Barry Bonds Indicted

Strike three! You're out!

 

And the biggest winner of all this is the fellow who caught the ball that Bonds hit for the record. Who sold it for several hundred thou.

 

So what??

BTW, I'm no great fan of Barry Bonds.

But, lemme' see if I get all of this right.

First and foremost, he is innocent. He has been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, but that in no way equates 'guilt' by any stretch.

(It would probably however, qualify him for high political office if he is found guilty or were to admit to it.) :laugh:

And unless I miss my guess, and/or the HOF or the Comissioner 'ban him from Baseball and/or the HOF', unless (or possibly even if) he is found 'guilty' he will still be in the HOF eventually.

Barry Bonds playing records will probably stand, regardless, without so much as an asterisk.

Roger Maris and his great 1961 season and 61 HR gets an asterisk.

Barry Bonds' HR ball #756 gets an asterisk.

Joseph "Shoeless Joe" Jackson and George "Buck" Weaver get banned from baseball, and two worthy players are banned from the Hall of Fame (even though the charges against them in the "Black Sox" Scandal were completely dismissed, by the Federal Grand Jury), because they did not "rat out" their teammates on the suspicion they probably had some partial, potential knowledge of the 1919 Series being thrown, by teammates, by Comissioner "Keenesaw Mountain" Landis.

John "Buck" O'Neil doesn't rate the Hall of Fame, by the Special Veteran's Committee for the Negro Leagues. (He was, finally, recognized posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award into the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum a month ago in Oct., 2007.)

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe doesn't rate the HOF despite being probably the best combo pitcher and hitter comparable to Babe Ruth in history - same committee!

Orestes "Minnie" Minoso [sixth highest overall BA in baseball for the years (1951-1961) he was physically able and allowed to regularly play in the majors (He was not allowed to play in the majors before the age of ~ 27, as a "Negro", remember!) , before time and injuries caught up with him at the age of ~ 37-41] does not rate the Hall of Fame by the same committee.

Alejandro "Alex" Pompez, owner of the New York Cubans, organized crime figure, part of the syndicate/mob of 30's gangster "Dutch" Schultz, indicted in both the United States and Mexico for racketeering, rates the Hall of Fame by the above committee.

Mark McGwire (583 HR, 1414 RBI, .588 Slg., .993 Fld., highest AB/HR ratio in history) manages to garner a whopping 23.5% of the HOF votes, the low vote happening, IMO, because of three things, mainly - he was alleged to have used steroids (which was completely legal in baseball, at the time), he admitted to using the supplement Androstenedione (also completely legal at the time), and he refused to "rat out" anyone else in his appearance before the Congressional hearing on steroids in 2005.

Andf then there's Barry Bonds-

To sum up, to borrow from the old 'Saturday Night Live gag', and to paraphrase the immortal words of "former New York Mets all-star second baseman, 'Chico' Esquela" (Garrett Morris), speaking to Jane Curtin,

"Thank you, Hane! Thank you beddy, beddy much! I love bayz-e-ball! Bayz-e-ball been beddy, beddy good to me! Bayz-e-ball been beddy, beddy good to Baddy Bonds! Seben- seex- two! You bet! :thumbs: Baddy Bonds been not so good to bayz-e-ball. BAL-e-CO! You bet! Thank you! Thank you, beddy much, Hane!"

:laugh:

Ed

 

Don't be so sure. Shoeless Joe is still not in the HoF. I don't think Pete Rose will ever be, either.

 

I think there is a strong possibility that the all-time hits leader (Rose) and the all time homer leader (Bonds) will hold the records, but not be in the Hall of Fame.