Barry Bonds Gets Away With Murder

Well it wasn't quite murder but he definitely got the OJ treatment from the jury. How could one woman on the jury of 12 not think Barry Bonds knowingly took steroids?
How could anyone look at that man and the physical changes he's undergone and the tremendous improvement in his performance and not think he had done steroids?



And if you can get there, you have to believe beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew what he was taking. Especially after all the other athletes testified they got steroids from Greg Anderson and knew what they were taking.

And speaking of Greg Anderson he's either the best friend ever, or he's getting a lot of money. And whatever he is getting, Bonds ought to double it. But isn't that witness tampering? How would they not find out if Greg Anderson gets out of prison and has millions of dollars? Would he do this for less than $5m?

So the one idiot juror who didn't believe Kathy Hoskins when she said she saw Anderson inject Bonds with her own two eyes, held up the guilty verdict on at least one of the perjury counts. Every other observer, including the 11 other jurors considered Hoskins a very credible witness.



A big part of the defense's case involved painting the prosecution as overzealous in its effort to convict Barry Bonds. First of all, shouldn't prosecutors and federal investigators be zealous in pursuit of a criminal. Secondly, I detest the notion that this crime wasn't big enough to pursue because it was a mostly victimless crime. Why would anyone ever tell a grand jury the truth if there was no penalty for lying? Or should there be a penalty, just not for Barry Bonds or other famous people? Lastly, does the government's zeal mean Bonds didn't commit a crime?

Here's what's going to happen next: the Feds (tired of public opinion turned against them) will offer Bonds a deal. They will agree not to pursue a retrial on the three charges that hung this jury, if Bonds agrees not to appeal to the obstruction conviction. That will mean 6 months of house arrest for Bonds.

Barry Bonds will never go to jail. Or the Hall of Fame.

Bonds is Fucked

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.

Mets Fan Catches 756

Matt Murphy, a 22 year old Mets fan from Queens, caught Barry Bonds' record breaking home run ball. He went to the Giants game on a stop before a trip to Australia. Apparently he didn't even have a ticket he and his friend, a Yankee fan, got them from a scalper (not sure how much he paid but whatever it was it was a great investment). 43,000 Giants fans and one Mets fan grabs it, like I said, "we are few, but we are strong."

There's A New Home Run Champion of All-Time...and It's Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run to pass Hank Aaron as baseball's all-time home run king. Now you'd probably expect that a baseball purist like me would be sickened by this development, but I'm really not.

Note: If you don't think Barry Bonds took steroids please stop reading right now. You probably are having trouble reading this anyway, with having to sound out the words. Barry Bonds cheated, there is no way to logically dispute this.

First off, no, Bonds clearly does not deserve to be remembered as the all-time leader in home runs. But in sports and in life, a lot of times people don't get what they deserve, and they don't deserve things they get. It's not worth worrying about.

There's no justice, there's just us. A pithy statement that is true in this case. Bonds can't ruin the historical signifigance of baseball, only we can. Baseball is unique among sports because of its history and the majesty of its records. And its two most precious records have been tainted (officially) but they don't have to be tainted in our hearts, our minds and our memories.

The two players I heard about most growing up were Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax. Neither holds any significant career or season record. That doesn't matter. It's their greatness that inspired stories of them to be told and passed down through the generations.

And it is up to us to pass down the story of Barry Bonds (and Mark McGwire is not blameless in this) and to tell our children that he cheated the game, and that he stole from Hank Aaron (and McGwire from Roger Maris).

And someday Bonds will be proven as a cheat and at that time let's hope baseball has a commissioner with enough stones to wipe his records from the books.

Schilling on Bonds

Curt Schilling speaking on a Boston radio show said :

"He admitted that he used steroids. I mean, there's no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game."

Schilling says so much crap that something is bound to be right, and this was it.

The media of course is quick to defend Bonds saying he never publicly admitted those things. But he did tell a grand jury he took steroids although it thought it was flaxseed oil, in testimony that was leaked. We know he had a mistress and giving her money is what could get him in trouble with the IRS, but we'll give him a pass on the taxes thing.

