Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction of justice, mistrial on others - ESPN


What a disgrace. The verdict is completely illogical.

The jury is saying that they could not determine that Bonds lied to the Grand Jury but that he still obstructed it.

But how did he obstruct it if he didn't lie?

The verdict will not stand and will be thrown out on May 20 when the Defense motion is heard.

The government overplayed their hand a bit in this case. They had a big fish and they wanted to convict him a little too much. Juries hate that.

The fact that Barry Bonds took steroids and knew about it is the worst kept secret in sports. The fact that this took 8 years and the only thing we find is that Bonds was "evasive" is a joke.

At least Greg Anderson can get out of jail on his contempt citation now.

The Grand Game will never be the same.

Consider this.

The greatest player of all time - Barry Bonds - is now a convicted felon and likely won't get into the Hall of Fame now.

All-time hit king - Pete Rose - is a convicted felon and will never be in the Hall of Fame.

Best pitcher of his generation - Roger Clemens - is disgraced and will not get into the Hall of Fame.

The best player currently in baseball and possibly the future greatest of all-time - Alex Rodriquez - is an admitted steroid user and will likely not be in the Hall of Fame.

The man who had arguably the most exciting season in baseball history in 1998 - Mark McGwire - is disgraced and will never get into the Hall of Fame.

Who the hell is left? Greg Maddux??

It is a sad day for baseball.

 

I don't know if Bonds should be called the greatest player of all time, especially when compared to Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron and all the other greats. They did what they did without 'fancy' equipment and, of course, steroids. It still takes an incredible amount of skill to do what Bonds did, and he certainly deserves to be in the HOF, but I wouldn't rate him 'that' highly.

As for the obstruction of justice charge, you're the lawyer. I don't think I should/have to comment on that haha.

 

I am not a huge Bonds fan. But let's just look at the stats.

This is where Bonds ranks all time in these key statistical categories.

Total Bases - First
Home runs - First
Walks - First
Extra Base Hits - Second
Runs Scored - Second
OPS - Fourth
RBI - Fourth
Slugging - Sixth

He was a 14-time All-Star.
He won 7 MVP Awards - no other player has won more than 3.
He won 8 Gold Glove Awards.
He stole over 500 bases and hit over 500 home runs - no one else is even 400/400.
He was intentionally walked 645 times. George Brett is second with only 229.

He holds the single season records for home runs, walks, OBP and Slugging.

The man was the most feared hitter in a generation of pitchers that threw harder and with more movement than any pitcher in Ruth, Aaron or May's era.

That is pretty hard evidence to ignore when ranking Bonds as the best ever.

 

I agree that he is the best player ever, and that A. Rod will be the next greatest. But I don't think that EITHER of them deserves a spot in Cooperstown because of the disgrace they have brought upon the game. While Babe Ruth may NOT have been facing 90+ mph pitches, he also never took steroids to improve his play and strength; it all came naturally. Bonds, A. Rod, McGwire, etc. were all natural talents and didn't need to take anything to be greats, but they were greedy with their time and didn't want to wait forever to post up the numbers that Ruth, Aaron, Maris, etc. did in their time. This is all just my $0.02, so take it with a grain of salt...

 

I wouldn't say Babe Ruth necessarily did it naturally either. Back in the day they used to have greenies by the handful laid out like candy dishes all over the locker room.

 

Let me preface this by saying I don't follow baseball in the slightest. Any sport where absolutely nothing happening (i.e. a no-hitter) is considered cool is not for me. [Imagine a football game with no offense...pretty sh*tty, right]?

So here goes. I understand what BB did and why he's being charged, but is it really worth all the resources that this country is wasting on him? I mean we have murderers, rapists, etc., but we're focusing on prosecuting a guy who took some steroids and lied about it. Really? Who gives a fvck?

Further, why does Congress get so involved in baseball/football. Do they not have anything better to do? This country is literally being flushed down the crapper because of their incompetence and inability to get anything done, but they spend valuable time and resources on baseball.

Not trying to start a huge debate, but would like an explanation perhaps just for my own understanding.

Thanks,

 

Bonds is a scumbag if you ask be, but you cannot deny the mans eye and ability to hit the ball. That is skill that you do not get from steroids.

I'm hoping that Cano has never touched the roids, and that he crushes everyone

 

There was an article on ESPN last year about how many HR's BB would have hit had he not been on roids. It was something like 660.


Keep in mind, this guy won three MVP's BEFORE he turned into a one-dimensional hitting machine (in other words, before he roided out). Remember how crazy fast he was? 40/40 club?


I have a signed picture of him on my office wall. I intend to keep it there (next to Will Clark and Matt Williams).

 

Let me preface this by saying that I have devoted my life to that shitty game where absolutely nothing happens and I love it with all of my heart.

No offense taken though brother.

To love baseball, I think you either have to have played the game or grown up with it. Otherwise, it is very much an acquired taste. The game is slow, there is no clock and - at times - scoring can be low. But for those of us who love the game, we wouldn't have it any other way. I have been to over 1,000 baseball games in my life. Yet the most exciting game I have ever been to was a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1985 by Dave Righetti against the Boston Red Sox. Two nights ago, I saw Angel pitcher Dan Haren throw a 1 hit shutout against the Indians. It was one of the best games I have ever seen. Yet it was the epitome of what most would consider a "boring" game with very little offense. I understand why a lot of folks don't get into baseball. It is a LONG season and requires real devotion and a modicum of focus to have an inkling of what is really going on. It is not nearly as accessible or immediately gratifying to the average fan as football and basketball are. Baseball is a thinking man's game more than anything else and the joy of it is mostly found in what you don't always see rather than the big play.

The government's interest in professional sports franchises stems from the fact that these leagues have been granted an anti-trust exemption. These are the only surviving legal monopolies in the United States of any real significance.

For baseball - however - it runs much deeper than the anti-trust exemption. During the earliest days of World War II - soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor - Kenesaw Landis (a Civil War hero and Commissioner of Baseball) wrote President Roosevelt a letter asking if baseball should be shut down in order to save resources for the war. FDR wrote back a very famous letter in which he states the importance of baseball to the American people and that it should be preserved at all cost. History proves that having baseball as an outlet of recreation during that time proved critical to maintaining morale here at home while we fought a bloody foreign war.

So, I believe that the government's interest in sports franchises - which started with baseball - comes honestly. They are granted special anti-trust status to preserve their existence, and they do more to bring us together as a people than most realize.

Here is a link to a scanned copy of FDR's letter to Commissioner Landis.

President Franklin Roosevelt Green Light Letter - Scanned Image

 

Thanks for the info Dana. More than to bag on the sport, I was curious why the government was so interested when the country is literally falling apart. While I do think it can be very boring (on TV), its certainly fun to get a group together and go to games.

Also, let me say that if enough adult beverages are involved, I can be the biggest baseball fan ever haha ! My balcony actually gives me a birds eye view into the Cubs' AAA team ballpark and I've had a great time over there.