Dec 28 2006
Steroids & Baseball: The Feds Target Barry Bonds
Bad news for Barry Bonds and Major League Baseball on Wednesday:
With Barry Bonds still in their sights, federal investigators probing steroids in sports can now use the names and urine samples of about 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, following a ruling Wednesday from a federal appeals court.
The 2-1 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned three lower court decisions and could help authorities pinpoint the source of steroids in baseball. It could also bolster the perjury case against the star outfielder, who is under investigation for telling a grand jury he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.
The timing of this decision could be huge for baseball. The primary target appears to be Bonds and his chase of the all-time home run record as he drags his ever-deteriorating body onto the field for a final season. Funny how age has suddenly noticed Bonds again. I wonder why the dramatic changes. Perhaps something in his diet has changed..
This is also the first year that Mark McGwire is eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame:
Eight-time batting champion Tony Gwynn, four-time home run leader Mark McGwire and two-time Most Valuable Player Cal Ripken, Jr., are among 17 first-year candidates on the 2007 Hall of Fame ballot that will be mailed out later this week to approximately 575 voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Get ready baseball fans for the most intensive round of steroid talk yet. This is just the opening shot in what will undoubtedly be an ugly war that could seriously hurt baseball.
Baseball Musings: Along with the leaking of the BALCO grand jury testimony, it is going to become extremely difficult for federal officials to get cooperation from athletes in the future. Twice now players have been promised anonymity or privacy in exchange for their cooperation, and twice that’s been violated. Law enforcement just keeps making their own job more difficult.
Say Anything: This baseball fan is literally giddy at the idea of Bonds going down with a perjury charge. I’m not sure there’s anyone on this planet that I loathe more than Barry Bonds.
Jeff Kaplan: That grey pall on Barry Bonds’ name is one step closer to becoming a black mark, if his name is among those 100 samples that tested positive in 2003. Not that anybody seriously doubts his steroid use.
WBRS Sports Blog: This could be catastrophic for baseball. Selig & co have to be hoping that a majority of players tested have since retired or are fringe players at best. If a star gets taken down, this will have huge ramifications. If these names get out, the effect on baseball could be close to the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
