File this one under absolutely nothing to do with real estate, but everything to do with San Francisco.
Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges
“Bonds was indicted for allegedly making false statements to the grand jury that investigated the BALCO steroids distribution ring, the U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco said. Bonds is accused of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.”
“…Bonds refused to acknowledge using banned drugs. He testified that he thought he was taking flaxseed oil and an arthritis balm.” (Are you kidding?!)
“…the grand jury said Bonds also lied when he testified that Anderson had never injected him with drugs, and when he said Anderson had never supplied him with human growth hormone.”
It makes perfect sense. The years he was juicing he had grand slam years (all puns intended). Got off the juice, after the BALCO case aired, and hit substantially less.
For the record, we are NOT baseball fanatics and don’t follow stats in that sport whatsoever, but we know enough to recognize a pattern…..and of course, nothing has been proven. Who’s got the stats? Let’s discuss something besides real estate.
–Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges [SFGate]
I am not a Bonds fan, but give it a rest. Don’t convict him before he’s tried and convicted….innocent before proven guilty, no?
Honestly, I’d love to see that he is innocent. But, as stated, there was a clear pattern, and if I was a sports nut and knew where to get the stats for how many homers he hit in the seasons he was juicing vs. the seasons after the BALCO thing surfaced and he most likely quit injecting, you’d see a clear difference in the number of homers hit. Of course that doesn’t go way back in history for all the other homers, but I stand by it. He was juicing, in some way or another. Not that they’re the same, but didn’t everyone say don’t convict O.J. before he’s tried and convicted?
The guy is guilty. To what magnitude, we don’t, and probably never will know. You’d have to think for $17M/year, there was a bit of pressure to hit a few out of the park.
Prediction: Bonds will be acquitted. I’d bet money on it.
Perjury charges are very difficult to prove and, from what I have read, the case is shaky. That the feds have included a wimpy “obstruction of justice” charge points to their uncertainty on the perjury charge. Even if the feds could prove these charges, what Bay Area jury is going to convict Barry Bonds??!
You heard it here first folks.
The feds never should have filed these charges. The end result will be that Barry is exonerated. He will be able to claim that he was ‘cleared’ and his status as the greatest ballplayer of all time will be assured.
You’re probably right. Unfortunately. I still think, in my soul of souls, he was definitely not clean his entire career.
Of course not! Nor were dozens (hundreds?) of other high performing ballplayers.
But now, the feds, by filing these charges, have changed the issue from – “Did BB take steroids? ” (yes) to “Did BB lie under oath on a material matter” (probably not). Barry will use his exoneration on these charges to cast doubt on the primary issue and clear his record for posterity.
And … There is no way under God’s good earth that BB will EVER take the stand. So, don’t hope that a trial will uncover the truth of what happened. The feds will not have enough evidence to show that BB knew he was lying in response to the questions he was asked by the feds during his grand jury testimony. (By the way, have you read the testimony? Very poor lawyering by the federal prosecutors. The questions are so ambiguous and full of wiggle room that you could drive a proverbial truck through them.)
The filing of this charges is BB’s opportunity to get out from under this cloud. (Please, Barry, hire me to represent you!!)
I was just about to ask…you a lawyer? You looked way further into this than I ever would/could. I’m just glad to see they’re calling BB out (again, puns intended).
I think it was pretty telling how the guy he hit the tying homer off had failed a steroids test himself. Now we hear Matty Williams, the anti-Bonds, Mr. Fan Friendly and a hugely popular Giant, tested positive for HGH. I’m telling you. It’s all a joke. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vizquel tests positive. They’re all on it.