Rafael Palmeiro: Idiot, liar or both?

Two months later Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid used by veterinarians, primarily on horses, to stimulate appetite, increase muscle mass, increase bone density and increase red blood cells.

And two months after testing positive for stanozolol, Palmeiro, on July 15, got his 3,000th hit as a major leaguer. He became the fourth player in the history of Major League Baseball to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players ever to accomplish the feat.

Early on in Palmeiro's career, he wasn't known as much of a power hitter. In his first seven seasons in the league, Palmeiro hit just 95 home runs.

Jose Canseco joined Palmeiro as a teammate on the Texas Rangers late in the 1992 season and then, as if Canseco sprinkled some magic dust on Palmeiro, the home runs began.

In 1993, with Canseco as his teammate, Palmeiro hit a then-career high 37 home runs. Between 1995 and 2003, Palmeiro hit an outrageous 373 home runs. The man averaged more than 41 home runs a year over a nine-year stretch.

His accomplishments are amazing.

To put the numbers in context, over that same nine-year period, Giants' slugger Barry Bonds hit 399 home runs. Bonds averaged 44 home runs a year during that period and hit a record-setting 73 home runs in the 2001 season.

Of course Bonds is in the same boat as Palmeiro. Bonds testified to a grand jury that he unknowingly used two substances, given to him by his trainer and cooked up by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative's Victor Conte, the cream and the clear. Bonds testified he thought he was taking flaxseed oil and rubbing balm for arthritis.

Conte, a San Mateo resident, pleaded guilty in July to two felony charges of distribution of drugs and money laundering. BALCO's Conte is the first to go down in this controversy but won't be the last.

Currently, Congress is seeking information on Palmeiro, including a timeline, to determine if the slugger committed perjury. That leaves us with two possible scenarios to ponder considering Palmeiro.

Either Palmeiro tried steroids for the very first time following his testimony to Congress, that would make him an idiot, or, as Canseco suggests, Palmeiro used steroids throughout his career dating back to 1993, which would make Palmeiro a liar.

Palmeiro is either an idiot or a liar. That's it.

This past week, Canseco has said he believes Palmeiro was used by Major League Baseball to try and discredit Canseco's book "Juiced," which exposes a lot of players as having used steroids.

Canseco said Palmeiro's testimony to Congress appeared coached and that Palmeiro would not have lied to Congress unless he felt a certain amount of protection would be provided by Major League Baseball.

After serving a 10-game suspension for failing a drug test, Palmeiro rejoined the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, but was not in the starting lineup.

Before failing the test, Palmeiro was a lock for the Hall of Fame. Now 80 percent of sportswriters across the country, who determine who joins the Hall, have said they will not vote to induct Palmeiro.

His accomplishments on the field are tarnished forever.

Palmeiro now has a shot at redemption, however. He can come clean and tell the truth. We'll have to wait and see if he has the courage to do so. As a fan of baseball, I'll have to say my enthusiasm for the sport is waning.

I feel duped into thinking that the modern baseball player is somehow more superior than the legends who played the game in the past. Well I guess they're not. It appears that a good portion of the current crew of baseball all-stars are just a bunch of cheaters and liars.

Bill Silverfarb's column runs every Friday. He can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdaily journal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200, ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.