John Childress
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quote:
CNN) -- CNN.com readers say Barry Bonds should face charges. But they also want to know where the feds were before Bonds packed baseball stadiums and crushed pitch after pitch to become baseball's home run king. Barry Bonds faces perjury and obstruction charges months after breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. Bonds faces charges he lied about his use of steroids to a grand jury investigating performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. A federal grand jury in San Francisco, California, on Thursday indicted the seven-time National League Most Valuable Player on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The indictment comes more than three months after Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record set in 1974. CNN.com asked readers to share their thoughts on the charges against Bonds. Below is a selection of their responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity: Jack Winters of Mesa, Arizona The feds are going after the wrong people. The owners and the baseball administration who have turned a blind eye to this situation since the beginning of the game where greenies, shakes, pills, etc. were given to provide "energy" for its workers (i.e., ballplayers) are the ones who are getting off free. It's a shame that the commissioner's office sits in silence when they have been complicit with the owners by omission for having never addressed these issues in the first place. Barry Bonds may be shamed, convicted (i.e., considering the known evidence, I hardly doubt a conviction is unanimously possible), never allowed into the Hall [of Fame], and possibly banned from baseball, but the commissioner and owners who carry the responsibility of the institution since they're the gatekeepers will have silently conducted themselves into absolution without ever being held accountable for the gross mismanagement of this crisis. Mark Lackey of New York It's about time. Now let's wait for a conviction. At least kids will see that if you cheat and then lie about it there is a price to pay. Should he play again? No way, and besides who is going hire him? Hall of Fame? Never. Give the record back to Aaron, who earned it like a man. A. Gibson of Plainville, Connecticut Two crimes committed here -- drug use by Bonds and the lawyers waiting for him to break the record and then charging him. It's funny if you think about it. Let Barry make San Francisco a ton of money and ... then after it's done let's send him to jail. I never liked Barry, but it seems he was used. Samantha Romaine of Santee, California The sports industry is big business, lots of pressure to be the best and produce results. If you have ever been in the locker room of a professional sports team, then you know it's chaotic back there. There are doctors and trainers all over the place, handing out things. I don't blame the players for being pawns in the bigger picture. I blame the big business for doing anything necessary to turn a profit. If you want it to be controlled and fair for all, then you have to follow the money. The players are just pawns in a much bigger picture. Stephanie Willis of Alpine, Alabama Why does the law care more about Barry Bonds' lie than the lies of the president? Which has hurt us more? Larry Boyer of Oakton, Virginia My hope here is that Barry can be come a great example for the children of America. This can happen in one of two ways. 1 -- He admits his mistakes and becomes a vocal advocate and champion again steroid use in sports or 2 -- He goes to trial, gets convicted and becomes a example of the tragedy of cheating and lying. I really hope he does the first, though that will take a major shift in attitude. But if he's really concerned about his legacy (and I think he is, which is why he continued to chase the record and allegedly lie) then he'll find the inner strength to admit what happened, his lies about it and even suggest that his record be removed or given an asterisk. This would be honorable. Terry Pixon of Lexington Park, Maryland Wow! This means that most of the league will be up for indictment, but I wont hold my breath on that. Hopefully if he is convicted the President will pardon him in the same manner he did Scooter Libby. Remember I wont hold my breath on that either. Michael Petry of West Chester, Pennsylvania This is a long time coming. It is a shame that the federal government had to step in because the commissioner of [Major League Baseball] has no guts to take such an action. This is typical of the commissioner anyway ... Theodore Tsaltas of Knoxville, Tennessee I'm a longtime baseball fan who stopped watching after the strike of 1994 and the ensuing drug problems. I'm also a physician. It is obvious Barry Bonds has been using steroids for years. In all baseball history, there has never been a player who had a home run frequency that increased after age 32, and never anything remotely like Bonds'. I am disgusted by the vogue of denying wrongdoing until it is proven, and disgusted by the unwillingness of baseball owners and players to take a strong stand against drug use. People forget that the notorious "Black Sox" of 1919 were actually acquitted of criminal charges, yet banned from baseball for life for their deleterious impact on the game. I wish we as a society, and players and owners as stewards of a great game, would act in the interests of that game. Jaime Delevere of Rock Island, Illinois Barry should have consulted with Martha Stewart. You don't lie to the feds. J. Hahn of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Finally. Sports has been almost as bad as Hollywood. It's about time it gets cleaned up. I hope both Bond and Michael Vick get what they deserve. Our young people look to athletes as role models. They need to know that actions have consequences. Brandon Farrar of Asheville, North Carolina I feel as though I have heard this story before. The continuous attack of African-American athletes. Do I think it is racist? No. However, I pose this question: If we are so concerned about the actions of these athletes, why are we focusing on the smaller picture at hand? Ruining Michael Vick's life over dogfighting will accomplish nothing. Dogfighting will still go on all over the country. Making Marion Jones admit she used steroids will do nothing because steroids will continue to be distributed amongst track athletes. Finally, finding out whether or not Barry Bonds lied about using steroids will do nothing because hundreds of other baseball athletes will use them in the future. Word of advice: If you want to really make headlines, do some work and shut down the people making the steroids and distributing them. Is this too much work? Or is it that you really don't care and would rather get the one person you truly dislike in baseball? Carlos Baez of Roswell, Georgia Barry Bonds indicted due to lying about steroid use? No way. What a huge surprise. I don't think anyone could have ever seen that coming. I mean, anyone can increase their hat size from 7 1/8 to 7 3/4 and their shoe size from 10 1/2 to 13 by doing scalp lift and toe curl exercises, right? Maurice Denney of Lebanon, Tennessee What a joke, a waste of taxpayer money. They should indict the commissioner and owners who knew this was going on with many players but didn't do anything about it. Since baseball popularity is back and their pockets are fat. Now you want to claim it is all about the morality of the game. What a joke
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