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On April 13, 2011, Barry Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice for his testimony in front of a grand jury during the 2003 BALCO steroid scandal.
Bill Clinton was also accused of obstruction of justice for the famous Monica Lewinsky scandal and then later he was acquitted by the Senate. The difference between Bill and Barry is that Bill finally admitted to sexual relations while Barry has never changed his statement of ever knowingly using performance enhancer drugs.
Bond’s isn’t on trial for using steroids but for allegedly lying to a grand jury about ever knowingly using illegal steroids. Bonds said that he used a clear substance and a cream that he received from his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who told him they were the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm for arthritis. Have you ever questioned the ingredients in your daily hygiene products?
I use Banana Boat Aloe lotion daily. I have no idea what it’s made of. All I know is that I hate scented lotions and it passes the smell test while keeping my skins nourished. However, I did look at the ingredients and words like Glyceryl and Triethanolamine still leave me saying I have no idea what it is made of.
I grew up playing ball with the boys, but when you’re the smallest kid on the field, you draw a lot of walks. The only time I really had a chance to “hit” was in T-ball. But even if I was allowed to swing at the high ones (or at any of them) I know that hitting is a skill. Hitting is a God given talent and there is no amount of “magic cream” that could ever enhance my hand-eye coordination to take a round ball, with a round bat and hit it square while moving 90-some miles an hour with enough power to send it 400 feet in the stands. I don’t even think there are drugs that could help me hit homeruns on Wii baseball- and I’m athletic.
I understand that Bonds was paid millions for his talents and he knew that there was a list of drugs that are banned from MLB. Ultimately- blame Greg Anderson and then let it go. Anderson served his time and he might be one of the most loyal friends you could ever have. But there is nothing that Anderson gave or could ever give to Bonds that could compare with his God-given ability to hit 762 home runs.
Blame Bud Selig for turning his head during an era where baseball made millions off the long ball. Call it a strike or call it a ball, but the “Steroid Era” saved baseball. And at the end of the era, Bud isn’t your buddy.
Ozzie Guillen said on an episode of E:60 that “Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire saved this game (baseball) with the homeruns. A lot of people made money. It made baseball fun.” Jeremy Schaap asked Ozzie if he would have used performance enhancing drugs when he played in the 1980 and 90’s. Ozzie answered “YES, because you have to compete against guys who are using them.”
But can steroids really help you in baseball? The Mitchell report made baseball players look like pharmacists. So if everyone was juicing, why wasn’t everyone hitting bombs in left field?
Bobby Bonds- was a triple threat in the 70’s with his power, hitting and speed. He was the first player to have more than two seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases- a record he set five times and has only been matched by his son, Barry. Bobby and Barry are the most accomplished father-son combination in MLB history. They hold the record for combined home runs, RBIs and stolen bases.
Bobby hit 332 bombs and stole 461 bases during his thirteen year career. Like father, like son. Barry grew up on the diamond -where the tools of a future Hall of Famer were mastered. Power, hitting and speed were in Barry’s genes, but his combination of throwing and fielding earned him 514 career stolen bases, eight golden gloves, a fourteen time All-Star and seven MVP awards (no one has more than three). And the accomplishments continue. Barry was a Hall of Fame player before he was crowned the Homerun King and long before the steroid allegations.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Illston declared a mistrial. Illston set a hearing for May 20, where she’s expected to rule on the defense’s request that the guilty verdict be thrown out and to set a sentencing date. Two things I have learned from the Fed’s $100 million dollar obsession to prosecute Barry Bonds is that no one should ever date Kimberly Bell and that there’s no truth that steroids help you hit homeruns- the only truth to steroids in MLB is that testing positive to for them is illegal.
PS. If a “cream” can really enhance your size, I could think of a lot of other places both males and females would be applying “the cream”… just saying.