July 13, 2006

An Indictment for Bonds?: An indictment could drop as early as this afternoon, charging Barry Bonds with tax evasion, perjury, and maybe even a few smaller charges. Also, with friends like these...

posted by The_Black_Hand to baseball at 10:03 AM - 29 comments

If this one doesn't kill the server, nothing will.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:03 AM on July 13, 2006

The lawyers acknowledged that Bonds and Hoskins had been best friends before a falling-out in mid-2003, when the San Francisco Giants' slugger reported Hoskins to the FBI. What a great witness for the prosecution!

posted by bperk at 10:09 AM on July 13, 2006

Hello? Is this thing on? Whew. I ventured outdoors there for a couple days. Oh, look - a Bonds thread. Yep - everything's back to normal.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:59 AM on July 13, 2006

I was going to post this but I didn't want everyone throwing things at me.

posted by dbt302 at 11:02 AM on July 13, 2006

Yeah I hear ya Weedy...I've tried to get into sportsfilter for about a week and I've finally gotten access again... On Bonds...haven't we had enough...oh wait, this is serious...there could actually be jail time. The first sports star who gets serious jail time will set a precedent around this country. Yeah, Jamal Lewis had to serve for 4 months...but that's nothing compared to what Bonds could face with these perjury charges...he could face a serious amount of time... I think I found the next John Grisham book...write about a sports star in a huge controversy and go deep into the secret world of those sports stars and pampered athletes who have prime access to everything.

posted by chemwizBsquared at 11:18 AM on July 13, 2006

They're going to nail him next week.That kid who caught the 715 ball better sell it fast,to some shmuck.

posted by irishmic2004@sbcglobal.net at 11:27 AM on July 13, 2006

I seriously doubt Bonds gets jail time in any of this. First, perjury is quite difficult to prove, and this is going to come down to a he said/she said type of thing. Second, depending on the scope and nature of the tax transgressions, the more likely result is payment of back taxes and a fine to the IRS as part of a plea. I know the tax investigators have a hard on for Bonds (I believe the whole Balco thing was initiated by federal agents with the Dept. of the Treasury), but who knows if the U.S. Attorney does. Overall, though, great use of public resources. (And watch this post end up in yerfatma's great predictions list after Bonds gets 5 years in jail.)

posted by holden at 11:35 AM on July 13, 2006

(And watch this post end up in yerfatma's great predictions list after Bonds gets 5 years in jail.) Well if you change your name to joe88 it will be up there before you can blink. I was going to post this but I didn't want everyone throwing things at me. /starts throwing random clutter at TBH.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:50 AM on July 13, 2006

(And watch this post end up in yerfatma's great predictions list after Bonds gets 5 years in jail.) Well if you change your name to joe88 it will be up there before you can blink. I was going to post this but I didn't want everyone throwing things at me. /starts throwing random clutter at TBH.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:50 AM on July 13, 2006

I don't know why it's necessary to engage in all this discussion over such a mediocre athlete. Afterall, Roger Maris still holds the legitimate record.

posted by ralphwilson867 at 11:50 AM on July 13, 2006

Another Babe curse? I'm personally loving seeing this arrogant ass take it up the shute!

posted by mikemora at 11:57 AM on July 13, 2006

Yaaa, a Bonds story. Let me one up you... (have to dig around for a T.O story now)

posted by Stealth_72 at 12:11 PM on July 13, 2006

The IRS can bring the cross his friends can bring the nails and Barry Bonds can pay for the sins of all of baseball.

posted by CB900 at 12:37 PM on July 13, 2006

Great. The mere thought of another Bonds thread crashed SpoFi in the first place.

posted by irunfromclones at 12:50 PM on July 13, 2006

(have to dig around for a T.O story now) No need to dig, TO is back in the spotlight just today. In case anyone was wondering what the renowned franchise killer was doing in the off-season, he was taking one more shot at a former team and teammate. Bonds and TO are alike in their treatment of friends.

posted by irunfromclones at 01:07 PM on July 13, 2006

I'm personally loving seeing this arrogant ass take it up the shute! Is that like when you're in Australia and someone drops a nuke on you?

posted by yerfatma at 02:08 PM on July 13, 2006

That kid who caught the 715 ball better sell it fast,to some shmuck. The ball would probably sell for more if he is ever convicted, which he should be.

posted by catching88 at 02:12 PM on July 13, 2006

Wow, it's good to be able to get dissed again. I thought it was a personal thing when I couldn't get into SF for the last couple of days. Like, was the post about flag burning that bad? B. Bonds may be a 12 on the Sports Jerk scale of 0 - 10, but he's not the first, nor will he be the last. May he receive his due process, and then be banned from baseball for the rest of his and Pete Rose's life. Somehow I think the current Commisioner might just be looking for an excuse to do just that.

posted by Howard_T at 03:36 PM on July 13, 2006

I have said it before. Yes Barry Bonds is an asshole. If being an asshole was an Olympic event he would win the gold, silver and bronze. However, being an asshole is not ilegal. He must be judged on what he has done and not who he is. As much as I don't like Barry Bonds, I don't see that he has done anything that many many other players from not just baseball have done. That is both the drugs and the taxes.

