Bonds Steroid Use In New Book

[MFS62]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/news.excerpt/index.html?cnn=yes

Later

[Zvon]

No surprises here.

I certainly dont wish this on him, but I wouldnt be surprised if as he gets older all this stuff comes back and bites him on the ass, healthwise.

[seawolf17]

Yawn.

Mike Francesa was actually right; this is a non-story. It's nothing we don't already "know," and unless Bonds and the Giants show up to Shea this summer and only 15,000 people come out to the games, this doesn't matter. He's still going to sell tickets, even if it's because he's a freakshow who people want to boo.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Maybe I should be writing stuff down, but I didn't know it was already established that he was injecting. All I recall is reports of him taking 'roids through rubbing creams, giving him the out that he thought it was muscle ointment. It's a lot harder to plead ignorance when getting needled with regularity by a non-physician.

[metirish]

Yeah this book seems to be very detailed, like the guys themselves were injecting him, to be honest though I don't care, he's still one of the best players I ever saw and I hope to see him at Shea this season.

Does anyone really think he started doing steroids because he was jealous of the attention McGwire was getting, seems a bit flimsy to me.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Does the why matter that much? It's not like his accusers have to go far to find a motive.

[nymr83]

$

hey, look, I found a motive!

[Frayed Knot]

Assuming this book is filled with as many details as implied, what it's going to do is make it real tough for any remaining Barry-apologists out there to claim that it was really just a case a hard work and vitamins, or that there's no proof so the rest of us should all keep quiet.
I suppose that details of the length & depth of his use could also take a few H-o-F votes away -- although most will still probably justify a yea vote by figuring that he was a slam-dunk even before becoming a pharmacology student.

What I would like to see is any record-breaking HRs he gets this year get met by a whole lotta silence ... or worse!, even though that'll only likely happen if/when he's on the road. I suspect San-Fran-Fans will still treat him as the hometown hero.

[Zvon]

seawolf17 wrote: Yawn. Mike Francesa was actually right; this is a non-story. It's nothing we don't already "know," ......

It is a yawn, and no surprise to me, but this is actually a huge story and its going to have a huge impact.
And SI knows it.
Thats why they put all that stuff, the story, the excerpts, the quotes, the pics, the documentation,etc., all at once.

Its certainly gonna make it hard for Barry to just simply go about as its business as usual.

He will have to talk about this situation.
This wont be brushed under the carpet as he persues the big all time HR records.

[nymr83]

]Assuming this book is filled with as many details as implied, what it's going to do is make it real tough for any remaining Barry-apologists out there to claim that it was really just a case a hard work and vitamins, or that there's no proof so the rest of us should all keep quiet.

i believe their (the apologists) current excuse is "it wasn't illegal in baseball," nevermind that it was illegal in the united states. there is no rule in the book against stabbing the 1bman with a knife to steal second either but i'm reasonaby sure you can't do it.

[Frayed Knot]

Steroids have been prohibited in baseball for some time now (early '90s I believe or maybe earlier) so that one's not gonna fly. The only thing that's new in the last few years is the permission to pre-emptively test for them and a sense of urgency to even try.


I bet ESPN is real ashamed now of their association with Barry and this reality show they've got him doing. Well, they would be if they actually had any sense of shame.

[metirish]

Frayed Knot, I doubt ESPN has any shame left, I imagine they were happy as a pig in shit when this story broke.

[Gwreck]

Made the front page of the website, along with scathing pieces by Gene Wojciechowski and Buster Olney.

[Guest silverdsl]

I don't think this is a non-story by any means. The writers of this book spent two years doing a considerable amount of investigative work and they have amassed a large amount of evidence and statements from witnesses that depicts the specifics of Bonds' steroid use plus that there were those who knew exactly what he was doing. While nothing that is being alleged in the book is a surprise as it was pretty obvious that in spite of his denials Bonds was using performance enhancers, I think this book could have huge ramifications in terms of forcing MLB to take their heads out of the sand in terms of Bonds. That's not to say that they can punish him for something he did in the past but I don't think they can continue on their merry way trying to sweep the performance enhancers issue as it relates to Bonds under the carpet.

[Guest KC]

I'm probably over-simplifying this - but if a book contains detailed allegations
and reports that this happened and that happened and Bond's disagrees with
the allegations why doesn't he just sue the asspants off the authors for slander
and try to put a stop to it once and for all.

My guess is that he doesn't have a case is why.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not to push for one outcome or another at this time, but why can't they punish him for something he did in the past? He did it while it was illegal and against the rules of baseball.

