Barry Bonds And The Masters of Hypocrisy
I was talking to a friend today who gleefully knows almost nothing about sports. It’s bizarre, and probably fodder for more thinking, but I mention this only because in passing, he made a derisive remark about Barry Bonds. Which made me realize that I not only hadn’t posted anything about the recent indictment of Barry Lamar Bonds, I hadn’t really even thought about it.
The indictment, culminating a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes, charged Bonds with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison.
The 10-page indictment mainly consists of excerpts from Bonds' December 2003 testimony before a federal grand jury investigating the Bay Area supplements lab at the center of a steroid distribution ring. It cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.
That ain’t any kind of good. Just for the record, I think he’s guilty as hell – just as guilty as Rafael Palmeiro adamantly screaming at those who suggested he did steroids – until it was proven that he had indeed done just that. Just as guilty as Mark “Let’s not talk about the past – let’s talk about the future” McGwire.
Just as guilty, of course, as Jason Giambi who gets points for being eventually honest, but still did it just the same.
And that’s the point – everyone did it. If you actually think the only guys who did this are the ones who got caught, you’re crazy. It’s like they say – if you see one roach or mouse in your house, you have LOTS of roaches or mice. (So clean up, that’s disgusting.)
And certainly the guys I’ve just named – and others, to be sure – have gotten some grief about their steroid use, alleged or proven. But nothing compares to the way the government, Major League Baseball and the majority of sports journalism has gone after Barry Bonds.
We’ve been over this before – it’s not just because he’s broken seemingly unbreakable records, but that he hasn’t been nice about doing it. The disdain for Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (who also famously corked his bat) came later, if at all. During their successes, they were lauded as national heroes. Three years later, when Bonds hit 73, it was a far different experience, because Bonds didn’t talk cheerily to the press – and never has.
It’s a game, and Bonds refuses to play – and in doing so, takes on the onus of the fallout from that decision. But what bothers me is that…I respect him for not pretending to be something he’s not. Mark McGwire, by all accounts from people I know who have met him in public, is a world-class douchebag. But when a reporter is around, he’s all smiles (well, until now, when he hides, apparently.)
My friend Bryan passed this along – not sure of the source, but it sounds disturbingly right: The longest a Grand Jury was held open to investigate sexual abuse by Catholic Priests – hundreds of cases of such – was three years. The Grand Jury that investigated Bonds took four years. That’s some fucked up priorities, in every single aspect.
So whatever, this is a road we’ve all already been down. As for the indictment? I am curious to see how the trial plays out, should it go that way. Since Bonds wasn’t part of the Giants plans for next year, it feels more distant than had this happened last season – I’m still curious to see where he signs and how this news impacts that. Like I said, he’s probably guilty – but when does everyone else get the same treatment? And is this really what we want to use our legal system for? I don’t want my tax dollars going to prosecuting athletes for steroid abuse. And sure, there are LOTS of other things my taxes are spent on that I don’t agree with either. But this is definitely on that list.
It’s worth noting that the White House even felt it necessary to chime in on this:
In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said: "The president is very disappointed to hear this. As this case is now in the criminal justice system, we will refrain from any further specific comments about it. But clearly this is a sad day for baseball."
Do you see any irony here? There should be two fairly obvious ones. One, George W. Bush owned the Texas Rangers, which employed steroid abusers like Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco (and others, if you believe Canseco) while he owned the team. It’s highly possible he didn’t know anything about it then, but he sure does now. If anything, he knows more than most folks how widespread the issue was and is – and yet, his administration wants to get in on the fun of piling on Bonds.
But the second, much more egregious offense by a White House that constantly charts new territory in being offensive, is that this is the exact same crime that Bush just wiped out the sentence for Scooter Libby. Not sort of the same crime – the exact charge. (Plus a few others, as Libby was convicted of one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury and one count of lying to the FBI. Good times.)
As always, with this White House – whether it’s perjury, military dictatorships or egregious business practices, if you are a friend of the Administration, the rules don’t apply.