Hank Aaron On Steroids?

[billyhallfan]

Let me first start off, that I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS, I just found it on another board...

 

 

 

 

STEROIDS GROUND ZERO: 1973 ATLANTA BRAVES

(Or what you will NOT read in Game of Shadows)

 

One of the more distressing fabrications which has emerged from the BALCO case has been the erroneous contention that the so-called 'Steroids Era' began in 1991 with Jose Conseco as its architect.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

The San Francisco Chronicle, in a May 3rd 2005 article quoted former Major League pitcher Tom House of the Atlanta Braves as saying that steroids were rampant in the game in the late '60s and throughout the '70s.

 

House, perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball in 1974 in the Atlanta Braves bullpen, said he and several teammates used amphetamines, human growth hormone and 'whatever steroid' they could find in order to keep up with the competition.

 

"I pretty much popped everything cold turkey', House said. "We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding."

 

House, 58, estimated that six or seven pitchers per team were at least experimenting with steroids or human growth hormone. He said players talked about losing to opponents using more effective drugs,

 

"We didn't get beat, we got out-milligrammed", he said. "And when you found out what they were taking, you started taking them".

 

According to Rep. Henry A. Waxman in his March 17,2005 opening statement before the House Government Reform Committee:

 

"Congress first investigated drugs and professional sports, including steroids over 30 years ago. I think perhaps the only two people in the room who will remember this are me and Commissioner Selig, because I believe he became owner in 1970".

 

In 1973, the year I first ran for Congress, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce concluded a year-long investigation that found--and I quote--"drug use exists...in all sports and levels of competition...In some instances, the danger of improper drug use--primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids--can only be described as alarming".

 

Bowie Kuhn, and the powers that be at the time, quietly squashed the entire tawdry episode and with good reason: it would cast suspicions on an African-American slugger who was challenging one of baseball's most cherished records: The career record for home runs.

 

Compare Hank Aaron's stats at the beginning of his career and then notice how his HR% began to increase beginning when Hammerin' Hank was 37 years old.

 

HR% is defined as being the number of HRs per 100 ABs.

 

Age HRs HR%

33 44 7.3

34 39 6.5

35 29 4.8

 

Nothing unusual about these statistics; it is a typical profile of a slugger in decline as he ages. But then Hank began to undergo an 'enhancement.'

 

Age HRs HR%

36 44 8.0

37 38 7.4

 

What explains this spike at a latter age? Expansion? Perhaps. But then what happens?

 

Age HRs HR%

38 47 9.5

39 34 7.6

 

Hank...What's going on buddy? Aaron's HR% were TOPS in the NL in both 1971 and 1972. Hmm.

 

Age HRs HR%

40 40 10.2

 

Which leads us to 1973 when at age 40 in just 392 at bats, juiced 40 HR's for a HR% of 10.2. Once again TOPS in NL for the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR and the HIGHEST HR% in the ENTIRE 23 year career of Hank Aaron.

 

Hank Aaron at 40 was not the only Atlanta Brave to hit 40 Hrs that season. Teammates Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson blasted 41 and 43 HRs respectively.

 

Darrell Evans

 

Year HRs HR%

1971 12 4.6

1972 19 4.5

 

1973 41 6.9

 

1974 25 4.4

1975 22 2.8

 

Notice a statistical anomaly? Let's see what Davey Johnson did.

 

Davey Johnson

 

Year HRs HR%

1971 18 3.5

1972 5 1.3

 

1973 43 7.7

 

1974 15 3.3

1975 Played 1 game

1976 Did not play MLB

 

Notice a statistical anomaly? It would be one thing for Hank Aaron to undergo an 'enhancement', but what are the odds that not one but TWO teammates would both have career years in HR's and HR% in the SAME YEAR as when a Congressional Committee issued its final report saying that anabolic steroids were rampant in the game? Why did Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson both experience career spikes in HR's only to return to earth the following year? And how did Hank finish up?

 

Age HRs HR%

41 20 5.9

42 12 2.6

43 10 3.7

 

So what happened? Enquiring minds want to know.

 

The 1996 Baltimore Orioles set at the time the team HR record for one season. Brady Anderson's 50 HR season was viewed suspiciously.

 

The manager of the 1996 Baltimore Orioles? Davey Johnson.

 

The only question remains: What did Bud Selig know and when did he know it?

 

Fay Vincent circulated a draft steroids policy in 1991. Selig knew that if the scab of steroids was picked off, the puss of the 1973 Atlanta Braves would be oozing all over the game. The scandal of Hank Aaron's HR record being tainted by steroids use would have been a PR disaster at the time and. personally, extremely painful to Bud Selig who, after all, is a long-time friend of Hank Aaron.

 

Hence the boardroom coup which ousted Fay Vincent and made Bud Selig 'Acting Commissioner', while still maintaining his position as the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, a blatant conflict of interest.

 

So long as Bud Selig remains in charge of Major League Baseball, the American public will never get to the bottom of the steroids scandal which has sullied the game. He has too much of a personal vested interest in Hank Aaron.

