Is Bonds' career over?
Barry Bonds is a 43-year-old outfielder and a free agent. He's the all-time home run leader, and he's still quite productive. But he has injury issues and probably should be a designated hitter.
And, by the way, he could go to prison on federal perjury and obstruction of justice charges. And now there's even more evidence that he took steroids.
And the last part is why no team is going to touch Bonds this offseason. He might be able to play, but no team wants that public relations nightmare, even more than they don't want a player who faces serious prison time.
Here's a line directly from Bonds' indictment papers:
"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 professional athletes."
The indictment also shows evidence that somebody named "Barry B" tested positive for steroids.
Now do you want that guy playing for your favorite team? The evidence was all circumstantial before (the bigger muscles, the bigger head, the bigger home run totals). Now it's all spelled out in a federal indictment.
Will the commissioner's office try to take all of the 30 teams off the hook, and put together something similar to what the NFL is doing with Michael Vick? When the NFL suspended him initially, Vick hadn't been convicted of anything, but he had been charged in his dogfighting case. When he pleaded guilty, the league has suspended him indefinitely. In Bonds' case, the players' union would surely fight back, even though what Bonds has allegedly done is even worse. If he took steroids - and the evidence is stronger than ever that he did - then he compromised the integrity of the game and its most hallowed record.
Hank Aaron could become the home run king again. An asterisk on a ball at the Hall of Fame should be the least of Bonds' worries. Like Pete Rose, Bonds could be facing a ban from baseball.
Many are saying it's a dark day for the sport. Bonds stole the headlines from future home run champ Alex Rodriguez's impending record contract from the Yankees, and from Jake Peavy, the unanimous National League Cy Young Award winner.
But it's not a dark day, because baseball finally gets to move on without this Barry Bonds scenario hanging over their heads. It's here, and now they can deal with it.
Comments
Barry Bonds is a liar and cheat and baseball is better off without him. He has professed his innocence so many times that he actually believes himself. The worse part is that he wasn’t indicted before he asterisked Hank Aaron’s home run record.
Bonds and several others have tested positive per the indictment. Presumably these others are McGwire, Sosa, Palmiero, etc. They testified before the same grand jury. They lied too!Where are their indictments? While throttling Bonds is good a mass hanging will be bettter.
It really boils down to pressure. Pressure to keep your job. Pressure to reach others visions of your potential.
Would Hank Aaron have takens steroids? I beleive its likely as it was a different time and world back then.
The underlying problem with steriods as I understand is that under a doctors supervision they will work as they should, but self medicating is where you run into trouble,just like cough syrup. Over doing is over dosing.
As for the records, it should stand no matter what. We all pressed for more hits, more homers.
From the fans to the head office, more and more and we do not care how you get them, just get more.
To retroactive policy and now make illegal what you did legally and then punish you for it is really a trick left to the federal government.
Didn’t Jefferson warn about that kind of thing back in 1776?
Dont they still have to prove that the tests were on the up and up? I still say drug tests are not infallible, and in Bonds case, with all the hatred of him, I still think it could have been easy to tamper with them. You are have been partof the media that has had NO objectivity towards Bonds. Why dont you just ear a sign that says I am not a legitimate journalist, because Ive convicted someone before all the evidence is in? In case youve forgotten this country does have a thing called…INNOCENT UNTIL POROVEN GUILTY……the government still has to prove its case. Their only witness is an golddigger who would do and say anything to get back and Bonds. I cant wait to see Bonds get off so losers like you can look stupid! As far as his career is concerned, it probaly is over, but if I were him, I would be sick of having to take all this crap anyway.
MIKE LOWELL IS STICKING AROUND IN BOSTON FOR THREE SEASON. CURT SCHILLING IS STICKING IN BOSTON AS WELL. GREG MADDUS LIKE SAN DEIGO. LUIS CASTILLO IS STILL A NEWYORK MET