Bonds' fate in hands of Bush, Selig, By: Peter Kerasotis
In the minds of many, he will always have an asterisk attached to his name, hanging against it like a scarlet letter. That same asterisk might also find its way into the record books.
But I'm guessing two people don't want to see that happen to Barry Bonds.
Who might that be?
Bud Selig and George W. Bush.
If the commissioner of Major League Baseball and the president of the United States of America have their way, Bonds; name might not go in the record books with an asterisk affixed to it as if it were super- glued. Instead, you have to believe Bud and Bush would rather apply an eraser to the beefy ballplayer's name and numbers.
Bonds is threatening to place his name on another of the most hallowed records in American sports -- the career home run mark. Bonds; already owns the single-season record in that hallowed family, thanks to the 73 dingers he hit in 2001. With 708 career home runs, he trails Hank Aaron's revered record by only 47.
No harm in this, except that you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't believe Bonds accomplished these feats without the aid of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. There is a lot of smoking suspicion, hanging in the air like a question mark. In an attempt to answer these troubling queries, MLB and the federal government are conducting separate probes.
MLB has turned to former Senate leader George Mitchell to unravel what exactly went on during what most now identify as baseball's Steroid Era. At the epicenter of that investigation is Bonds thanks to an exhausting and exhaustively researched book, "Game of Shadows," that arrived last month like a jackhammer.
The book, written by a pair of San Francisco Chronicle sportswriters, cites Bonds alleged use of steroids and other drugs in precise chapter-and-verse detail. It is hard to ignore their overwhelming evidence, and evidently MLB isn't.
The book also caught the interest of the feds, and according to a CNN report, a grand jury has convened to investigate whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified in 2003 that he never knowingly used steroids.
Baseball fans in general are interested in the outcome of all this. But two baseball fans in particular are interested, two who happen to hold positions of power. If you're wondering who that might be, then connect the dots.
Who controls the feds? George W. Bush.
Who controls MLB? Bud Selig.
But why would these two men hold an extra interest in Barry Bonds? We'll start with Bud Selig.
Question: Where did Bud Selig grow up?
Answer: Milwaukee.
Question: Who is the all-time greatest baseball player in Milwaukee's history?
Answer: Hank Aaron.
Question: Which sports figure did Bud Selig grow up idolizing?
Answer: Hank Aaron.
Now ask yourself this question: If your all-time favorite sports figure had a hallowed record that someone who ought to be wearing a T-shirt that says "Got Juice?" was closing in on, and you had the power to do something about it, would you?
Bud Selig is.
And how does George W. Bush figure in this? Well, the president isn't just a baseball fan, he is a former co-owner of the Texas Rangers who might be the most avid seamhead ever to occupy the White House. If you wonder whether Bush cares about baseball and its record books, think back to his 2004 State of the Union address.
To quote Bush from that speech:
"To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message -- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now."
At the time, a president commenting on steroids in a State of the Union address puzzled many pundits. But only three weeks after that speech, the feds raided a little-known laboratory known as BALCO and issued a 42-count indictment. Many professional and Olympic athletes were involved. None, though, was as giant in stature as a certain San Francisco Giant -- Barry Bonds.
Do you think Bush knew what was coming down when he mentioned steroids? If the answer isn't yet crystallized in your mind, notice Bush's speech again, and note that when he mentioned steroids in sports, he mentioned baseball first, and he did this at a time when the words "steroids" and "baseball" rarely found their way in the same sentence.
Now they are in the same sentence seemingly every time we pick up a sports section or tune in to a game on TV.
Baseball.
Steroids.
And Barry Bonds.
That's Bonds with an asterisk.
But perhaps soon, the asterisk, along with the name, will be erased.