[Ennder]

I dunno about the conspiracy theory stuff but steroids have been around way longer than people think so it wouldn't surprise me if guys like Aaron did them. There were also more fixed games via gambling etc as well. The old records aren't any more sacred than the new ones.

[billyhallfan]

i know it is possible, but i just can't believe it, maybe it is because i don't want to.

[Samurai Bucky]

I remember back around 1980 where they had a story about Robin Yount in a national magazine. One sentence of the story said, "Robin Yount is a walking advertisement for Nautilus." I wonder if his sudden muscle gain wasn't attributed to some performance supplements. The only reason why I say that is because of how drastic the change was.

[Tbadder]

I just don't understand people's naiviety about this issue. PEDs have been around forever. Evidently as far back as Babe Ruth players were using a derivative of speed in order to shake off the effects of drunkeness in order to make onto the field. Greenies were rampant in the 60s. I think the bottom line here is that there's too much at stake NOT to use drugs. In a society where success trumps integrity 99% of the time why should anyone be surprised? Fair play, equality, etc. it's all an ideal that we've never lived up to. I'm sure that it will die down for awhile, but as soon as the hounds are leashed I have no doubt it will begin again. Testing is always going to be chasing masking. When was the last time we had an fair Olympics? Bicycling is a joke of a sport, and football--don't even get me started on our well-marbled, yummy steak men that would embarrass some steers.

[Big Reed]

The story is believable. I'm not going to say it's true. but it's believable. I don't know how long steriods have actually been around, but there must have been a drug or supplement similar to it in the 50's and 60's. Nolan Ryan was a pitchman for Advil. Motrine is a similar pain killer. My wife who is a doctor and can prescribe drugs has said if you have back pains or cramps or leg pains, you just double the regular dosage. So what's the difference between taking steriods and taking an overdose of advil? pills of all kinds were very prevalent in the club house and still are. What's the difference between taking steriods and HGH or taking a cortizone shot? They serve the same purpose.

 

I recal ned yost saying that the Brewers' clubhouse needed to be cleaned out because it was looking like a medicine cabinet with drugs everywhere out in the open.

 

What i feel bad about is that baseball is the sport that gets the bad rap for players taking drugs. there have been a lot more football players on pain killers than baseball players. There have been a lot more basketball players on cocaine and other fantasy drugs than baseball players. but it's baseball that falls under the microscope.

 

We all remember Max Mcgee as the Packer who showed up drunk to the Super Bowl and then was forced into playing. I have to believe that wasn't his first time. That label of being drunk is almost like an asterik. You can't talk about Max McGee without saying remember the superbowl where he was drunk?

[BritInWI]

Notice a statistical anomaly? It would be one thing for Hank Aaron to undergo an 'enhancement', but what are the odds that not one but TWO teammates would both have career years in HR's and HR% in the SAME YEAR as when a Congressional Committee issued its final report saying that anabolic steroids were rampant in the game? Why did Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson both experience career spikes in HR's only to return to earth the following year?

 

Given that there was no testing implemented, why would Evans and Johnson have taken for just one year and then stopped?

 

I'm not saying that steroids might not have been a factor back then, but this particular argument is weak at best because it conveniently ignores this obvious question, which calls the argument into doubt.

[endaround]

My favorite "honest" player no one questions? Roger Maris. His hair fell out due to "stress." Of course hair loss is also a symptom of steroid use.

[Tbadder]

Big Reed: I'm really in the same boat as you concerning baseball's being blamed. Baseball has been the sport whipping boy for too long. Is football really that much of a sacred cow. I guess so.

 

And that's the reason I've been supporting Bonds. People are just nuts when it comes to him. The problem is so much deeper and so much more important to get angry at just one guy. There's no logic behind it.

[elbobbo82]

Brit, that was my first thought too, why only juice for one year? If you were juicing and saw the obvious positive effects and no immediate consequences, one would think you would continue on that path

[Invader3K]

This whole thing makes me very angry.

 

That's the whole problem with this whole steroid/PED issue. Basically, no player from any era is now off limits when it comes to "possibly having used PEDs". I mean, two or three years ago no one would have considered Hank Aaron, of all people, as a steroid user. Now, it seems like everyone is a fair game, even with no real evidence other than speculation and very sparse circumstational facts. How about the fact that Aaron started to pull the ball later in his career? Was that mentioned in the article. No, of course not. It doesn't fit in with the "evil conspiracy/Bud Selig is the devil's right hand agent" template.

 

I'm surprised no one has given the obligatory "Hank Aaron used greenies" comment yet, which Aaron admitted to doing a total of ONE time in his own autobiography, a statement which no one with any credibility has even questioned. Yes, we know players used to use amphetamines a lot, but so did the entire US army at one point. That really has nothing to do with the current steroid/HGH problem.

 

Pretty soon we'll be hearing that Honus Wagner used an early form of steroids, based on some note passed down to the grandson of an opiate junky or something.

 

Please, let's knock it off.

[Big Reed]

I always thought hair loss was a sign of virility and being super smart. at least that's what i believe to be the reasons for my own personal hair loss.

