty ironic, huh? You think they planned it that way?”
Add A Comment