Bonds is a Rat

Barry Bonds, already under investigation for lying under oath about his steroid use, failed a test under Major League Baseball's amphetamine policy last season and then initially blamed it on a teammate.
Under the policy players are not publicly identified for a first positive test.
But according to several sources, when first informed by the MLB Players Association of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from the locker of teammate Mark Sweeney. Sources did not identify the drug in question but characterized it as a serious stimulant.
When asked last night whether Bonds had an explanation for why he failed the test or if he wanted to issue a denial, Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, said, "I have no comment on that."
Bonds, who has long defended himself against steroid accusations by saying he "never failed a drug test," did not appeal his positive test, but was immediately subject to an additional six drug tests by MLB over the next six months.
Sweeney declined comment, but his agent, Barry Axelrod, told The News, "Mark was made aware of the fact that his name had been brought up, but he did not give Barry Bonds anything and there was nothing he could have given Barry Bonds."
Bonds was not punished for his transgression, but instead was referred to treatment and counseling. While amphetamines are considered performance-enhancing drugs, they are treated differently than steroids under baseball's drug policy. Had Bonds failed a steroid test, he would have been suspended for 50 games, but under baseball's amphetamine policy no one is publicly identified or suspended until a second positive, which would result in a 25-game suspension. A player is suspended for 80 games for a third positive.
The policy covers a range of stimulants, including the ubiquitous "greenies," or Dexedrine. Benzedrine, ephedrine and the stimulants Ritalin and Adderall, which are used to treat attention-deficit disorder, are among the substances on the policy.
Sources said Sweeney, a first baseman/outfielder, first heard about the test when Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players association, called to say the player's name had been dragged into the controversy.
Orza told Sweeney that if he had anything troublesome in his locker, he should remove it and that he should not be sharing substances with other players. Sweeney told Orza that there was nothing in his locker that would be of concern, sources said.
Axelrod would not comment on the conversation between Orza and Sweeney. Orza also refused to comment on what he said to Sweeney or about Bonds' failed test, but added, "I can say unequivocally in my 22 years I've known Barry Bonds he has never blamed anyone for anything."
Sweeney apparently confronted Bonds, and Bonds told him that Orza had misunderstood, that he had not intended to implicate his teammate.

If I Were the Commissioner...

If I were the Commissioner of Major League Baseball this is what I would do:

The San Francisco Giants are coming to New York to play the Mets this weekend. I would call Barry Bonds into my office for a chat.

"Barry, have a seat. How are you feeling? Knee, ok? Congratulations on passing Babe Ruth. You've truly had a great career and you are one of the best players to ever play baseball in the major leagues. Now I am going to give you the chance to control your own legacy. In this folder (gesture to accordian folder on the desk) is evidence turned up during the steroids investigation being conducted by George Mitchell. I know your body is aching, and that you are constantly in pain. I think maybe it's time for you to retire. I think we both know that Hank Aaron deserves his record and that you are honored to be in second place. But if you keep playing into next year to try to break Aaron's record, I'm going to be forced to release this evidence. And the public outcry is going to be so great that I am going to have to expunge all your accomplishments from the record books. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, they're all gone. That's not a coincidence. Before the end of the season announce your retirement. Say your body just won't let you do it anymore. Major League Baseball will throw you a big celebration. I'll be there. We'll give you a car. Then after the season, we'll announce the investigation discovered a wide-ranging steroid problem in baseball over a number of years, too wide and too long to correct in the record books. We'll move baseball into the new steroid free era. And you will be forever recorded as having the most home runs in one season, and the second most in a career. Thanks for coming in Barry."

P.S.: It doesn't matter if I (or Selig) actually has proof. Bonds knows what he did, no matter how much he tries to deny it. I really think Selig should try this because the thought of McGwire being awarded the single season home run record would probably be enough to convice Bonds to retire. And if Bonds hangs on as a DH next season to break Aaron's record it would be the biggest sham in the history of sports and would rob baseball of the one thing it has over all the other sports, the sanctity of it's records.

He Did It!

Barry Bonds just hit home run #715 to pass Babe Ruth. It came off Byung-Hyun (Bunghole) Kim in front of the home crowd in San Francisco during a game in which Colorado is now winning 6-2.

