Well, it's finally happened. Balco Barry and the Feds finally met up and the hammer has come down. People are expressing surprise at the timing of the indictment. Me? Not surprised. The Feds just saved some hapless team owner(s) that might be thinking of signing Barry millions of dollars in salary and bonus.
You can always count on one scandal erupting before spring training. This would have been a PR nightmare extraordinaire. I got the feeling here in Atlanta the fans were saying "not in MY backyard" to a possible Bonds signing. People are saying his career is effectively over.
All Barry had to do was tell what he knows. Apparently law enforcement has a mountain of evidence on him and with a greater than 90% conviction rate, his back is against the wall. Lying to a federal grand jury is serious business. My late dad was on two federal juries and the experience makes going to county court to do the "one day/one trial" system a cakewalk.
He probably wouldn't have recieved any jail time if he told the truth---or at the very least a minimal amount of time. People are saying that Barry wasn't an Olympic athlete and why is the government so adamant about going after him? Because the feds have some rock-solid proof and now it's their time to shine.
It's guilt by association. And the sad part was that Barry risked his career, and for the time being, it's effectively over. For now. Maybe forever.
I don't understand it myself. But Barry's links to the Olympic world via Balco are yet to be revealed. And you can bet the Feds always get their man.
Or maybe Barry should just do what Michael Vick did today. He signed in 22 days early to a Virginia lockup in anticipation of the judge sentencing him to a jail term for dogfighting.
Barry Bonds: sign in please.
