[krykslr]

If we're going on the picture....come on....if his arm looked like that AT REST and at his side, then that isn't normal.....if you're looking at a photo MID-THROW of course it's going to look big and veiny.....that's because it's in full flex as he's throwing someone out from behind the plate.

Let me provide you with a sample of pictures of players who we can be pretty darn sure never took steroids:

1. Jimmie Foxx (as mentioned before....steroids were accidentally discovered in the 1930's.....he's pretty darn muscular and couldn't have used steroids)
http://www.seth.com/images/collection_pa...8_pic2.gif

2. Honus Wagner (those are some ripped forearms....clearly juicing, look at that definition....oh wait, the science behind steroids hadn't even been developed yet)
http://artfiles.art.com/5/p/LRG/9/936/QU...atting.jpg

3. Roger Maris (pretty good sized arms....a great example of how muscles in use look much different than when not in use)
http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/maris.jpg

This thread is a huge joke, and I find it to be rather ridiculous.....next thing we'll see is a thread accusing Ruth of juicing....I mean he went from a skinny pitcher to a big power hitter, right? ....I guess his growth in size after being traded to the Yankees clearly shows that he was introduced to PEDs while on the Yankees roster.....couldn't be brute strength and he packed on the pounds eating junk food and drinking.....JUICER! (note....this is all sarcasm)

[dkotart]

3. Roger Maris (pretty good sized arms....a great example of how muscles in use look much different than when not in use)
http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/maris.jpg

This thread is a huge joke, and I find it to be rather ridiculous.....next thing we'll see is a thread accusing Ruth of juicing....I mean he went from a skinny pitcher to a big power hitter, right? ....I guess his growth in size after being traded to the Yankees clearly shows that he was introduced to PEDs while on the Yankees roster.....couldn't be brute strength and he packed on the pounds eating junk food and drinking.....JUICER! (note....this is all sarcasm)
[/quote]

Now according to the logic of the OP if you look at Roger Maris' numbers he never hit 40 HR's in his carreer until 1961. This year he hits 61 HR's, he had to be on something, right? (SARCASIM) Oh wait, he was not over 30 at this time. The basis of the argument is a player over 30 has to be on roids to have a better season then before he turned 30, is this right? So we should not question a player who is 27-29 for hitting a lot of monster HR's unless he is still hitting them after he turns 30? I agree this is a ridicuous but entertaining thread.

[ande_23]

My thought on the original premise of this thread is: Trolling should be done on the water, not on the internet....

[alfredoleal2001]

the overall conclusion is that if youre veins pop out then your on PEDS..............
im skinny and never work out but whenever i use my muscles my veins pop out just like those pics, I must be on PEDS then.....

[nolan5000]

I need my star points reset. I meant to give this thread 5 stars instead of 1. Seriously, I'm not joking!! I know who invented roids. It was the player/manager whose name I don't even want to type. I just hope that the HOF continues to block entry!!

[natejeffries]

You guys can be blind all you want.
None of those guys looked like Bench.
The guys you named were mostly farm boys who grew those muscles carrying barrels of hay.
Some of them were workout machines.
Maris was always a power hitter who put up huge numbers when he was traded to the Yankees and took full advantage of the short porch and the lineup protection with Mantle.

Is it possible that Bench was the biggest gym rat of any catcher before him? No doubt. Is it also possible that he did it with the help of drugs. Absolutely.

---

And don't forget. After the 1972 season, Bench had a tumor removed from his throat and never hit for the same power again.

Is it possible that this tumor was benign and had nothing to do with steroids? Yes. Is it possible that the operation affected his swing? Yes. Is it also possible that he stopped doing steroids after the operation. Yes.

---

Funny how people find it easy to dismiss the argument or call the thread a joke but can't stand to confront the possibility that he could be juicing as if Bench was a canonized saint.


Or as if it is normal to have arms that look like the Ravishing Rick Rude.

The fact is, few players before Bench came close to looking like this. And the fact that other guys on the Reds had major swings in their numbers, tells me he wasn't the only one who may have been in on it.

Did Bench outwork 95% of all baseball players before him in the workout room? Possibly.

But I think there is more to it than that.

But more power to those who were wiping Bench's behind in the locker room, have taken his urine samples and can vouch that he was clean as a whistle. They were probably the same ones buying up McGwire's card in the 90s, swearing he was better than Ruth.

I guess Jose Canseco was the first guy to use steroids in baseball and the sport was invented in Cooperstown.

[juda7]

I think it's time for the *MODS* to lock this thread up.
I think I'm not the only one in the Beckett Community who finds Natejeffries conspiracy theory about Johnny Bench to be in poor taste let alone his/her accusations towards the Big Red Machine down right insulting to collectors and hobbyists alike.

And don't think I didn't see that comment about the Beckett Members "Being Small Minded". Either you or the *MODS* edited that out. Take caution with rude name calling on the threads.

[natejeffries]

Take caution yourself. It's a free country and I don't appreciate your implied threat.

[juda7]

Read the TOS. Name calling will not be tolerated. MODS please lock this thread.
P.S. It is a free country but this site is in the MODS universe. Tread lightly...

[natejeffries]

Is it? Ive been called names left and right on this thread but have not gone after people personally. In fact, your very banner is name calling about this exact thread.
In addition, you are the first one to lay down a threat. Maybe where you come from, it is fine to drop threats against people but in the society I live in threats are not acceptable behavior.

When you use words like "take caution" and "tread lightly," I take offense.

So it is you who needs to tone it down.

Read the TOS. Name calling will not be tolerated. MODS please lock this thread.
P.S. It is a free country but this site is in the MODS universe. Tread lightly...