Investigating Barry Bonds

Now it is MSNBC reporting that Barry Bonds has so annoyed people that he may be investigated for perjury or tax fraud.  The San Francisco Chronicle also describes some Congressional pressure on Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

However, I have not yet seen reports that the baseball writers have commenced any sort of self-investigation.  As I noted a few days back, Bonds was voted the National League Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers Association of America a record-smashing four straight times, from 2001 to 2004.  My (rhetorical) question - were they utterly in the dark about allegations of his steroid use?  Or, if his steroid use was so outrageous, why did they keep voting him the MVP award?  Which was it, ignorance or indifference?  And can these awards be rescinded?  The San Fran Chroncicle explains the problems with deleting Bonds' home run records, but I see no obstacle at all to rescinding Bonds' MVP awards and re-presenting them to the second-place finisher.  Surely that would be a quicker punishment than waiting five years after his retirement and then electing him to the Hall of Fame with only 80% of the vote, which is the path we are probably on right now.

As to the extent of the writer's ignorance, here is Murray Chass of the NY Times, writing in the summer of 2001 as Bonds closed in on Mark McGwire's recent single-season home run mark (A Select excerpt):

In this era of offensive inflation, people talk about bigger and stronger players, smaller parks, inferior pitchers and juiced balls. Some whisper about the substance that is so taboo people dare not speak its name: steroids.

Two major league officials yesterday expressed concern about the possible use of steroids to build greater muscle mass, which in turn would produce more home runs.

The officials, who spoke on condition that they would not be identified, did not cite specific players.

''Look at all these guys,'' one official said, speaking of players generally. ''Look at their arms, their upper bodies, their thighs. All of a sudden they're huge. They talk about players being bigger and stronger. Where are they getting bigger and stronger? Not in a gym. You can't do it in the gym.''

Neither official offered any evidence that any player uses any illegal or questionable substance. Because there is no evidence, the home run explosion remains untainted.

In spring training last year, Bonds talked about the explosion.

''They're just stronger and bigger,'' he said of the home run hitters. ''That's what it comes down to. Guys are bigger and stronger.''

Oh, there was no evidence!   OK, these are sports reporters, not Woodward and Bernstein.  But let's flash forward to the spring of 2004, a season which will end with Bonds collecting his fourth MVP:

BASEBALL; As Games Begin, Talk of Steroids Dominates

By RICHARD SANDOMIR; CAROL POGASH; LEE JENKINS, IN PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA.; AND PAUL GIBLIN, IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ., CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FOR THIS ARTICLE.

Steroids continued to be the dominant subject in major league baseball yesterday as players, and baseball's hierarchy, tried to deal with a tide of speculation even as teams prepared for the first games of spring training.

''What matters is not what the players think,'' Mets pitcher Tom Glavine said at training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. ''It's what the fans think. If they find out guys are doing steroids, absolutely they'll think less of them.''

Glavine, who has long been a prominent member of the players union, added, ''It's a hot-button item, and everyone is digging and trying to find out who did what.''

The focus remains on a number of players, including Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, all of whom testified before the San Francisco grand jury that last month indicted Bonds's personal trainer, Greg Anderson; a track coach; and two executives of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or Balco, a nutritional supplements company. The four men have been charged with illegal distribution of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of athletes.

No players have been accused of a crime by federal authorities. Bonds has repeatedly denied steroid use.

Giambi and Sheffield have made similar denials at the Yankees' camp in Tampa, Fla.

''Other than Mark McGwire saying he used andro, we don't have any evidence that any players have used any substance,'' Bob DuPuy, the chief operating officer of Major League Baseball, said at a news conference yesterday with Representative John E. Sweeney, Republican of New York, who again introduced anti-steroid legislation in Congress.

Still no evidence!  But here comes a tidbit citing the San Francisco Chronicle:

In Scottsdale, Ariz., where the San Francisco Giants train, a public-relations official for the team tried to steer reporters from pursuing allegations made in The San Francisco Chronicle yesterday that six players -- Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, Benito Santiago, Marvin Benard and Randy Velarde -- received steroids from Balco through Bonds's trainer and that Bonds also received human growth hormone.

