Here’s what columnists around the country are saying about the Barry Bonds’ guilty verdict.

Judging Bonds Has Only Just Begun (Tyler Kepner, New York Times)
Barry Bonds’s statistics cannot be erased. Bonds did not get away with his actions in federal court, where he was convicted of a count of obstruction of justice Wednesday. But in his era Bonds was allowed to stay on the field and hit 762 home runs and win seven Most Valuable Player awards. Fans can judge those accomplishments however they want, but they did happen, and they are as historically valid as the 714 homers Babe Ruth hit without ever facing an African-American pitcher. Commissioner Bud Selig said Tuesday that he had already studied the integrity of baseball’s records, with help from Jerome Holtzman, the Chicago writer who was baseball’s official historian.

Exploring the sheer absurdity of the Bonds verdict (Craig Calcaterra, Hardball Talk)
Having slept on it, here’s one more thought about the Bonds verdict that simply blows my mind. Yesterday when I reacted to the verdict, I noted the absurdity of Bonds being convicted on his rambling answer in “Statement C” as listed in Count 5 of the indictment. That “Statement C” was Bonds saying, in response to a question about receiving injections, that Greg Anderson was a friend of his and that Bonds was a child of a celebrity. It was four brief beside-the-point statements. And, importantly, Bonds did eventually say unequivocally that, no, he didn’t receive injections. Take that for what it’s worth, but it was a clear answer to a clear question.

Bonds’ Legal “Dream Team” Loses Big (Randy Shaw, BeyondChron)
After Greg Anderson refused to testify and the trial judge excluded key evidence, few gave the U.S. Attorney’s office much of a chance to convict Barry Bonds on any of the charges. Add to this the high-cost legal dream team working for Bonds—which included such criminal defense superstars as Alan Ruby, Chris Arguedas, and Dennis Riordan—-and the question was not whether if Bonds would be acquitted, but how long the jury would deliberate. Well, jurors often surprise with their common sense. They saw Bonds the way the general public does, and convicted him of obstruction and came within a single holdout juror of a perjury conviction. If anyone is feeling sorry for Bonds, they aren’t talking about it.

In the end, Barry Bonds hurt himself (Lester Munson, ESPN)
The unanimous verdict that Bonds was guilty of obstruction of justice is a major triumph for federal agent Jeff Novitzky and prosecutors Jeff Nedrow and Matthew Parrella. It is also a bit of an upset. The members of the federal team started the trial with two strikes against them. Greg Anderson, Bonds’ personal trainer, refused to testify for the government. If he had testified, its case against Bonds likely would have been overwhelming. But his refusal to testify and his willingness to go to jail to help Bonds left Novitzky and the prosecutors with major obstacles. Without Anderson to identify the positive drug tests, the drug calendars, the syringes and the vials of steroids that the Novitzky-led agents had seized in their lightning raid on Anderson’s house, a powerful case for the prosecutors became a difficult, almost impossible case.

Confused Verdict Means Bonds Will Walk (Jeff Neuman, Real Clear Sports)
The government agreed in the case that the instructions to the jury for the obstruction charge would indicate that it must “agree unanimously as to which statement or statements constitute obstruction of justice.” This is essential if the verdict is to be truly unanimous; if six jurors believe one statement to be an obstruction, while the other six select a different statement, they are not in unanimous agreement. (I am grateful to the legal blogger Jack Townsend for this explanation; his blog often features clear writing and thinking on otherwise impenetrable subjects.) So if the jury couldn’t come to a unanimous vote on any of the perjury counts, on what basis did it reach its conclusion about obstruction of justice? The verdict reeks of compromise, especially with jurors acknowledging that the deadlock on the perjury charge about injections involved an 11-1 vote favoring conviction.

A jury found Barry Bonds guilty of one federal charge of obstruction of justice, but a mistrial was declared on the remaining three counts of making false declarations to a grand jury. It’s unclear as of this writing whether there will be another trial to settle those remaining counts.

According to ESPN.com, Bonds sat “stone-faced” through the verdict, displaying no emotion. His legal team then asked that the guilty verdict be thrown out, although U.S. District Judge Susan Illston did not rule on that request. A hearing for that case will be held on May 20.

The question I have is how can the jury believe that Bonds was guilty of obstruction of justice but unsure that he lied under oath about taking steroids, taking HGH and/or receiving injections of any kind? I’m not a lawyer and my intelligence is questionable at best, but how can you nail him on obstruction of justice but not on the three perjury charges of lying to a grand jury? It seems like if you can nail him on that, you can nail him on anything.

Then again, maybe the jury believes that he’s lying about something, so they nail him on obstruction of justice. But they can’t prove that he’s lying specifically about taking steroids, HGH and/or being injected with anything, so that’s where the hung in “hung jury” comes in.

Either way, it feels like a large amount of the taxpayers’ money just went flying out the window. Was justice served here? Did Barry Bonds “get what was coming to him” like some wanted? Does anyone even care anymore?

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: The biggest punishment that this guy will ever endure is not being allowed induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I’ve found it rather interesting that in the midst of Barry Bonds’ perjury trial and the news that Manny Ramirez abruptly retired instead of dealing with a 100-game suspension for another positive PED test (his second in three years), that some people have developed a rather nonchalant attitude towards steroids as it pertains to the game of baseball.

Whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook or in sports forums, people continue to utter the statement: “What’s the big deal? It’s only steroids. I like home runs! Steroids make the game more exciting!”

