One of the most prominent names in the MLB world that got steroids permanently attached to his name is home run king Barry Bonds. Throughout his career, Bonds made and broke countless records and earned accolades to his name. However, with his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs, he remained isolated ever to get his name inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even so, Bonds was not the only one in the baseball world whose name got intertwined with the growth hormones.
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A former teammate of Bonds, Jay Canizaro, also took steroids during his short-lived baseball career. But a harrowing moment with the PEDs made him choose otherwise.
What Did Bonds’ Teammate Say About His Experience With Steroids?
The Jeff Pearlman’s book, Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds had a searing and insightful look into the life and career of Bonds, one of the most celebrated, contradictory, and controversial sports figures. In the same book, Canizaro, while talking about Bonds and his steroid usage, also spoke of his deadly episode with PEDs.
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Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1993, Canizaro made his MLB debut three years later in 1996. But he had already become known to steroids by that time. While playing for Oklahoma State University as a freshman, he came in contact with steroids and started messing around with them. Watching others taking steroids prompted him to use more, eventually giving him a near-death experience.
On page 200, Canizaro’s words read, “One day, I’m injecting the steroids into my rear, and everything goes black. My mouth felt as if I had swallowed a lemon. I blacked out. I kept thinking, ‘God, let me live. God, let me live. God . . .'”
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And no matter the temptation, that was the last time he ever took steroids.
Barry Bonds Had Made Many Suspicious
Coming to the Giants clubhouse in 1999, Bonds looked blown up with his arms, chest, shoulders, legs, and neck. Although Bonds said that it resulted from him starting his workout earlier than others, a day in the locker room suggested otherwise.
Bonds’ face was bloated, forehead and jaw had become substantially more significant. But his zits became a major giveaway.
About the same, Canizaro said, “He took off his shirt the first day, and his back just looked like a mountain of acne. Anybody who had any kind of intelligence or street smarts about them knew Barry was using some serious stuff.”
However, Bonds did not have a good relationship with most of his teammates. Therefore, no one ever care to say anything to him.
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Deepanshi Bajaj