Bonds Buzz

And so the witch hunt turns its eyes towards the Morgan Le Fay of the Steroids world, Barry Bonds. Bonds pleaded not guilty to his 19 counts of perjury and obstruction, and was released on half a million bond, to be paid only if he is found guilty. He has free travel just in case he signs again and needs to go to Toronto or even Japan. He's due back in February, for either the first court date or for a possible dismissal hearing if his lawyers conclude that the case is a crock.

What does this mean? Not much, really. We'll have to wait and see what the prosecution comes up with to bring this case against Bonds. The leading argument is that they have to have some whistle blower who saw Bonds himself shoot up with steroids, and is willing to testify to that extent. It's hard to believe that they would bring a case against Bonds without something that solid, since one has to assume that Bonds is going to be represented by some of the best in the business.

What really interests me is how this shows sports to be full circle in this country. Bonds isn't on trial for using steroids here, he's on trial for supposedly lying to the court. I don't think anyone would argue that it's pretty much a masked evolution from the steroids hearings though. People demand to know whether or not Bonds used so much that they're tying our already crowded court system with this. What's interesting is that, even if Bonds did use steroids, he still hasn't violated any laws of the time in question. The first steroid policy, instituted in 2002, would only lead to treatment of the player, and that player would even remain anonymous. The suspension policy wasn't administered until 2005. Bonds set the single season Home Run record in 2001.

Let me share a story with you. When I was in 4th grade, I won a ticket selling contest with my friend Trevor. The top 10 kids in the Foster City Little League who sold tickets to a giants game earned the chance to go onto the field before a Giants game and get autographs. It was a great day. Stan Javier broke a bat in practice and gave it to me (I still have it in my room at my Parents' house.) I got every Giants player's autograph (even some coaches, I'm looking at you Wendell Kim) except Bonds. Bonds sneaked into the dugout while we were entranced with Shawon Dunston. Since then, I've always had somewhat of a personal vendetta against the Barry.

I really don't like Bonds--he's a jerk, self-centered, and an egotist. Even with that, I still feel this whole thing is silly. Barry Bonds is one of (if not the best) player to ever play the game. His records are ridiculous, one only needs to look at his wikipedia page to determine whether his stats are hall of fame worthy. Bonds is on trial here because the country wants to put his face on an era which they deem as unworthy. This country loves controversy, and they'd love to see the media-hating, self-centered Barry Bonds go down as the icon of a generation which we should forget about. But that isn't fair to Barry.

Even if Barry did use steroids (which hasn't been proven yet,) that only puts him in a group that may be as high as 85% if we are to believe what Jose Canseco says. I think the country needs to take this era for what it is. Players are going to get better with time--what makes certain players great will be analyzed, broken down, and taught with time, so that future players can harness that skill.

I'll give another example. Let's say it turns out that Daisuke does indeed throw a Gyroball, and comes into next season and blows everyone away with this mystery pitch. He dominates multiple seasons with it, and wins five consecutive Cy Young awards, cementing himself as one of the best pitchers ever. Eventually, people will figure out how to throw the Gyroball, and it will become a staple of the game. Daisuke's records will eventually be broken by someone who knows the Gyroball, the Slurve, and some other pitch that only they know, only for that to be broken by another newcomer who can learn it.

See where I'm going with this? I think Barry's success is more likely attributed to the fact that he's a hell of an athlete who has learned from greats such as Mays and Aaron, and harnessed the techniques that made them so dominant. America needs to stop trying to pin him up as the demon of steroids, and just accept him as a great player. His records will eventually be broken (barring some major change in the game, i.e. the banning of the spitball,) and America will move on.