Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Bonds Trial is Asinine & You Know it

Barry Bonds is a lot of things... a baseball player, father, and polarizing figure.

He is also a surly, mean guy that makes even the douchiest ambulance-chasing news reporter look like a sympathetic figure.

There are a lot of people that flat out DO NOT like the guy... and I get that. But the Bonds perjury trial has reached a pinnacle of asininity.

The Federal government doesn't enjoy being made a fool of... and I get that. The basis of our legal system is people telling the truth. The fear of God is enough for most people to tell it the way it really happened, but for the select few that are able to lie to entire courtrooms, punishment should come.

Look I get it. Barry probably lied. But you know what? I don't give a shit.

Neither do you. And neither does the Chinese lady on Sacramento Street cutting the heads off live chickens Or the douchebag hedge fund guy with the expense account walking down New Montgomery with a $7.00 coffee in hand and $300 silk tie fluttering in the San Francisco breeze. 95% of Giants fans don't approve of this trial, and I'd be willing to bet that nearly as many taxpayers, baseball fans or not, feel the same way.

And unless this dog and pony show is part of President Obama's economic stimulus package, spending millions of taxpayer dollars on this absurd trial is not only irresponsible, but in direct conflict with what the population wants.

This isn't about Bonds lying. This is about the government and IRS agent Jeff Novitzky not looking like idiots. They were the ones that spent a minimum of $6MM on this trial (although the figure could be as high at $60MM including BALCO investigation).

Imagine how bad it'd look if they spent all that money and they only managed to slap a couple dudes on the wrist, and let Adolf Hitl---- I MEAN Barry Bonds off on an acquittal.

I remarked on Twitter at the beginning of this trial, "I wonder when this pissing contest is going to turn into a shitting contest."

It already has. The prosecution, the defense, Novitzky and his powertripping IRS bretheren-- every one of them comes to the courtroom with a ruler, measuring their johnsons every chance they get.

It's just ridiculous.

Imagine what that money could've been spent on! How about solving murders? Maybe funding a Boys & Girls club in the inner city. Beautifying parks. Painting the Golden Gate Bridge to save Fastrak users 50 cents to cross it for 6 months.

Instead, they're going after a guy with everything they've got just to save face. The government is already a wasteful laughing stock, I'm pretty sure knowing when to walk away from an unnecessary money pit of a trial would be seen as a small step in the right direction.

And lest we forget, as Giants fans, what Barry Bonds did for us:

-- He with Peter Magowan saved this franchise from moving to St. Petersburg, Florida and becoming the Devil Rays

-- He always gave us hope when he came up to bat, even when we were down by a seemingly insurmountable lead
-- His presence on the roster made us relevant every year

-- He, with Willie Mays, were two of the 3 greatest baseball players of all time, and were both Giants, through and through. Not even the Yankees can say they that.

-- He always put people in the seats, even when the team sucked

-- Even when opposing teams took the bat out of his hands, he started rallies from first base

His biggest contribution however, was that he had a huge part in our stadium known as AT&T Park being financed and built.

Without Bonds, would the Giants have been able to secure the massive financing needed to privately build our jewel of a ballpark? Probably not. Without Bonds, would the right field wall be as close as it is? Would there be a "Splash Hit" counter? Would people be floating in McCovey Cove? Would there even be a McCovey Cove?

As much of an asshole as Barry was to teammates, the press, and fans, he truly was the best thing to happen to the Giants since Mays. Without the guarantee of people in the stands for years, the loans to Magowan and Company would have been extremely risky. From there, the options would've been to move to San Jose, desperately seek public assistance for a new park, or relocate to another area for good.

And that nice, burgeoning area known as China Basin? That new UCSF complex wouldn't be down there. Neither would those nice condos or Momo's or any of that. The man may be a bad person, a liar, and totally unlikeable, but what he's done for the Giants organization, us fans, the game of baseball, and the City of San Francisco is totally immeasurable.

I will never forget what he did for our fine organization and neither should you. This trial is asinine and it shouldn't be happening. They should've reached a plea deal 2 years ago. Put the guy on probation for 10 years, make him pay $500,000 toward court fees, and let this be over with.

With opening day around the corner, we shouldn't be talking about this.

Free Barry!

5 comments:

  1. Our legal system is farce. This prosecution curates flyspecks; that's their job.

    Bonds' biggest legacy with the Giants is that management now avoids being dictated to by prima donnas.

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  2. I completely agree. For the life of me I don't know why the Feds are investigating this or any of the sports related doping incidents. How about let the leagues deal with it. They can't secure our borders but they sure can police pro sports. I don't care who is doping. They will pay a huge price some day just as Lyle Alzedo did...Tell your congressman you want want this crap to stop. It is our money they are wasting.

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  3. They offered Barry a plea deal and he refused because as part of the legal system he would have been compelled to admit to a judge and the entire world that he lied and that he knowingly took steroids. Barry is in this spot because of his ego. I agree it is a waste but there would not have been a trial and the wsted money if Barry had just owned up like everyone else did and has done since 2003. What message do you want to send to uour children? Lie and it is OK. What a sad society we would be. Guess it all goes to ethics and morals of which Barry has none.

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