Although Sports Illustrated's lead story on Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home record is subtitled Steroids or not, Bonds' ability never in question, many (myself included) will disagree. Besides the obvious asterisk that will always be placed next to the record because of Bonds' obvious "alleged" steroid use, I've included another after reading an article that further puts his vaunted athletic prowess in doubt. Editor and Publisher's article Barry Bonds' HR Record Tainted by Elbow 'Armor'? reveals that the protective gear Bonds has employed in various forms for over 10 years is actually quite a marvel of engineering, conferring at least several advantages to his swing. Supporters of Bonds who claim that steroid use does not affect his reaction time or swing mechanics may have less of a leg to stand on when considering this...

A MetaFilter thread I came across explores the highly engineered design of newer bats, but I'll exclude that from my rant as it is a factor not necessarily unique to Bonds.