Barry Bonds facing 30 years in jail and a rough financial future - BloggingStocks
Shortly after the market closed today, I got one of my familiar MarketWatch.com bulletins in my in-box. But it wasn't concerning after-hours earnings or the Dow's (latest) triple-digit drop. Rather, it simply stated: "Home-run king Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges."
Yowsa. While everyone always just assumed Bonds used the juice at some point in his career, I think this comes as a surprise to many sports fans. A federal grand jury has accused Bonds of lying under oath when he said he was unaware that substances handed out by personal trainer Greg Anderson were steroids. Bonds has also maintained that he did not use steroids in 2001, as he chased the single-season home-run record, then held by Mark McGwire.
According to MarketWatch, John Burris, "one of" Bonds' lawyers, told San Francisco radio station KCBS the Bonds would plead "not guilty." Burris also asserted that Bonds "will be found not guilty." Burris says the indictment was a shock, as the government doesn't have proper evidence to bring such a claim.
Guess the public's decision to brand that 756th baseball is looking pretty smart right now. Whether or not Bonds is indeed found guilty, this indictment further tarnishes his credibility, which was shaky at best.
As Allan Kreda pointed out earlier this year, Bonds faces a challenging financial future. His hubris and his cold attitude toward the media and toward humanity in general hasn't earned him many endorsement gigs. And while his career earnings are in the $200 million neighborhood, as Allan predicted way back then: "But with potential legal bills mounting, Bonds is probably saving every penny he can. He still may be indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of perjury..."
And, in fact, here we are. Smell that, folks? It's a little thing I call schadenfreude, and there's no way I'm the only one sensing it. I hate to be smug about this whole business, but cheaters never win, and if cheating's been happening, and having a direct impact on the national pastime's record books, I hope we get down to the bottom of it.