 

so could that mean that MJ and Sir Charles shaved their heads because they were on steriods and they didn't want others to know? I've often thought that there was a steriod derivitive basketball players use to bulk up, and to help heal faster. man y people say that basketball players would not benifit from using steriods. they said the same thing about baseball pitchers as well and were proven wrong. if track stars and cyclists use steriods, I see no reason why basketball players wouldn't juice up as well.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yes, we know players used to use amphetamines a lot, but so did the entire US army at one point. That really has nothing to do with the current steroid/HGH problem.

Except that it illustrates that there's been a doping culture in baseball for decades at the least. That's incredibly relevant.

Agreed on cagers, Reed. But at this point, you can substitute 'your favorite sport's athletes' for 'basketball players,' sadly.

[dpapo]

If the person who wrote that had taken just a couple minutes to try to do a little, little, little bit of research, he may have found out the following.
As far as Aaron's home run totals going up and down. If you took a look at his career numbers, you will see that his home runs total going up and down his entire career.
For that jump in 1969 from 29 to 44 homeruns. One, there was expansion in the NL that year. At least he got that right. However, there was something else that also had a big effect. 1968 was known as the year of the pitcher and in 1969 they lowered the pitcher's mound.
Another point made here, towards the end of his career he probably start pulling to ball more as the number of doubles he hit began dropping.
Also have to take into consideration that towards the end of his career his was probably starting to battle minor injuries and age finally taking over. Plus, he had a ton of stress, including death threats for breaking the home run record.
It took me all of about 5 minutes to think and look up his stats to refute some of what he wrote. I'm sure if I had taken a bit more time to do a little more research, I could find more to refute what he wrote,

[Tbadder]

Aaron admitted to doing a total of ONE time in his autobiography

I gotta chuckle at this--reminds of the time I told my Mom and Dad that I only had sex with my girlfriend once.

[Invader3K]

Aaron admitted to doing a total of ONE time in his autobiography

I gotta chuckle at this--reminds of the time I told my Mom and Dad that I only had sex with my girlfriend once.

Yes, I agree that on face value, it does seem like a joke. However, I have never heard anyone seriously state that Aaron was even a moderate user of amphetamines. However, it always gets brought up on this board whenever the case about Aaron gets brought up anyway. Kind of like how whenever Paul Molitor is discussed, his admitted drug use in the early part of his career just has to be discussed as well.

[JohnBriggs12]

I was around then. This story is ludicrous. Read Aaron's biography "I had a Hammer".

 

In his early days, Aaron focused on hits and sprayed the ball all over. His power was generated from his wrists. When he hit 44 HR in 1957, he was very slightly built.

 

When the team moved to Atlanta, they settled in a launching pad. Aaron made a conscious decision to try to pull the ball more. He became an entirely different hitter. His body changed. He got heavier but was never muscle bound.

[endaround]

Yes and Ty Cobb could have hit 70 home runs a year if he tried.

 

You know why players had things sent to clubhouses in their name? Because that had been happening for over 40 years and no one aid boo.

[aracko]

Aaron admitted to doing a total of ONE time in his autobiography

I gotta chuckle at this--reminds of the time I told my Mom and Dad that I only had sex with my girlfriend once.

Yes, I agree that on face value, it does seem like a joke. However, I have never heard anyone seriously state that Aaron was even a moderate user of amphetamines. However, it always gets brought up on this board whenever the case about Aaron gets brought up anyway. Kind of like how whenever Paul Molitor is discussed, his admitted drug use in the early part of his career just has to be discussed as well.

 

But who from that era is a noted amphetamine user? We know they were used but I dont know of anyone pointing fingers.

[Invader3K]

Well, I don't know of anyone specifically. The implication brought up earlier in this thread was that amphetamines were as widely used in the '60s and '70s as PEDs were used in the "steroid era".

[JohnBriggs12]

Advil is an over the counter anti-inflammatory as is aspirin. It might relieve some pain, but it doesn't enhance performance.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Because there's no possible way to accurately verify stuff like this, I honestly really don't care. It's easy to point fingers and say "this guy did it", but nobody knows for sure, and nobody ever will. Not saying it's right, but people act like baseball is the only major sport in which people do this kind of stuff to get an edge.

[Invader3K]

Yeah...I don't think an "overdose of Advil" would do anything other than cause negative consequences. Not sure why that was brought up, to be honest.

[Invader3K]

Not saying it's right, but people act like baseball is the only major sport in which people do this kind of stuff to get an edge.

That's one point that irks me as well. How do we not know this sort of thing wasn't or isn't as prevalent in the NFL or NBA? Baseball always gets to be the biggest scapegoat, though, probably because it's supposed to be "the national passtime."

[Tbadder]

I just got done reading this paper some guy wrote while at Harvard on the history of doping and sports. What struck me was that the first Olympics (you know like 2000 years ago) were cancelled because of doping! Gotta love it if true.

 

It goes on to say, that as late as the early 80s major league baseball teams had "candy jars" out in the open in the clubhouse for anyone to use. The implication is that you took them on an "as needed" basis to fight fatigue.

 

I believe it was just an accepted part of the culture and who took and who didn't take was never an issue.

 

I also learned that anabolic steroids for non-medical use were not made illegal until 1988.