Baseball has a code that all must follow. One mistake is all it takes to be shunned, or so writes Jeff Pearlman. The ex-Sports Illustrated writer gained notoriety for his candid biography on Barry Bonds, one of the most debatable figures in the athletic field. In Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero, Pearlman interviews hundreds of people. But never the leading man himself.

Using steroids in an era where the line was gray rather than defined as black and white had its pros and cons. But no matter the official rules, cheating went against everything sports stood for. Baseball fans turned their backs on him since the allegations against the former San Francisco Giants slugger became public. Resulting in his probably never becoming a Hall of Famer. However, there was someone who knew about it all along.

Jay Canizaro Seemingly Realized What Barry Bonds Had Done to Himself

According to Pearlman, Canizaro had been a steroid user once. So he knew the telltale signs of how a human body reacted to them. After all, injecting foreign substances into one’s body doesn’t come without costs, even if the ultimate goal is gain.

When Bonds returned for the regular season in 1999, he looked different. Sure, he was a new father, but he had suddenly bulked up. According to what Canizaro told Pearlman, the Giants’ player was transformed, but the zits were what gave away the steroid use.

According to Canizaro’s account on page 199, Pearlman wrote, “Hell, 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.” 

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No one ever officially said anything about it before or after, but the catcher’s claims were enough to raise suspicion. However, he later admitted that he regretted talking to Pearlman about Bonds.

Canizaro Did Not Want to Be a Whistleblower

Bonds would not have been able to go under the radar for as many years as he allegedly did without someone noticing. If Pearlman was to be believed, many did, but unlike Canizaro, no one spoke out. It would violate the unspoken baseball code – what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.

But according to a 2006 New York Post interview, even Canizaro was reluctant to admit to those comments. “If Jeff writes something, I’m not going to call him a liar,” the former catcher told Brian Costello. “I don’t want to run away from these statements, but this is something I did not think would be put in public view…”

“This was just in a conversation we had about a lot of things. I didn’t want it made public. These are just opinions of mine. Am I a doctor? No. I can’t say this guy is using steroids.”

Of course, the absolute truth of what happened, Bonds or Canizaro, is only known to them. But these situations sure make one speculate.

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