Bonds Found Guilty...

[Hornsby]

One count of Obstruction of Justice...

Our long national nightmare is finally over...

[ThatRogue]

What a great job they've done in making us all more safe. I feel annoyed.

[Silentmist]

Did anyone really think that this would end any other way?

They already want to get eye witness testimonies removed from the court system all together, and this was clearly a he said, she said case. Once he said that he never "knowingly" took steroids, he was in the clear.

I'm with you rogue. This whole case did nothing but drag baseball through the mud. Shame on Selig, MLB, and the government for even allowing any of this crap to take place. Maybe we can set all these government officials to work on real problems now that this farce is over with.

[OaklandA's]

What is the logic in convicting Bonds for obstruction of justice, if they did not find him guilty of perjury on any of the individual charges?

[OaklandA's]

OK, now there are more details out about the obstruction charge. It apparently had nothing to do with performing-enhancing drugs at all. Very strange.

From this article on Yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110413/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_bonds_trial

The obstruction of justice count was a complicated charge that asked jurors to decide if Bonds was being evasive when making any one of seven statements to the grand jury. He was convicted on a single statement about his childhood as the son of major leaguer Bobby Bonds and his relationship with personal trainer Greg Anderson — it did not address performance-enhancing drugs.

Q: Did Greg ever give you anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with?
A: I’ve only had one doctor touch me. And that’s my only personal doctor. Greg, like I said, we don’t get into each others’ personal lives. We’re friends, but I don’t – we don’t sit around and talk baseball, because he knows I don’t want – don’t come to my house talking baseball. If you want to come to my house and talk about fishing, some other stuff, we’ll be good friends, you come around talking about baseball, you go on. I don’t talk about his business. You know what I mean? …
Q: Right.
A: That’s what keeps our friendship. You know, I am sorry, but that – you know, that – I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts. I became a celebrity child with a famous father. I just don’t get into other people’s business because of my father’s situation, you see…

The government "has determined it's unlawful for Barry Bonds to tell the grand jury he's a celebrity child and to talk about his friendship with Greg Anderson," Ruby said.

The foreman of the jury, who would only give his first name, Fred, said if prosecutors want to "pursue this case, they're going to have to do more homework than they did."

[Hammer]

a huge waste of government money....


dont they retry on mistrials? He gets off on the other 3 charges?

[OaklandA's]

a huge waste of government money....


dont they retry on mistrials? He gets off on the other 3 charges?

And waste even more money? If they couldn't convince this jury after working on the case for so many years, why would a re-trial be any different?

[Hammer]

And waste even more money? If they couldn't convince this jury after working on the case for so many years, why would a re-trial be any different?

I am asking what the law is, not whether its worth it......

[OaklandA's]

I am asking what the law is, not whether its worth it......

Oh. The Judge set a May 20 hearing date to determine whether the government wants a retrial on the perjury counts. They could re-try, but they certainly don't have to.

[joncarlos]

I don't think it's possible for me to care less. I just hope this means the whole stupid thing will go away.

[chancellor]

Oh. The Judge set a May 20 hearing date to determine whether the government wants a retrial on the perjury counts. They could re-try, but they certainly don't have to.

I believe Bonds defense team will/has also ask the judge to set aside the guilty verdict. Cavebird, B-Fly and Lucky would be better suited than I to say how much of a chance Bonds defense team has.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I don't think it's possible for me to care less. I just hope this means the whole stupid thing will go away.

I'm just kind of surprised more people don't want to see another cheating, lying celebrity get his ass handed to him. He used steroids which should keep him out of the hall (and it will). Then he lied about it and in the process basically told all of us we're too stupid to know he's lying or that he doesn't care if we know he's lied. I like to see those kind of A Holes punished.

I hope they stick his ass in jail.

[OaklandA's]

I'm just kind of surprised more people don't want to see another cheating, lying celebrity get his ass handed to him. He used steroids which should keep him out of the hall (and it will). Then he lied about it and in the process basically told all of us we're too stupid to know he's lying or that he doesn't care if we know he's lied.

You do realize that the jury did not find him guilty on any of the perjury charges, right? Or were you following the lead of Senator Kyl, and not intending yours to be a factual statement ?

[GwynnInTheHall]

You do realize that the jury did not find him guilty on any of the perjury charges, right? Or were you following the lead of Senator Kyl, and not intending yours to be a factual statement ?

Give me a break-- he knew what he was doing. I don't care what 12 people couldn't agree on. It's just like Bush and the War in Iraq-- no one can prove he lied us into it, but I know he did. yeah his trainer wouldn't testify--he'd rather go to jail, there was other 'inadmissible' evidence--the courtroom can be loopholed to death, I can't.

Now I don't care if he did the Steroids because we all make bad choices, just don;t freaking stand there and lie to my face. I feel the same way about Kobe and Clemens or anyone else who lies to me. hell I an tolerate a bigot easier than a liar-- it's what i hate most and though you may need irrefutable proof to think he lied-- I'll trust my own sense of who's lying and who's not. It's what I've done my whole adult life and I haven't been often wrong.

[OaklandA's]

Give me a break-- he knew what he was doing. I don't care what 12 people couldn't agree on. It's just like Bush and the War in Iraq-- no one can prove he lied us into it, but I know he did. yeah his trainer wouldn't testify--he'd rather go to jail, there was other 'inadmissible' evidence--the courtroom can be loopholed to death, I can't.

Now I don't care if he did the Steroids because we all make bad choices, just don;t freaking stand there and lie to my face. I feel the same way about Kobe and Clemens or anyone else who lies to me. hell I an tolerate a bigot easier than a liar-- it's what i hate most and though you may need irrefutable proof to think he lied-- I'll trust my own sense of who's lying and who's not. It's what I've done my whole adult life and I haven't been often wrong.

He was on trial for perjury to the grand jury. If you read his statements to the Grand Jury and actually look at the evidence, it is obvious that there is virtually no evidence on which to convict him for perjury. Even the "inadmissible evidence" never proves that he knowingly took steroids.

You are saying that he should be convicted on this crime and sent to jail, even if he is not guilty of the charges, because you think he deserves to be punished for some other actions. Kind of an "ends justifies the means" judgement. I just can't support a legal system like that. That's the same mentality that allows cops to plant evidence, because they "know" the suspect is guilty of something.