Bonds' situation like Black Sox scandal
March 14, 2006, Sun Sports.com
NEW YORK -- Former Commissioner Fay Vincent called on baseball to investigate possible steroids use by Barry Bonds, saying the cloud hanging over his pursuit of the home run record is a crisis akin to the Black Sox scandal.
"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it's the biggest crisis that's hit baseball since the '20s and the Black Sox scandal," Vincent said yesterday, referring to the conspiracy by players on the Chicago White Sox to fix the 1919 World Series.
"The generic problem of steroids in baseball has been brought to a head by the Bonds situation.
''It's really an enormous mess because it has threatened all baseball records, everything that was done in the '90s forward is suspect because of the likelihood that lots of players were using steroids."
Vincent, who resigned in 1992 and is predecessor to current commissioner Bud Selig, lent his voice to the debate after last week's revelations in a new book that described Bonds in detail as a player who deliberately used steroids for five seasons.
Bonds, who has denied knowingly taking steroids and has never failed a drug test, has 708 career home runs and needs just seven more this season to pass Babe Ruth (714) for second place on the list. Henry Aaron reigns supreme with 755.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Bonds also holds the single-season home run mark, once Ruth's hallowed total of 60, with the 73 homers he belted in 2001.
"The biggest record in baseball is home runs in a career," Vincent said.
"And it is up in the air because if Bonds breaks it his performance is going to be tainted, under a cloud."
Vincent, 67, said baseball should launch an independent investigation into steroids use.
"I think it has to be done. If baseball dallies and dithers, I think Congress would step in and I can't think of anything worse than that."
JAYS WIN: At Dunedin, Florida, A.J. Burnett struck out six in four innings and Rob Cosby had a grand slam and five RBIs for Toronto as theyh beat the Houston Astros 7-6.
