Barry Bonds: A Reasonable Doubt

As a lifetime .298 hitter who amassed 762 home runs, more than 500 stolen bases, and nearly 2,000 RBIs in his illustrious career, Barry Bonds was, arguably, one of the greatest hitters of all time.

But it is his involvement with BALCO rather than baseball that has forced Bonds back into the world of relevant headlines for the first time since 2007.

That year, Bonds broke the all-time home run record on Aug. 7, passing former home run king Hank Aaron and his mark of 755 long balls. Things have not exactly gone according to plan for Bonds since then.

On Nov. 15, 2007, Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice by a federal grand jury for allegedly distorting the truth about steroid use in 2003.

The indictment alleges that Bonds knowingly took steroids but claimed that he was taking what he believed to be flaxseed oil. Bonds pleaded not guilty to the charges on Dec. 7 of that year and was released on bond.

The actual case of the United States v. Barry Lamar Bonds began Monday, March 21, 2011. I’ve never been taken to court by anyone — much less the “entire” United States — but Bonds, with his team of eight defense lawyers fronted by attorney Allen Ruby, is not exactly alone in this process.

Witnesses being called to the stand include former Giants trainer Stan Conte, baseball players Jason and Jeremy Giambi and Kimberly Bell, a woman being described by many simply as Bonds’ former “mistress.”

Conte’s testimony, originally billed as a key piece of evidence, consisted of anecdotes concerning Bonds and his former personal trainer Greg Anderson, who is incarcerated until the conclusion of the trial for again refusing to testify against Bonds.

Speaking on Anderson, Jason Giambi claimed he paid him approximately $10,000 for numerous shipments of steroids known as “the clear” and “the cream” — both designed to avoid detection — in 2002 and 2003. He also testified that syringes and a calendar with an injection schedule came with the first shipment. Players testified that Anderson told them the substances were steroids.

This testimony was intended to show that Bonds would have had to know that the substances Anderson had given him were steroids. Prosecutors hoped the testimony of Kimberly Bell would help prove that Bonds, like other testifying players, was fully aware of what he was taking in 2003.  

When questioned, Bell testified that Bonds told her he was using steroids in 1999 and 2000 and that he became more impatient and aggressive while also alleging that his manhood and sexual prowess both shrank — physical signs of steroid use, according to the prosecution.  

However, the case against Barry Bonds concerns perjury — not necessarily anabolic steroid use. Even if Bonds is proven to have used steroids, he will be acquitted of the charges of perjury if it cannot be proven that he did so knowingly.

What’s more, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I’m not one to put something in my body without knowing what it is, but athletes who pay and trust trainers may not operate from my point of reference. You may not think Bonds is worth a dollar, but he’s a millionaire capable of hiring a defense team with the skills to place such a reasonable doubt in the jury’s consciousness.

Last semester, I argued that sports in America are cleaner than our politicians, religion and media.

I believe the fact that our tax dollars are being spent to federally prosecute someone for possibly lying about using a Schedule III substance in MLB games gives that sentiment some credence.

It could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Congress has more pressing issues.

Did he abuse steroids? Probably, but Barry Bonds did not and cannot kill the game of baseball. Were he capable of ending entire sports, I would have conspired with him to end the Winter Olympics long ago.