-
James Gandolfini, R.I.P.
June 19, 2013 | 2 comments
-
Let Pitchers Throw Complete Games
June 19, 2013 | 16 comments
-
Thoughts on New U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks
June 18, 2013 | 8 comments
-
Do Beyonce & Jay-Z Understand The “Complexities” of Syria?
June 18, 2013 | 2 comments
-
What’s So Moderate About Iran’s New President?
June 15, 2013 | 9 comments
The Spectacle Blog
As you probably know by now a jury convicted Barry Bonds of obstruction of justice this afternoon. However, the jury could not come to a verdict on the three perjury charges. Last week, the feds dropped one of the perjury charges against Bonds.
A hearing is scheduled for May 20th. Bonds’ defense team is going to try to persuade the judge to set aside the guilty verdict. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was successful. But if it isn’t then Bonds could be sentenced that day. At most, he probably would spend a few months in a minimum security facility or be placed under house arrest. The feds wouldn’t have much to show for their efforts which began eight years ago and took three and a half years to bring to trial.
The greatest punishment Bonds could receive would be from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Next January, Bonds is eligible to be selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Even if Bonds’ conviction is overturned I suspect the BBWAA would mete out their own punishment and not vote Bonds into the Hall - on his first try at least. However, it can be argued that Bonds had Hall of Fame career before the time he began to be suspected of taking steroids. As such they might not leave him out of Cooperstown indefinitely.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/04/13/thoughts-on-barry-bonds-verdic
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- Of Weiner and Women
- Happy Fourth
- Confessions of a Soft-Drinking Newspaperman
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Bob K.| 4.14.11 @ 12:00AM
Ah yes! The egomaniacs of the Chattering Classes who form the Baseball Writers Association of America will mete out justice! It matters not that Bonds would have deserved to be in the Hall of Fame had he not taken one steroid in his life. The talents needed to play Baseball at the Hall of Fame level has nothing to do with the ability to lead a politically correct life. Or even more important to these writers; the ability to be a genuinely "nice" person who cowtows to columnists who write sports for newspapers.
Who cares what you writers think when it comes to who can play baseball at the Hall of Fame level, Mr. Goldstein? The game is in America's DNA! We don't need you to tell us who should be in and who should not be in the Hall of Fame!
Big Jim| 4.14.11 @ 12:02AM
He's done. I see no reason to overturn the the conviction; it's more likely he'll be retried on the other 3 charges. He's a cheat and a convict and will never get to the Hall of Fame. Shoeless Joe belongs there first, so does pete Rose.
Bob K.| 4.14.11 @ 7:13AM
Shoeless Joe was found guilty of deliberately losing baseball games so gamblers could make money on them. Pete Rose gambled on the results of Baseball Games he was involved in. There is no comparison with what they did and what Bonds was accused of doing, was charged with and was found guilty of doing.
LiveFreeOrDie| 4.14.11 @ 12:45PM
There is definitely no comparison between Pete Rose and Barry Bonds. Rose played his heart out every game and never cheated. There was never a conflict of interest as he only bet FOR his team, not against it. Same thing Michael Jordan did...but he gets a pass.
These days sports betting is mostly online, anonymous and rampant among professional players. Pete Rose was banned from baseball for what is commonplace nowadays and perfectly LEGAL. Bonds and the rest of the steroid-ingesting morons committed a crime while forever tainting baseball.
Will| 4.14.11 @ 6:35AM
But Shoeless Joe and Charlie Hustle don't have what Barry does...and it's just a matter of time before that becomes the issue.
JimH| 4.14.11 @ 8:07AM
Your tax dollars at work.
Michael L. Hauschild| 4.14.11 @ 8:19AM
I view these people as simple values. If they contribute or add to the honor of the institution by being inducted into the hall of fame that gift should be bestowed upon them. If they detract or devalue the honor, leave them out. None of the names bantered about here meet my test.
Leroy| 4.14.11 @ 12:56PM
Every great Black ath. thats outspoken, The govenment goes after:Jack Johnson,Paul Roberson,Joe Louis, Jesse Owens,Ali, and now bonds the irs will come after him next pure racism, what about the white player who lied before congress when will there trials start?
Adele in Texas| 4.14.11 @ 1:02PM
Thoughts on Barry Bonds' Verdict? Who GIVES a rat's ass? Seriously!
There is a MARXIST in the White House, who may or may NOT even be eligible to hold the office of president; we have a national debt that could choke a water buffalo and will strangle any chance for the successful future of Americans for generations to come; the Department of Justice no longer even exists as far as I'm concerned if it condones and ignores voter intimidation.
We live in a country where there is no longer a distinction between millions, billions, trillions and googles - it's all just a bunch of zeroes. Babies are being aborted at record numbers and with the money of those who are the most morally opposed to what is fast becoming genocide. So called institutions of higher learning no longer teach, they indoctrinate students.
And law enforcement officers are being gunned down right and left; the violence of Mexican drug cartels is spilling over our borders - and not only are they operating in partnership with Middle East terrorists that they're bringing into our country illegally, they are openly threatening to slaughter Americans living in Mexico and the head of Homeland "Security" (yeah, right) says we're all a bunch of silly heads and our border towns are safe.
And ya'll care whether or not Barry Bonds was injected with steroids and that he was convicted of obstruction of justice? Here's a couple of hints: The man's body size doubled in a year and his batting average what, tripled? We have become a nation of living, breathing Abbott & Costello routines, which is why I don't give a damn about who's on 1st. Do you? Really? REALLY?
charles wick| 4.15.11 @ 8:47AM
Typical, disgraceful imperial Injustice Department overreach. The federalization of criminal law and the abuse of overbroad federal criminal statutes by the midgets in the Injustice department never cease to astound.