Today, opening arguments will be heard in the trial of Barry Bonds. Bonds spent most of my young life putting in the work that would land him in the record books for home runs not only in a single season, but for a career. The home run king stands accused of lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use.
Some question the decision to try Barry Bonds in San Francisco. What kind of trial can we expect? How did the prosecutors select a jury given his fame and notoriety in that town? Who was selected that could possibly be so uninformed that they have not of Barry Bonds?
My biggest question has to do with the timing. After a 7 year investigation many ask why now? When our country is still in the midst of recovering from a huge economic recession why now? When our military has engaged the Libyan forces with airstrikes and congress has yet to formally vote on official policy regarding that conflict, why are they now keying in on a baseball figure? After 7 years, I really have to admit that I do not even remember how performance enhancing drugs in baseball got to the front door of our United States Congress, who initiated it and why?
I conclude by writing that I am a huge advocate of drug free sports. It is my opinion that illegal supplements certainly have no right in our nation’s pastime. Furthermore, I believe that those who make the decision to obtain an unfair advantage deserve to answer for their actions. With everything that is going on our country today, I’m not so sure that this hearing should be a top priority for the American taxpayer.
