Barry Bonds used steroids.
If you don't believe that please stop reading this blog right now.
The only person in America who is convinced that Bonds never used steroids is Bonds himself.
Somehow Bonds has said it so often that he believes it.
But it's not true, he knowingly took steroids because he was pissed that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were getting all the attention.
But that's not the point here. The point here is that Bonds could very well be going to jail.
In December 2003 he told a grand jury that he never knowingly used steroids.
Now federal investigators indicted him on perjury charges, meaning they have enough evidence to prove he took steroids (postive tests) and that he knew he was taking steroids (witness testimony).
Right after the Bonds indictment was announced, Bonds former friend and trainer Greg Anderson was released from prison. Anderson was in jail for not testifying against Bonds.
Because there's no such thing as a coincidence I think this means Anderson finally agreed to flip on Bonds.
But Anderson's lawyer says that's not what happened. I guess it's possible the Feds have the case without Anderson so they didn't need him anymore. Or maybe they want to scare Bonds into confessing by making him think Anderson dimed him out.
Either way I think Bonds is fucked. I don't think the Feds are going to let this go without sending him to jail for at least 9 months.
This indictment does pose a major problem for Major League Baseball. If for some reason Bonds should admit his steroid use they would have to take his records away. Especially if he says he was juiced during 2001 when he hit 73 homers, a 49% increase over high previous career high. The problem with that is, that would give the single-season crown to another juicer, Mark McGwire. Unless they can catch McGwire and Sosa and roll back the crown to Maris, an admission by Bonds would be disastrous for baseball.
One last issue, I don't want to hear that Bonds is being unfairly targeted. He lied to the grand jury, he deserves what he's going to get regardless of whether Palmeiro and McGwire are unmolested and regardless of whether the Feds should be chasing a murderer somewhere.
I also hope the idiots in the media who defended Bonds for no other reason than because he's black and so are they, will apologize also when Bonds is found guilty.
I have never defended Bonds before and I won't start here with this comment. I think he's a disgrace to the game. But, while I was listening to SportsCenter they were talking about how Bonds would not be in trouble for telling the truth. The testimony was to be sealed and kept in the courtroom. The only think he could have gotten in trouble for was lying.
ReplyDeleteWell, that isn't exactly true. Word leaked after Giambi told the truth and it caused him a ton of anguish with teammates, fans on the road, and just the public in general. He was a media sensation over night. It severely tarnished him, almost ruining the rest of his career.
I don't think you should lie in a court of law, but to truly be able to punish someone for protecting himself we should make sure we have our house in order and that we can uphold our end of the bargain. If we can't guarantee privacy when we're promising it, then why would anyone in Bond's position want to cooperate?
I also find it funny the way society works. I knew he was guilty. You knew. Bud Selig knew. Hank Aaron knew. His teammates and opponents knew. Yet there was Hank Aaron and Bud Selig congratulating him when he broke the record. The media had stopped asking him about it after being repeatedly shot down or hit with his venom. I just heard Steve Phillips say that today his legacy took a major hit. Why? We already knew he did all this!
ReplyDeleteDoes the legacy recoupe if his smooth, fancy lawyers convince 12 jurors that they're not 100% sure? "Knowingly" is so speculative. The only way to 100% prove Bonds knew what he was doing is with witnesses. Even then, the types that are dealing illegal drugs aren't the best of character. Otherwise he'll be able to say he thought vitamins were making his head double in size till the cows come home. It doesn't make him less guilty. The legacy has already been tarnished.
The funny thing is, if the People can't prove it's case against Bonds, he'll go back to being treated "fake" innocent by everyone in the game. The Court should be deciding whether he goes to jail or not, but I think MLB and the Court of Public Opinion shouldn't have that burden of proof and make up their own mind where they stand on him.
Legally, you may not have been able to prevent him from working. But once he retires, disown him from the game. Forget being politically correct about what you say. If Bonds sues you fine, let him sue you. At least MLB will be able to look itself in the mirror and we as fans would officially know where MLB stood.
Is that how he got that big head?
ReplyDeleteMore insightful commentary from Jems. I heard the immunity argument also and actually understood that Bonds may have decided to lie because he knew his testimony would be leaked. Doesn't make him any less of a criminal.
ReplyDeleteThe second comment goes to just how stupid the media is. I could talk for hours about how horrible all the media talking heads are...especially those who cover sports.
God I'm really commenting this post to death but I have a question for you Paul.
ReplyDeleteI was watching the news feed on Bonds for almost the whole morning and that's what's prompting all this thought. ESPN was interviewing various writers about whether or not they'll vote for him to be in the Hall of Fame. Many were citing a character clause as a reason they weren't voting for him. Many were spitting the rhetoric about how he was a HOFer before 1999, when he supposedly admitting to his girlfriend that he began using. Most were saying they wanted to see whether or not he got convicted before making a decision.
My question is this: Why is this necessarily being put in the hands of the media? A court of law found the Black Sox innocent in 1919, and Kenasaw Landis suspended them for life anyway. This included the Hall of Fame. Was Landis able to do this because that was before the sue happy, innocent by court of law, politically correct world we live in today? Would Shoeless Joe, Eddy Seicott and the rest of them hauled MLB into court and gotten their careers back?
If Bonds is found innocent could and should Bud Selig step forward and ban him from the game? No awards ceremonies, no coaching jobs, managing, or Hall of Fame? I think it would be a huge statement by the Commish and MLB.
I ask because I could see it going down this road. If the People don't have Greg Anderson it will be a tough case to prove. And Bonds will have the best lawyers...