The Evil One has been indicted

[milagros317]

Barry Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury. 😀 Details below.

Baseball player Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges


SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds has been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

The indictment unsealed Thursday against baseball's home run king culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes. "During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment read.

In August, the 43-year-old Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become baseball's career home run leader. Late in the season, the San Francisco Giants told the seven-time National League MVP they didn't want him back next year.

Bonds finished the year with 762 career homers, seven more than Aaron, and is currently a free agent. In 2001, he set the season record with 73 home runs.

John Burris, one of Bonds' lawyers, did not know of the indictment before being alerted by The Associated Press. He said he would immediately call Bonds to notify him.

"I'm surprised," Burris said, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."

Bonds has repeatedly denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. He has never been identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive.

The White House quickly weighed in on the indictment. President Bush is a former owner of the Texas Rangers.

"The president is very disappointed to hear this," Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said. "As this case is now in the criminal justice system, we will refrain from any further specific comments about it. But clearly this is a sad day for baseball."

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who is investigating drug use in baseball, declined comment. So did Hall of Fame vice-president Jeff Idelson.

Bonds was charged in the indictment with lying when he said he didn't knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer and longtime friend, Greg Anderson. Bonds is also charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids.

"Greg wouldn't do that," Bonds testified in December 2003 when asked if Anderson ever gave him any drugs that needed to be injected. "He knows I'm against that stuff."

Bonds became the highest-profile figure caught up in the government investigation launched in 2002 with the raid of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the Burlingame-based supplements lab at the centre of a steroids distribution ring.

Bonds has long been shadowed by allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. The son of former big league star Bobby Bonds, Barry broke into the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 as a lithe, base-stealing outfielder.

By the late 1990s, he'd bulked up to more than 240 pounds - his head, in particular, becoming noticeably bigger. His physical growth was accompanied by a remarkable power surge.

Speculation of his impending indictment had mounted for more than a year.

In July 2006, the U.S. attorney in San Francisco took the unusual step of going public with the investigation. After the previous panel's 18-month term expired, he announced he was handing it off to a new grand jury.

Anderson was at the centre of the investigation. He spent most of the past year in a federal detention centre for refusing to testify to the grand jury.

According to testimony obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Bonds testified in 2003 that he took two substances given to him by Anderson - which he called "the cream" and "the clear" - to soothe aches and pains and help him better recover from injuries.

The substances fit the description of steroids distributed by BALCO founder Victor Conte. But when questioned under oath by investigators, Bonds said he believed Anderson had given him flaxseed oil and an arthritic balm.

Investigators and the public had their doubts.

Aiming to prove Bonds a liar, prosecutors tried to compel Anderson to testify. When he refused, they jailed him for contempt.

Bonds joins several defendants tied to BALCO. Anderson served three months in prison and three months of home detention after pleading guilty to steroid distribution and money laundering.

Conte also served three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to steroids distribution.

Patrick Arnold, the rogue chemist who created the designer steroid THG, BALCO vice-president James Valente and track coach Remi Korchemny all also pleaded guilty. Korchemny and Valente were sentenced to probation and Arnold sent to prison for four months.

Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse attendant, pleaded guilty April 27 to drug and money laundering charges.

Elite cyclist Tammy Thomas and track coach Trevor Graham have each pleaded not guilty to lying to a grand jury and federal investigators about their involvement with steroids.

Dozens of other prominent athletes have been connected to BALCO, including New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi who told the grand jury he injected steroids purchased at BALCO and Detroit Tigers outfielder Gary Sheffield who testified that Bonds introduced him to BALCO.

 

[Mitchell]

If this sticks, and Bonds is convicted, I hope it is enough to get him banned from baseball for life, and keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Arod is probably going to pass him in home runs at some point anyway. Hopefully, Arod will be the all time home run leader, so that we wont have to have a tainted record for the guy who has the most home runs in baseball history.

Mitch

 

[kis123]

If this sticks, and Bonds is convicted, I hope it is enough to get him banned from baseball for life, and keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Arod is probably going to pass him in home runs at some point anyway. Hopefully, Arod will be the all time home run leader, so that we wont have to have a tainted record for the guy who has the most home runs in baseball history.

Mitch

Amen brotha'!!!

I can't stand him and he doesn't deserve anything but to be stripped of everything he has and thrown out. If you're going to make Marion Jones do it, then he should do the same!

 

[SamuelKhan]

Good article...

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/363299.html

Jason Whitlock makes a good point on this.

Athletes use performance-enhancing drugs without guilt or regret because the people profiting the most off their performance — owners, executives and coaches — have created a culture that promotes drug use.

Steroids and home runs “saved” baseball in the late 1990s, and now we’re punishing the users rather than the people who seduced the users with bigger contracts and steroid indifference.

The people running the game were trying to revive the game after the disastrous 1994 player's strike, but were afraid to throw a wet blanket on the recovery by exposing cheaters and juicers. And this encouraged Bonds, the man who couldn't throw out....never mind, to take the stuff, allegedly.

Like Whitlock said, it isn't going to make the game pure again. Just wait until Senator Mitchell's report comes out.

 

[10 armed tkler]

I am shaking my head. Yeah yeah whatever some athlete cheated and lied about something blah blah blah. Now how about they do something important now...shit that actually matters to people and helps. If they can put all their effort for this...really now.

I like Barry Bonds still. And really calling him evil one.

 

[milagros317]

As far as I am concerned, he became evil the day he signed his frst free-agent contract with the hated jints.