posted by CB900 at 04:12 PM on July 13, 2006

/starts throwing random clutter at TBH. You better stop chuckin' shit at me and start worrying about your double posts. Freakin' n00b.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:36 PM on July 13, 2006

hee hee hee...karma's a bitch...hee hee hee

posted by budman13 at 04:47 PM on July 13, 2006

He used to be a shoo-in for the hall of fame now he is an embarassment who I would never vote for. He could have retired any time after the 2001 season with 567 HR, 484 SB and pretty close to a .300 BA What this always boils down to for me is trust. whether or not Bonds breaks the record or whether or not he goes to jail is irrelevant to me. He shames himself, his team and any records that he holds are tainted. I just hope that someday I don't have to explain to my future kids how the all-time home run record is meaningless.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 05:46 PM on July 13, 2006

I agree...yawn...another story about this jerk is one more than we need. Why can't he just go away like McGuire, Palmaro and Sosa? (Sammy will never make a legit comeback) Say thing is, kids today are losing interest in the history of baseball because of all of this crap. My 13 year old son plays on a select team, and none of the kids care about the legends of the game because guys like Bonds on steroids have ruined the integrity of the game. He won't do a minute of jail time, he can afford enough legal help to ensure that the worse that happens will be probation.

posted by dviking at 06:32 PM on July 13, 2006

However, being an asshole is not ilegal. He must be judged on what he has done and not who he is. CB900, have you read the article or seen Sports Center over the last 2 days? He is not going to be indicted for being an asshole. He will be indicted for lying to a grand jury and/or tax evasion. The former may be tough to prove, but as the story says the latter may be the biggie. Maybe everyone is doing it, but until those others are accused Barry "Bail" Bonds is the only person this thead is about and he isn't going to be tried for being an asshole. The court of public opinion has already convicted him for that. The guy is a dick, kinda like his godfather. I am glad this case seems to be fast-tracked. Best for baseball and everyone else if Bonds is in the courtroom and not the stadium.

posted by scully at 06:53 PM on July 13, 2006

terrapin, I know he is not being indicted for being an asshole. But it sure makes it alot easier. Alot of people feel he is getting what he deserves because he is such a big asshole. Having worked in MLB I can tell you that there are alot of people who want nothing more then to keep the focus on Bonds. If you think the big story is Bonds your missing the bigger picture. Im sure Bud and all of MLB would agree with you about this being fast tracked, there are alot of people who don't want you to see whats in their closet.

posted by CB900 at 07:30 PM on July 13, 2006

BondsFilter!

posted by wingnut4life at 08:33 PM on July 13, 2006

The guy is a dick, kinda like his godfather. Evidence of the first is well documented. You want to provide evidence of the second? Willie Mays was brought onto a Giants club from the Negro Leagues and was almost immediately accepted by the club. His easygoing, carefree attitude made his race a total non-issue, and he was embraced by teammates, opponents and fans. He didn't drink or smoke, which contributed to his ability to play an amazing 21 seasons and accumulate tremendous numbers at the major league level. His biggest failing was his inability to remember names, which brought about his nickname "Say Hey Kid." (Babe Ruth had the same failing.) He shared headlines with Mantle and Snider only because the Giants were terrible -- on a good team, he probably would have been recognized as head and shoulders above everybody. In my experience with Mays, the only thing that can be said even remotely negatively about him is that he is fussy about his baseball caps. Unless you want to go after his casino connection (a truly embarrassing chapter of the Bowie Kuhn legacy). Where you do get anything bad from Mays?

posted by BullpenPro at 09:51 PM on July 13, 2006

You want to provide evidence of the second? Mays and the Giants were playing the Dodgers in LA. We were Giants fans but even bigger Mays fans and had travelled a long way to see the game. The Giants won in a rout. My dad, my brother, and I waited another 90 minutes or so after the game to see if we could get an autograph from Willie. There were a few others waiting with us as well. Mays finally came out the gate, but never looked at us, never stopped, just walked by spewing a stream of profanity at us the whole time. That ended our days as Mays fans.

posted by irunfromclones at 12:47 PM on July 14, 2006

He used to be a shoo-in for the hall of fame now he is an embarassment who I would never vote for. Unless you are a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America or the Veterans Committee, that's a vote you'll never get the pleasure of withholding. Mays finally came out the gate, but never looked at us, never stopped, just walked by spewing a stream of profanity at us the whole time. That ended our days as Mays fans. If he never looked at you, how do you know he was cussing at you? As for Bonds, I'm a Giants fan and have tickets for the series against the Dodgers next month, but I could care less whether he plays or not. Or even if he's in prison or a free man. He's not why I am a fan. Still, I think all this dogged pursuit is ridiculous. It's not quite the same situation, but does anyone remember if the Pete Rose situation (gambling/tax evasion) was as fervid as this?

posted by forrestv at 10:33 PM on July 14, 2006

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