Barry Bonds: a cheater, or cheated?, By: John Lembo

07/23/06, Herald Today

CHEATER

Barry Bonds is a lot like that annoying guy in the cubicle next to you at work. No matter how much you can't stand him, if you like your job there's really nothing you can do to get away from him.

Most sports fans I know feel the same way about BALCO Barry. Every sports section you pick up, every Web site you visit, every 24-hour sports network you turn on, you can't escape him. Each day it's something new - Barry's passing Ruth, Barry's getting indicted, Barry's knee hurts, Barry's dressing in drag, Barry's got the day off. We do our best to avoid him, but there's really no way around it if you have any interest in keeping up with the sports world.

Sure, there's some curiosity about the steroids scandal. The majority of fans would like to know exactly who was juicing during the past decade or so. But does anybody out there - outside of a few thousand delusional San Francisco Giants fans with their heads in the sand - actually believe Bonds is innocent?

Those of us with functional brains know where there's smoke, there's fire, and Bonds' continued defiance is a disgrace and an insult to our intelligence. And frankly, we're sick of hearing about him ad nauseum. The greatest conclusion of the whole Bonds story - considering he allegedly turned to steroids in the first place for attention and recognition - would be if he were to simply vanish from the spotlight in shame.

CHEATED

I don't like Barry Bonds. I never have. Occasionally, I bristle when I see his name in print or on television. I tend to flip the page or turn the channel.

But I shouldn't. None of us should.

Love him or hate him, Barry Bonds is the most polarizing sports figure . . . ever. He's the single-season home run king, the best title in all of sports, and he passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. He's won seven MVP awards and a National League pennant. His 1990s dominance kept Candlestick Park packed, allowing the Giants to stay in San Francisco and forcing Bay Area bigwigs to build the team a new ballpark.

We have to find out if all of it was true. We have to know if perhaps the greatest player ever was the product of syringes and creams. We have to know. We must.

What if it was all-natural? Bonds has become hated nationwide. And what if it's all a sham? What if Game of Shadows, baseball's answer to All The President's Men, is built on nothing more than fabrications created by Bonds' spurned mistress? What if he didn't perjure himself to the grand jury?

What if his biggest crime is being a jerk? Hey, that's not illegal, and it's surely not enough to have all his records tossed away. (See: Ty Cobb).

I don't love Barry Bonds, but I love baseball. And until we know the truth behind the sport's most eye-popping player, none of us should turn away. Ever.