Barry Bonds could be facing jail time after being indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, after lying to a federal grand jury about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The courts ordered an investigation of Bonds and other athletes in December of 2003. It was then that Bonds told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds was given different “creams” by his long-time personal trainer and Bonds claims he was told they contained flaxseed oil, but investigations showed that the cream was an illegal product. Bonds’ trainer was recently released from prison after serving time for refusing to testify against Bonds. The maximum sentence that Bonds can receive is 30 years in prison.
Bonds recently broke the home run career record held by Hank Aaron. With the allegations of steroid use surrounding him, Bonds has said that the record is not “tainted.”
The thought that this man can end up in jail can bring smiles to baseball fans’ faces, but there were also those that supported Bonds as he pursued the home run record this past summer, and for them this is a major disappointment.
Those against Bonds are doing some kind of version of “I told you so” to those who stood by Bonds. One common factor throughout baseball fans is that Bonds deserves to be punished for, not only lying to a federal grand jury, but also for lying to the sport of baseball.
Jail time would be the best justice for some fans. After all, he committed perjury and no one can go unpunished. Lil’ Kim can attest to that.
Bonds is facing four counts of perjury that call for a maximum sentence of five years each and a ten-year sentence can be added to that for obstruction of justice. Many believe that Bonds should get the maximum sentence; seeing Bonds locked up for 30 years would be the best kind of punishment. This is, however, an over the top and an unrealistic punishment, because the justice system seems to dance around celebrity. Lately celebrities have been receiving jail time, but the sentence tends to be less than it would be for more common people.
So as much as fans would like to see the maximum punishment passed, the reality is that the trial will be hyped up and the punishment will be less than nothing.
Bonds should be stripped of his record, because it is tainted. A court investigation has shown that Bonds tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Now many will argue that this is unjust, because Bonds claims that he did not take drugs at the time he set the home run record. It is not whether or not he used them recently, but that fact that he used them at all means that his baseball career is a fraud. Athletes that use the types of drugs that give them an added unfair advantage should be stripped of all titles earned. Bonds should release an apology to all baseball fans and should be stripped of his records.
Bonds is an embarrassment to baseball. It is sad when you live in a time where natural talent is so scarce that fans now have to question the integrity of the players. Gone are the days of being in the presence of true greatness. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris are players that everyone will remember for their great natural talent. Each of them is probably rolling over in their graves in embarrassment for what the sport has become. It is sad that the great legends of baseball are untouchable without the help and aid of illegal drugs. Bonds does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath of any of these great players.
