So what I'm gathering from this thread so far is that an athletics build is a pretty much accepted counter to the bec. And heavy str builds are apparently super bad ass for every other kind of melee combat. So if you want to keep a str build and further nerf the bec, I can only assume you want all the pros without the cons.
If you want to be able to deal with the bec, go athletics. If you want to be a heavy hitter, go with PS. Trade off is a bish, ain't it?