To Pitch to BB or Not, That Is the Question

For days Vin Scully plugged the Giants’ Barry Bonds coming to town and “let’s get those tickets to see one of the greatest.” Fine, so the chicken Dodgers walked Bonds four times Friday night. This is what the fans paid big bucks to see? If I were a Dodger fan, I’d feel cheated. My money back, please.

Dan Hruby

Avila Beach

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The Dodger manager gets five stars for implementing a winning strategy -- walking Bonds four times a game. If the Giants can’t beat you without Bonds, then take the bat out of his hands. It’s fair, and it’s not as if the Dodgers are using steroids to gain an unfair advantage.

Steve Wimer

Mentone

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In his April 23 article, Ross Newhan wrote, “Barry Bonds continues to soar so far beyond the steroid innuendo that he has turned it to dust.”

On the contrary, the superhuman exploits of Bonds only add to my strong belief that since the late 1990s, he has been using steroids and other illegal substances. I will continue to question the legitimacy of spectacular performances.

The emergence of Bonds as the game’s most prolific home run slugger can be attributed to one undeniable factor. He is a great deal bigger, adding 40 pounds of sheer muscular bulk to his body, from the wiry 190 pounds he weighed in 1997.

If Major League Baseball had had a steroid-testing program leading up to his record-breaking year in 2001, including out-of-season testing, Bonds would not have been able to achieve such an extraordinary record.

Don Weiskopf

El Dorado Hills, Calif.