The article was not specific and did not divulge its source, saying it came from ''information furnished the government and shared with The Chronicle.'' Patrick Robbins, an assistant United States attorney in San Francisco, declined to comment on the article.

Well.  It was only in December 2004, after the season was over and the 2004 MVP award was tucked away, that the San Francisco Chronicle broke the details of Bonds' grand jury testimony.  As to whether the details came as a surprise, the Times wrote this:

December 5, 2004  
Revelations Only Confirm Suspicions About Drugs

 

By Jere Longman

   

For anyone shocked by the latest doping revelations and accusations involving Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds and Marion Jones, the former coach of the disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson offers some brutal candor.

"Steroids are so ubiquitous, so omnipresent in sport; they have been for decades," Charlie Francis, who has admitted facilitating Johnson's steroid use before the 1988 Summer Olympics, said in a

Canadian documentary earlier this year.

"There is a level playing field out there," Francis said. "It just isn't the playing field you thought it was."

The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that, in testimony last December before a federal grand jury, Giambi admitted taking steroids and human growth hormone and Bonds admitted he took substances that he did not know were steroids.

...

For all the attention of the last few days, however, the revelations generated few assertions that a moment of truth had arrived or that much would change.

"It's sort of 'duh,' no news here," said Dr. Norm Fost, director of the bioethics program at the University of Wisconsin. "Any intelligent sports fan assumed Bonds and Giambi used steroids. The moral question is, 'So what?' There are a lot of others using them."

That last is not quite accurate - everyone knew except the baseball writers.

 

 

Comments

[Jim E.]

"I see no obstacle at all to rescinding Bonds' MVP awards and re-presenting them to the second-place finisher."

No problem? Didn't Sosa finish in second place one year?

[Dwilkers]

Sportswriters are just like any other media folks. They want to write stories that get read and have people talking. Of course they knew what was going on, they're the only ones that have access to the clubhouse outside the fraternity.

Not that I disagree with you on this or the previous Bonds post TM, except perhaps for putting some responsibility on the fans. Personally, I think that a guy (or gal) that goes to a baseball game hoping to see a towering homerun instead of a squeeze play, a pitcher's duel, or a triple isn't really a "fan of the game" in the traditional sense.

This is about far more than Bonds. It is about the owners looking away and raking in the dough on ticket sales knowing what the players were doing. Its about the writers pumping up the story. Its about the players making poor decisions.

Money, stardom, media fawning. Hey, sounds just like Hollywood.

[MTT]

TM,

It seems everyone knew and no one knew.

My roommate in medical school (1985) played Division I NCAA football for one of the most recognized programs in the whole country. He said that his teammates took just about anything and everything to play, including anabolic steroids.

My brother-in-law played college baseball and football (1986), and at one time was a pro-prospect. He took steroids, as did about half or more of his teammates.

Just last month I attended a fantasy baseball camp. Our coaches were former pro players and most are still involved in the major leagues in some or another way (broadcasting, coaching, scouting, etc.) Amazingly, when asked about steroid use about half said they had no knowledge of anyone using, the other half seemed sure that a lot of guys then and now "juiced."

Lastly, I work part-time, full-time in the San Francisco Bay Area. On KNBR, the flagship radio station for the Giants' baseball, various shows' hosts regularly say they believe that Bonds is "juiced" but very few if any of the fans who call in seem to care.

Baseball got what it wanted out of Bonds, and so too, Bonds in return.

Bonds is guilty of lying and likely breaking the law. And you're right, Baseball, the sports writers, and the fans are all complicit in allowing it to go on for so long.

[larwyn]

Late last night I was tuned to HBO to watch "Deadwood", as I was also reading the blogs Bill Marh's (can't allow my mind to even give him benefit of remembering how his name is spelled) show came on.

Pete Rose was on regarding Bond story - only really caught Mahr (?) talking about players in Willie Mays era using cocaine/blow.

So for the masochists out there, this is merely a heads up that you can find out what Rose and Mahr think. And as an added bonus - Gloria Steinham is also a guest.
Really, don't miss TV in a nutshell.

