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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10690
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 03:01 pm: | 
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The Barry Bonds saga has finally reached the courts. The commentary below offers some insight into the situation.
SAN FRANCISCO (Nov. 15) - The home run king wasn't home free after all. Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.
The indictment came just three months after the San Francisco Giants star broke Hank Aaron's career home run record, and it culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes.
Gerald Herbert, AP Barry Bonds' career in San Francisco is over, and now the question becomes will he go to jail. If he's convicted on federal charges, he might be locked up for up to 30 years.
But for all the speculation and accusations that clouded his pursuit of Aaron, Bonds was never identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive for steroids, and personal trainer Greg Anderson spent most of the last year in jail for refusing to testify against his longtime friend.
Then came the indictment - four counts of perjury, one of obstruction of justice; a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison - and Bonds' lawyers seemed caught off guard.
The 10-page report mainly consists of excerpts from Bonds' December 2003 testimony before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO. It cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.
"I'm surprised," said one of his lawyers, John Burris, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."
Burris said he didn't know of the indictment before being alerted by The Associated Press. He said he would call Bonds to notify him.
Anderson was ordered released from prison shortly after the indictment was handed up, but his attorney, Mark Geragos, said the trainer didn't cooperate with the grand jury.
"This indictment came out of left field," Geragos said. "Frankly, I'm aghast. It looks like the government misled me and Greg as well, saying this case couldn't go forward without him."
Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 7.
Defense attorney Mike Rains said he spoke briefly with Bonds but did not describe his reaction. At an evening news conference, he read a statement accusing federal prosecutors of "unethical misconduct" and declined to take questions.
"Every American should worry about a Justice Department that doesn't know if waterboarding is torture and can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand and persecution on the other," Rains said.
In August, when the 43-year-old Bonds became the career home run leader, he flatly rejected any suggestion that the milestone was stained by steroids.
"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.
But while San Franciscans cheered his every swing and fans elsewhere scorned every homer, a grand jury quietly worked behind closed doors to put the finishing touches on its report.
"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment said.
Bonds is by far the highest-profile figure caught up in the steroids probe, which also ensnared track star Marion Jones. She pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal investigators about using steroids and faces up to six months in prison.
The Giants, the players' union and even the White House called it a sad day for baseball.
"This is a very sad day. For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era. These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law," the Giants said.
To me, the question remains is Bonds simply a sign of the times, - an icon of a culture where enhancement is the key to success? Was Barry's alleged use of steroids par for the course in a society where middle-aged men take viagra to improve their sexual prowess, where flat-chested women have breast implants to a boster their allure, where music producers employ electronic technology to turn mediocre artists into CD super stars, where corporations inflate their profits to satisfy shareholders, where in the cosmetic industry a "make-over" is a "must-have", where in law-enforcement rogues are turned into heroes, where in politics candidates inflate their records to impress voters, where the President of the United States disguises himself as an intelligent man and tells lies to wage war?.
All of the sports pundits lament that Barry Bonds has besmirched the wholesomeness of baseball, - the "great American pass-time"! What they don't seem to consider is that Barry Bonds has come to exemplify the great American pass-time of being the best at any cost, and that in the sports arena, truth and reality are becoming the losers in the game. |
Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 935
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 04:11 pm: |
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"All of the sports pundits lament that Barry Bonds has besmirched the wholesomeness of baseball..."
OH BROTHER -- GIVE ME A BREAK! They are really just mad Hispanics have taken over. I'm sure they would be no lamenting (steriods or not) if they could turn the clocks back to a time before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Are they lamenting over Mark McGwire (sp?). or all of the other baseballers who take banned substances but were not "caught"?
Bonds is not responsible for besnirching the wholesomeness of the game. To lay this at Bond's feet is misguided at best and racist at worst.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10693
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 10:50 pm: |
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I think that authorities are attempting to make an example of Bonds, and that both White and Black players will feel the heat once a legal precedent has been established.
This issue is not about bad behavior, because Bonds is not a brawling trouble-maker, an alcoholic or a woman abuser. He is a good athlete who gave himself an unfair advantage over other players by taking performance enhancers to make himself a superior athlete.
But this is not to say that the zeal to bring Bonds down, does not have its roots in a latent racism ignited by his "uppity" attitude. |
Doberman23
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Doberman23
Post Number: 1102
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 08:01 am: |
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this was a waste of time and money. this is the best that they could come up with after 4 years and millions of dollars on the barry bonds witch hunt? perjury? you have got to be fuggin kidding me, have you ever had to sue anyone? that is perjury at it's finest if your are going up against a company. baseball sucks and it hasn't been the national pass time since mark mcguire and sosa where racking up home runs. the truth is if barry was an ass kisser and had retired last year this would have been dropped. now they just want to always be able to say, yeah a nigguh broke the record but he cheated to do it. by the way babe ruth's unfair advantage was that blacks werent allowed to play. |
Yvettep
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 2459
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 08:22 am: |
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by the way, babe ruth's unfair advantage was that blacks weren't allowed to play
by the way, babe ruth's unfair advantage was that blacks weren't allowed to play
(Some things are worth repeating.)
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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5751
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 11:28 am: |
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by the way, babe ruth's unfair advantage was that blacks weren't allowed to play
(Unless you buy some of the theories that the Bambino himself had black blood)
Bonds is not responsible for besnirching the wholesomeness of the game. To lay this at Bond's feet is misguided at best and racist at worst.
(Amen brother. Baseball has been a sewer since it went professional more than a hundred years ago.
There is nothing to besmirch) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10696
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 11:59 am: |
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I am not inclined to exonerate Big-Head Bonds. Hank Aaron is the real hero here. He broke the record the hard way; he earned it. And under very adverse conditions. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5754
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 12:34 pm: |
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Hank Aaron is the real hero here. He broke the record the hard way; he earned it. And under very adverse conditions.
(Then the story comes out the Negro was using uppers and downers and all sorts of painkillers and Cynique has egg on her face again) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10699
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 12:43 pm: |
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Puleeze. Hank is still more of a hero than Barry Bonds. Aaron did not bulk up his physique, and that's the bottom line. The hate he was being subjected to probably drove him to medicate his pain. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5756
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 12:52 pm: |
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Aaron did not bulk up his physique, and that's the bottom line.
(No, he just probably cheated in a more acceptible manner
The man is no hero. Him, or Babe Ruth or no other athelete.
They are guys who didn't wanna work a real job. Got rich playing a kid's game) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10704
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007 - 01:13 pm: |
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I disagree. In the sports world they were icons. And what they do and did requires skill and prowess and mental toughness. Their job is a profession just like anybody else's. And it's not like playing the stock market isn't a game. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5765
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 11:42 am: |
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I disagree
(So what? You ain't no man. If this was a conversation going on around a tv set we'd tell you to shut the f*** up and go get us some more beer and chips.
Stick to things you know. Knitting. Canning preserves. Ironing and folding.
Thanksgiving is coming up. Where are them turkey basting suggestions and punkin' pie recipes?) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 10705
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 12:42 pm: |
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You never impressed me as hard core jock, crissyboy. It obviously never entered your mind what real men always observe when referring to the game of baseball; that posessing the batting eye to hit major league pitching is what separates stars from scrubs, and is also what contributes to making this sport a skilled profession.  |
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