Barry Bonds’ perjury trial has finally begun. The jury was selected yesterday and Opening statements are expected today as the federal government tries to prove that Bonds knowingly lied to prosecutors when he said he never knowingly used anabolic steroids. In December 2003, Bonds testified he used substances known as “the cream” and “the clear,” but Bonds said he believed they were arthritis balm and flaxseed oil, respectively. What Bonds was doing rubbing flaxseed oil on himself, I’m not entirely sure. The oil is commonly used by massage therapists and would have little use if applied to oneself. The government believes that Bonds perjured himself and has spent the past six years formulating their case. Why?
The government has gone all in on this case and I don’t fully understand their motives. Why is it their business if Bonds used steroids at all? I understand upholding the integrity of the court system and the importance of valid testimonies. What escapes my grasp is the necessity of the assault on Bonds’ reputation, playing career, and steroid use. It’s a legitimate assault; Greg Anderson, Bonds’ longtime trainer and friend, has already been
sent to jail for 14 months after refusing to testify against his client. Why? Why is the government so intent on sending Bonds to jail? Steroid use is illegal as is steroid distribution without prescriptions (Victor Conte was sent to jail for 4 months for his role in BALCO). Bonds is not being charged for his steroid use but with four counts of perjury and one obstruction of justice. The maximum jail time, if Bonds is found guilty on all counts, is 30 months. The government has spent some 73 months preparing their case.
I question whether it was their place for the initial BALCO probe. I understand the illegality of steroids but, with 18 months of jail time resulting from all this legislation, the probe has proven less than worthwhile. The use of steroids within baseball is baseball’s problem and should be handled in house by the MLBPA and the commissioner’s office. It is not the government’s place to mandate an acceptable level of performance enhancing drugs. In 2005, Sen. John McCain, who later ran for president said, “It seems to me that we ought to seriously consider … a law that says all professional sports have a minimum level of performance-enhancing drug testing.” Shouldn’t McCain (In 2005) have been more concerned with the multi-trillion dollar deficit or the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or Hurrican Catrina? Much more pressing issues face the government than whether or not professional athletes are using steroids to gain a competitive advantage.
Ignoring whether or not the BALCO probe and subsequent hearings were justified, what is the reason for continuing the investigation? The best possible outcome for the government in this case is 30 months imprisonment for Bonds and to further defame one of the best ballplayers ever while upholding the validity of the court system (which is not in need of such support. I’m not sure the rate at which perjury occurs but, my gut says fairly infrequently. Regardless, courts in this country are held in high esteem). This is not an appropriate allocation of government resources. At the very least, federal prosecutors should investigate the possible perjury of cases that actually matter like Lil’ Kim, Martha Stewart, or Chris Webber (…Oh right, those cases don’t matter either).
How much further can we defame Bonds? His three positive drug tests (Bonds also tested
positive in 2000 and 2001 but these tests are not allowed in court) have pretty well discounted many of his accomplishments. His .609 OBP in 2004 is absolutely out of this world and we already know his HR records but people don’t seem to give credence to his accomplishments. He went unsigned after a 2007 in which he lead the league in OBP (.460) and was elected an All-Star. The guy has come to represent all that was wrong in baseball in the Steroid Era.
As a polarizing figure, Bonds’ career homerun total is not seen in the same light as Henry Aaron’s. Hall of Fame voters often say that players should be judged based on their greatness in the era in which they played. Bonds was the best player in the steroid era. 7 MVP awards (and two second place finishes) express Bonds’ greatness on the field long before steroid use.
Look, we know he used steroids. We know who the true homerun king is. We know he was a great player but we know his stats were padded because of anabolic steroids. Many fans hate him for this but, that does not mean we should send him to jail. What would truly eat at Bonds would not be his time in jail (30 months with cable? and no wife?) but a ban from baseball. Joining the likes of Pete Rose, and Shoeless Joe Jackson in baseball purgatory, an act only possible through the commissioner’s office, is the greatest punishment that could befall Bonds. His legacy would be that of a cheater and liar rather than the greatest ever. Instead of attempting to throw him in jail and wasting taxpayer money building a case that Bonds knowingly did something behind closed doors, the government should focus on the potential nuclear fallout in Japan, the Libyan crisis, maintaining a stable economy, lowering foreign dependence on oil, or decreasing the unemployment rate. How ridiculous does U.S. v. Bonds sound anyway?
-Sean Morash
Update: Max read through my article and did not particularly care for the argument I attempted to make. In simple terms my argument is this: The endgame for the BALCO investigation was simply too little to justify the resources and efforts of our government over such a long period. I think we would be better served investigating other trials. Let me know what you think. Is this the government’s job – to uphold the letter of the law in all cases?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