Haterade

Houston Astros pitcher Russ Springer decided that Barry Bonds wasn't going to hit #714 off him. Instead of pitching to Bonds, or even walking him, Springer threw five straight inside pitches, drew a warning from the umpire then was ejected when he actually hit Barry with the 5th one. Springer didn't explain himself. Bonds handled himself with class, he didn't charge the mound or even glare. And he apparently told his pitcher Jamey Wright not to retaliate, Giants were winning 11-3 at the time. I hate Bonds as much as the next guy and I wouldn't want to be remembered forever as giving up the home run to that cheater, but this was bush league and Springer deserves 8 games. Jayson Stark covers this much better than I can.

Update Major League Baseball took down all clips of this incident from youtube, but a fan captured the whole thing:

How Could It Miss His Giant Noggin

Barry Bonds got hit in the forehead/bill of cap in batting practice the other day. Every kid could tell you not to put your face or fingers right up against the gate/mesh net. The pictures made me laugh.

Barry Bonds Rookie Card

Bonds on Bonds

Watched the first episode of the show last week. Didn't think it was that slanted. They showed some very anti-Bonds stuff including several clips of him acting like a dick. But CNN has chosen not to report anything that happens on the show as news, because the production company has given Bonds complete veto power over anything that makes the show...or doesn't make the show. My expectations were for complete propoganda because I read of a meeting with ESPN execs where a lot of ESPN employees were begging them to scrap this project. Of course they didn't do that because ESPN has no journalistic principles, it is completely an entertainment network. Regardless, I thought the show was pretty entertaining, and subsequent episodes (starting tonight at 7) will only be a half hour.

Bonds to Sue

Barry Bonds apparently sent a letter to the authors of "Game of Shadows" threatening to sue them. I guarantee this will never happen. As Paul's Poop legal expert, The Concierge, says, the truth is the best defense. We know most if not all of the book is true so I can't figure out what Bonds is going to say. The only thing I think he can say is that his grand jury testimony was illegally leaked, but in that case, isn't the leaker responsible?

Actual details on Bonds steroid use

Sports Illustrated has definitive proof that Bonds used roids.

Here's the quick rundown:
• In 2001: “Bonds was using two designer steroids referred to as the Cream and the Clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle.”
• Bonds actually went off-cycle to take as many steroids as possible, injesting (or injecting) far before his regular schedule required him to.
• He started taking the higher-grade steroids because he was “jealous of Mark McGwire.”

Giants Idol Day 2

Apparently this softer side of Bonds is making its appearance in conjunction with ESPN cameras following him around for a reality show. So even when he's nice to people he's doing it out of self-interest. By the way, did anyone look at yesterday's pictures and say to himself "no way did that guy take steroids?" Anyway, I don't know if they even crowned a winner, but the charade did raise $6,000 for charity.

Episodes of the reality show will air each week on one of the ESPN networks until Bonds passes Ruth at 714. The first show of the series, entitled "Bonds on Bonds," is slated for an hour slot on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET April 4, a day after the Giants open the season in San Diego's PETCO Park. It will be aired in lengths of either 30 to 60 minutes each Tuesday.
It could be renewed for another 10 hours of production if and when Bonds closes in on Aaron, with all the composite episodes being edited to a 100-minute documentary film that will illustrate the events that transpired both on and off the field as Bonds made a run at one of baseball's most cherished records.

You Really Made It Your Own

Normally I hate Barry Bonds, but this I like. The team played "Giants Idol," in which all the Giants and training staff members who are in their first major-league training camp had to perform atop the Giants dugout at Scottsdale Stadium. They were judged by a three-person panel.
Shortstop Omar Vizquel played the part of "American Idol" curmudgeon Ryan Seacrest; second baseman Ray Durham was Randy Jackson; and pitcher Jeff Fassero was Simon Cowell.
But the biggest laughs went to Bonds, who dressed in full drag with fake breasts under his strapless get-up to portray Abdul, the Chronicle said.
The event will conclude Wednesday.

Good Riddance

Barry Bonds announced he will retire after this year, whether he passes Hank Aaron or not. He needs to hit 50 to pass Aaron. But he'll definitely pass Ruth. That's a shame. I don't care that he's a jerk to the media. I do care that he took steroids, lied and blamed everyone else for the scrutiny he is under. You cheated Barry. You stole 3rd place on the home run list from your godfather, Willie Mays, by being a dirty cheater. You probably would have been great without the juice, but we'll never know. Don't expect sympathy now that you're body is breaking down. I hope you hit 7 home runs this year and keep your promise.