We are well underway in the inglorious and pathetic perjury trial of Barry Bonds. Quick background: in 2003 Bonds gave statements to a Grand Jury investigating steroid use in baseball saying he did not knowingly use steroids. He said his trainer, Greg Anderson, told him they were "flaxseed oil" and "arthritic cream." It is important to note that Greg Anderson is in contempt of court for refusing to testify in the current case and is currently imprisoned. Much evidence has been found declaring that Bonds knew exactly what he was taking. This what the trial is about.
An interesting side here that is being overlooked, I think, is what the trial is actually about. It is about lying under oath; it is not about whether Bonds did steroids. In fact, in their opening statement, the defense literally said that Bonds did in fact use steroids.
This to me is incredible because in 2007, Bonds emphatically said, after breaking Hank Aaron's home run record, "This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period."
Let me get this straight: he says the record is not tainted, yet he has admitted and it is part of the official record that he did take steroids? Someone is going to have to explain that one to me.
For the sake of argument, let's accept Bonds' delusions for a minute: OK, he broke the record thinking what he took was flaxseed oil and arthritic cream. So to him, the breaking of the record was not tainted. What about now, though? What about his defense saying that he did in fact use steroids? Is he going to finally admit that the record is tainted?
Regardless of his "knowledge" about what he was putting in his body was - and I firmly believe he knew precisely what he was doing - the record is absolutely and irretrievably tainted.
Will Bonds come out now and say that the home run record is tainted? Knowing his personality, we know he won't. But the thing is, we already knew that. A paragon of futility.
As if this shameful travesty of a trial isn't enough for you, let's remind ourselves that we still have to look forward to Roger Clemens' upcoming trial. Hooray.