Technically, all punishments MLB hands out are for transgressions done in the past.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Can't the US charge him with perjury? He was granted immunization in exchange for testifying, but I don't think that includes perjury, and it seems pretty clear that he lied in his testimony.

I agree with Sliver--this is a big deal, not for the allegations, but for the incredible detail with which the book skewers him. I mean, they have his doping schedule, the dosage amounts, etc. for what, 3 years? That's just crazy. MLB HAS to do something, starting with pressuring Bonds to retire. If Bonds is obstinate, then pressure the Giants to bench him.

Maybe Selig can work out a deal--if Bonds retires now, he won't get banned from baseball while Selig is in power.

[metirish]

If you ban Bonds and/or strip away all his numbers then every player that is found to have taken steroids should be treated the same way, Selig I think will tread lightly here and not deal with this until he has to.

[Guest Edgy DC]

irish seemingly has a rooting interest here.

Yeah, of course any player that the league has the same amount of poop on should get the same sentence. How many is that, though?

Of course MLB will tread lightly, as the discredit of a league's top player is a discredit of the league itself. But not because there's this much documented evidence available on countless other players.

My guess, is that he'll get a first-time offender's sentence, as if he failed a random test.

[metirish]

Well I don't really have a rooting interest , I just don't dislike Bonds, IMO he's the most compelling athlete in sports when he's at the plate, at least he used to be anyway, lets say this season Bonds has another monster one, over 40 homers, 50 if they pitch to him, then what?, I assume he's not taking anything now and that he's been tested.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't dislike him either. But being compelling should have nothing to do with it.

]...lets say this season Bonds has another monster one, over 40 homers, 50 if they pitch to him, then what?, I assume he's not taking anything now and that he's been tested.

This sounds like a rooting interest also. Obviously, showing that you don't really need more money isn't, in itself, a defense for fraudulently getting some. And showing that you don't really need more athletic ability isn't, in itself, a defense for fraudulently getting some.

[metirish]

Well I suppose in a way I am rooting for Bonds to have a great season, he was a great player before he allegedly started using steroids, I would like to see him catch Ruth and Aaron because it's a once in a generation thing.

[nymr83]

i'd rather see Aaron keep the record for many reasons: Steroids and the adversity Aaron faced being the big two. i dislike Bonds as i'm sure you all know, but i'd be almost as upset if McGwire or Sosa (guys i liked) were about to break the record.

[Frayed Knot]

]but why can't they punish him for something he did in the past? He did it while it was illegal and against the rules of baseball

Is MLB prepared to tackle the legal morass of trying to punish Bonds based solely on the words of outsiders (the authors)? You know Barry's just going to deny that everything they claim is accurate and so long as he continues to pass baseball's mandated testing procedure then I'm not sure there's a lot they can do.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I doubt it. Obviously a lot more evidence would have to be in hand than the copy of the book.

My admittedly pedantic point is that these charges can't be dismissed because "it's something he did in the past." They certainly can be dismissed if MLB doesn't have enough on him.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Is MLB prepared to tackle the legal morass of trying to punish Bonds based solely on the words of outsiders (the authors)?

Its not the "word" of the authors. Their book is based on evidence and testimony presented in various courts of law, and accepted by those courts. The authors can make it public if challenged as to veracity. I'm certain the Law Department of the publishing company looked into this before the book was scheduled for release, lest they risk lawsuits.

Later

[nymr83]

what the HOF/MLB ultimately does about induction/stats/astericks is another matter but i don't think MLB will do anything suspension-wise unless someone fails a test now, the testing procedure is in place and it seems to be the only way to earn yourself a drug suspension, for better or worse.

[metirish]

I didn't know Barry admitted to all that, I thought he admitted to 'cream & flak seed oil' but didn't know what it was.

[Frayed Knot]

="MFS62"]Its not the "word" of the authors. Their book is based on evidence and testimony presented in various courts of law, and accepted by those courts. The authors can make it public if challenged as to veracity. I'm certain the Law Department of the publishing company looked into this before the book was scheduled for release, lest they risk lawsuits.

That's fine. None of this means that MLB shouldn't believe what the book says, only that it's tough to legally use it as "proof".
MLB and the Player's Assoc took a shit-load of time crafting a policy which states how & when a player will be tested, what he will be tested for, and what the specific punsihments will be for a positive test. For Selig and his boys to turn around and try to say; 'yeah, you passed all those hurdles with flying colors but we're going to make up a penalty for you anyway' would be more than a little tough to pull off, particularly against the PA who they tend to beat in court about once every 4th decade.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, I imagine if the book leads to the proof of anything, he'd have to punished under the light-handed standards of the year in which the transgressions they can stick hiim with took place.