And, if all we're concerned about is whether they think Bonds is a jerk, well, groovy.  Ty Cobb was a huge jerk.  Babe Ruth - kind of a jerk, really.  Lots of great ballplayers are also world-class jerks.

What I have a problem with is the double standard that gets applied to Barry, or McGwire, or Palmeiro because they used steroids - or people think they did.  Was using steroids cheating?  Maybe, maybe not - depends on your P.O.V.  But we know - for a fact - that plenty of guys (Hall of Famers, All-Stars, MVPs, you name it) also cheated - and nobody really cares.  Why is it different with steroids?

"Steroids are gross" doesn't cut it as an explanation.  Personally, I think having someone burn off part of my eye or reattach muscles in my arm or put a cadaver's tendon in my leg are pretty freakin' gross, too, but none of those things generate the kind of heat that steroids do.  And I think that's an indefensible double-standard to use when evaluating players as players.

If you want to evaluate ballplayers as decent human beings, that's different; but I don't think many people stopped rooting for Mike Scott because of his sandpaper use.

Also, Bonds went from a power/speed player to a pure power hitter.  Simply abandoning the speed aspect of his game and bulking up would have led to HR increases.  I don't know how much of his added bulk was due to steroids and how much was due simply to changing his training approach and concentrating on weight training to bulk up.  I just don't have those answers.

That said, though, Tommy John surgery, LASIK, and the other red herrings aren't equivalent to steroids.  There are certainly well-documented health detriments to steroid use, especially when the steroids are not carefully administered by trained medical staff.  When any player appears to have benefited from steroids, there is going to be a rash of back-of-the-gym stanolozol-type use that will result in the Lyle Alzado-type problems.  Also, unlike Bonds, look what happened to backne-laden McGwire and his rapid health breakdowns.  Were they due to steroids?  If so, how much?  There is a lot of damage potential here.

LASIK doesn't have the potential for these long-term dramatic ill effects.  Sure, there is risk, and LASIK can go wrong.  But it is performed by professionals and not handed out in the Gold's Gym locker room.  Also, the risks are minimal, and LASIK isn't going to be done over and over and over again.  Tommy John surgery may not be that effective, but it isn't likely to be disastrous.  Also, TJ isn't performed unless really needed.

I think there is room for reasonable debate about the benefits of steroids, particularly when controlled and administered appropriately.  It isn't legality that I worry about so much as rampant, stupid use of steroids, and the fact that there is pressure to use them when others appear to be benefiting from their use.  That is a legitimate concern not only for pros but for college and HS athletes as well.