Say It Ain’t So Joe: Fallen Baseball Star Barry Bonds’ Obstruction Conviction Affirmed
As baseball season comes to a close, it is worth mentioning a recent legal development touching on a contiuing problem in America’s pasttime. Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in an opinion written by Judge Mary Schroeder (and joined by Judges Michael Daly Hawkins and Mary Murguia), affirmed former Major League Baseball star Barry Bonds’ obstruction of justice conviction for an evasive response to a question before a grand jury investigating the use of performance enhancing substances in baseball.
Speaking in terms that a baseball fan can well understand, Judge Schroeder begins the opinion:
“BarryBondswasacelebritychildwhogrewupinbaseballlockerroomsashewatchedhisfatherBobbyBondsandhisgodfather,thelegendaryWillieMays,competeintheMajorLeagues.Barry Bondswasaphenomenalbaseballplayerinhisownright.EarlyinhiscareerhewonMVPawardsandplayedinmultipleAll-Stargames.Towardtheendofhiscareer,playingfortheSanFranciscoGiants, his appearanceshowedstrongindications of the use of steroids,someofwhichcouldhavebeenadministeredbyhistrainer,GregAnderson.Bonds’sweightandhatsizeincreased,alongwiththebattingpowerthattransformedhimintooneofthemostfearedhittersevertoplaythegame.Fromthelate-1990sthroughtheearly-2000s,steroiduseinbaseballfueledanunprecedentedexplosioninoffense,leadingsomecommentatorstorefertotheperiodasthe`SteroidEra.'”
The suspension of a group of players, including stars such as Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, earlier this summer shows that MLB has much to do to clean up the game.
KJ