An Alternative Bonds Theory

Who says Barry Bonds needed steroids when it was all about the body armor?

Beyond his alleged steroid use, Barry Bonds is guilty of the use of something that confers extraordinarily unfair mechanical advantage: the "armor" that he wears on his right elbow. Amid the press frenzy over Bonds' unnatural bulk, the true role of the object on his right arm has simply gone unnoticed.

This is unfortunate, because by my estimate, Bonds' front arm "armor" may have contributed no fewer than 75 to 100 home runs to his already steroid-questionable total.

Read the whole thing. I hate to say it, but Witte's analysis seems to have some merit. Given the importance of mechanics in swinging a baseball bat, particularly when it comes to driving the ball, I can imagine that Bonds' gizmo might have had some effect on his home run totals. 75 to 100? That seems a little suspect. But, as somebody whose front shoulder tended to fly open on his swing, I can see where this mechanical device might have been able to help Bonds' mechanics.