| << Front page | Sports | November 16, 2007 |
Bye-Bye, Mr. Bonds
I was going to write this week about the official end of the fall sports and how it was mostly an underachieved season to the team’s high standards. But before I started to write I perused the ESPN website just to catch up on my daily news. I was in for a surprise.
Set aside the fact that my Oregon Ducks were losing to Arizona 14-31 in the third quarter, all hopes of a national championship game vanished like a “fart in the wind” and my attention shifted to Major League Baseball.
On Thursday, Barry Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice and could face up to thirty years in prison if he is convicted. The new home run king was charged with lying when he said he didn’t knowingly take steroids given to him by his close friend and former personal trainer, Greg Anderson.
Anderson, who had spent several months in jail for refusing to testify against Bonds, was released today. Bonds repeatedly denied taking steroids, even when shown documents revealing a positive steroids test with the name of “Barry B” that had been seized from the raid of Anderson’s house. Bonds did say that Anderson had rubbed cream on his arm to help it heal, while supplying him with some “flax seed oil.”
While Bonds has tiptoed around the steroids accusations and investigations, one thing is obvious: A man of 185 to 190 pounds in his younger years, Bonds “grew” to 240 pounds in the late 1990s, his head growing dramatically larger. Ever since then I thought that he might have taken something. I mean, what a coincidence that the man who gains 50-odd pounds sbusenquently has some of the best hitting seasons of his career.
I don’t doubt Bonds’ skill. He had one of the sweetest swings in the game. But he was a little too prolific for comfort. As he got closer to breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record, fans in San Francisco and nationwide seemed drawn to the record and did not seem worried about its consequences.
Despite not winning a championship ring, Bonds has had a great career up until now. He could hit, run and field. He had it all. It is sad that he will most likely not play again. Who wants to take on all this added baggage? Bonds is near the end of his career anyway. It is just a disappointment he will have to end like this after all he went through.
In the end, I can’t feel too bad because it was bound to happen. Everyone knew it, too; it was just a matter of time. Bonds has limited choices as either he will plea bargain or go to trial and face a jury.
The four-year investigation that culminated in this indictment sets a precedent for other steroid users in the Majors, and hopefully this will help eradicate steroids from the game. The league is tightening down, and it is becoming a more serious issue.
Whether he is guilty or not, it is just too bad Bonds had to get involved.
Set aside the fact that my Oregon Ducks were losing to Arizona 14-31 in the third quarter, all hopes of a national championship game vanished like a “fart in the wind” and my attention shifted to Major League Baseball.
On Thursday, Barry Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice and could face up to thirty years in prison if he is convicted. The new home run king was charged with lying when he said he didn’t knowingly take steroids given to him by his close friend and former personal trainer, Greg Anderson.
Anderson, who had spent several months in jail for refusing to testify against Bonds, was released today. Bonds repeatedly denied taking steroids, even when shown documents revealing a positive steroids test with the name of “Barry B” that had been seized from the raid of Anderson’s house. Bonds did say that Anderson had rubbed cream on his arm to help it heal, while supplying him with some “flax seed oil.”
While Bonds has tiptoed around the steroids accusations and investigations, one thing is obvious: A man of 185 to 190 pounds in his younger years, Bonds “grew” to 240 pounds in the late 1990s, his head growing dramatically larger. Ever since then I thought that he might have taken something. I mean, what a coincidence that the man who gains 50-odd pounds sbusenquently has some of the best hitting seasons of his career.
I don’t doubt Bonds’ skill. He had one of the sweetest swings in the game. But he was a little too prolific for comfort. As he got closer to breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record, fans in San Francisco and nationwide seemed drawn to the record and did not seem worried about its consequences.
Despite not winning a championship ring, Bonds has had a great career up until now. He could hit, run and field. He had it all. It is sad that he will most likely not play again. Who wants to take on all this added baggage? Bonds is near the end of his career anyway. It is just a disappointment he will have to end like this after all he went through.
In the end, I can’t feel too bad because it was bound to happen. Everyone knew it, too; it was just a matter of time. Bonds has limited choices as either he will plea bargain or go to trial and face a jury.
The four-year investigation that culminated in this indictment sets a precedent for other steroid users in the Majors, and hopefully this will help eradicate steroids from the game. The league is tightening down, and it is becoming a more serious issue.
Whether he is guilty or not, it is just too bad Bonds had to get involved.
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