[TM]

No problem? Didn't Sosa finish in second place one year?

I'll bet he did. Maybe they shoud go with a no-prize if they want to make a statement.

My guess - for pretty much the same reason that the writers dropped out of the college football polls, they won't touch this - they want to report the news, not make it.

Now, a strict application of that logic would mean they should quit awarding the MVPs in the first place, but why am I looking for logic?

[coolpapa]

Dwilkers-

"Money, stardom, media fawning. Hey, sounds just like Hollywood."

Or Washington DC.

[Other Tom]

I'm with Dwilkers on this one. If they could train a gorilla to hit a baseball and the result was 650-foot homeruns, today's fans would jam the stands--and Bud Selig and the owners know this. When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change--you do. They enjoyed the dance for ten years or so, and now they aren't sure what the hell to do with what they have created. By the way, I just read that the BALCO grand jury is still in session, so a perjury or tax evasion rap is still a distinct possibility.

[Rob Luke]

Barry Bonds, we know, took steroids. And so, we know, did Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi and Rafael Palmeiro. And so, we suspect, did Sammy Sosa. How about Jeff Bagwell? Who else? There's plenty of muck to spread around.

[barry Dauphin]

Let's get back on topic, everybody.
Should we send Joe Wilson to investigate Barry Bonds? Afterall, isn't this a story about obtaining banned substances?

[bandit]

Take a look back at the real record holder - Roger Maris. Only 3 guys ever hit more homers ina single season and they were all juicers.

[DO]

Baseball writers have no authority to establish rules or enforce compliance. They can only follow the league's lead. I'm guessing that quarterbacks receive more MVP votes now than before the NFL instituted rule changes that made the game more high scoring.

What baseball writers could have been doing was bringing attention to a real problem that wasn't being effectively addressed. An article accusing Bonds of steroid use would be inappropriate, but articles noting the suspiciouns of those speculating that the record-breaking performances were chemically aided would have signalled that the writers thought it was a big deal. How many of that kind of article? I don't know.

What's critical now is for MLB to take a position so that there can be some closure. Otherwise, there's handwringing with every new allegation. To me, it's obvious what the league's position should be.

We messed up. It was our job to establish and enforce the rules and to foster a culture of compliance. We failed miserably on this front for many years but are doing it right now. One not insignificant consequence of this failure is that damage has been done to the record book. Unfortunately there is no going back. It would be unfair to develop new rules and apply them retrospectively even if we could determine who had violated these newly established rules and who hadn't. To investigate individual cases would be equally unfair. Some have speculated that nearly half of our players were using steroids during this time (though I certainly hope those speculators are wrong). It is a conundrum, though one of our making. The position of MLB is that all past baseball records will stand, and that the current steroid policy will be vigorously enforced.

Any thoughts?

[MTT]

DO,

I think you are correct.

The records will stand.

New and stringent enforcement will be instituted.

The issue will be of legacy.

Yes, Bonds will hold many records, some of which will be thought of as having been achieved through doping. But will Bonds be voted into the Hall of Fame?

That's the money question.

My guess, if there is an investigation or if Bonds is indicted for any of the above mention illegal activites, no.

How about Rafi? Doubt it.

I don't think Maguire will make the Hall, either.

But the records will stand.

Tainted as they are, they will stand.

[Kir]

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[Boycott Barry]

thanks for posting an excelent article. True baseball fans, no matter how long they've suspected steroid and HGH use by players, are the victims here.

Anyone who has facilitated the use of steroids or helped maintain secrecy about the issue is just as guilty as the players who used them.

True fans have a place to go for the latest on the steroid scandal and what they can do to let their feelings be heard: www.BoycottBary.com -- for the good of the game.

[Dr BLT]

If you haven't heard the latest from Smash Records, here it is:

Well, while Barry Bonds has been busy breaking records, I've been making a record, about him and all of the other steroid "enhanced" baseball players:

The Bases are Loaded (And so are the Players)
Dr BLT
words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2007
http://www.drblt.net/music/BasesHornMix.mp3

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