Honestly, I have rationalized at least part of this argument in the past. I couldn’t care less if someone wanted to take steroids – including athletes. Do you know what the yearly average is for deaths caused by steroids? Three. As in: three people. For comparison sake, tobacco kills 5.4 million people per year, which is a shade more than three.

That’s not to say I condone the use of steroids. When the day comes where I have children of my own, I’m going to make sure they understand how dangerous steroid use is. The potential side effects of misusing steroids are well known and if a doctor does not prescribe them, the risk just isn’t worth the reward in my eyes. We’re talking about highly dangerous stuff here, especially for those who don’t know what they’re doing.

But if a groan man wants to sink hundreds of dollars into drugs that will make him bigger, stronger or heal faster, then whatever. It doesn’t affect me and quite frankly, this country is dealing with way more pressing issues at the moment.

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Three years after he was first indicated, Barry Bonds’ perjury trial is finally nearing its conclusion.

Charged with three counts of lying to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice, Bonds’ trial has lasted nearly three weeks. And as the jury is set to dilberate, it’s interesting that Bonds’ defense team rested their case on Wednesday without calling any witnesses – not even Bonds.

Now, that could be viewed in a couple of different ways. Maybe his defense team feels so confident about their case that they don’t need to put Bonds on the stand. Maybe they don’t want him to contradict anything that anyone else has said up to this point, or screw the pooch when he’s cross-examined by the prosecution.

Or maybe because if they put him on the stand, they know he would have to lie under oath. Or explain to a jury why he allowed someone to inject something into his body that he wasn’t 100% clear (no pun intended) about what it was or what it was intended to do. Or why he never stopped taking the substance when his head grew to the size of a grapefruit and he looked like the Incredible Hulk.

Yeah, I wouldn’t have put Bonds on the stand either.

As I wrote on Wednesday, I firmly believe that he’ll avoid jail time. If Tammy Thomas received house arrest and probation for similar charges in her BALCO scandal, then Barry freaking Bonds isn’t going to prison over his. In the end, I imagine that people will view this as a big waste of time and money.

ESPN.com is reporting that a federal judge has barred the jury in the Barry Bonds’ perjury trial from hearing a newly discovered tape recording that prosecutors say would bolster their case that the former slugger knowingly used steroids.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled the recording inadmissible because “it’s barely intelligible” and what can be heard is irrelevant.

The tape was a conversation between Bonds’ orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting and his former business partner, Steve Hoskins. Hoskins secretly recorded the conversation in 2003.

Prosecutors had hoped to use the tape to win back some of the momentum they lost when Ting severely damaged Hoskins’ credibility.

Ting last week flatly denied Hoskins’ testimony that the pair had about 50 conversations about Bonds and steroids. Ting said the two never discussed that topic.

I love it. There’s a ton of the taxpayers’ money being spent on this trial and the result will likely be that Bonds will have to serve six months probation and no jail time. (Or something to that effect.)

I believe it was the late, great Alonzo Harris from the movie “Training Day” that said: It’s not what you know – it’s what you can prove. The defense in this trial has already stated that Bonds took steroids. Everyone and their brother knows he took steroids. What the defense is trying to prove is that he didn’t knowingly take steroids, and that’s going to be hard to disprove. (Especially when the prosecution is relying on Watergate-like secret tapes that are being barred from use in court.)

Like I said: Probation, no jail time. Book it.

The evidence continues to mount against one Barry Lamar Bonds as his perjury trial rolls on.

On Tuesday, former Giants’ outfielder Marvin Bernard told the jury that he purchased steroids from Bonds’ personnel trainer Greg Anderson – the same Greg Anderson who remains in prison because he refuses to testify. Other former athletes are also expected to testify that they knowingly used steroids supplied by Anderson.

This, of course, puts another hole in Bonds’ shoddy defense. His lead attorney Allen Ruby is trying to convince a jury that the only reason his client took steroids was because Anderson misled him about what the substances were. Granted, just because Bernard purchased steroids from Anderson doesn’t prove without shadow of a doubt that Bonds knew what his trainer was injecting him with. On the other hand: OH, COME ON. Bernard was buying roids from Bonds’ roid trainer and Bonds didn’t know that his roid trainer was giving him roids, too? Please.

Bonds is either lying or he’s told himself so many times that he’s innocent that he has actually started to buy into his lies. Either way, it’s still lying. If his lawyer is a practicing magician and somehow gets Bonds out of these perjury charges, so be it. But in the court of public opinion, the former slugger is still a lair.

Yes, you read that title right and no, I’m not trying to be funny. (Not this time at least.)

Barry Bonds’ former mistress Kimberly Bell is scheduled to testify this week at his trial. Among some of the topics are that Bonds told her before the 2000 season that he used steroids and that she witnessed physical and mental changes that prosecutors will attribute to performance-enhancing drug use. But among the most controversial topics is whether or not Bell saw Bonds’ testicles shrink (which is a common side effect of steroid use).

This is usually when I would draw up a mock conversation between a lawyer and Bell talking about Bonds’ marbles, but my mother reads the site and I have to draw the line somewhere. So grow up, people.

That said, could you imagine what some comedian would do with the transcript from that testimony? Could you imagine what Daniel Tosh would do with it? Or Dave Chappelle? In one of his stand up performances, Dana Carvey managed to make the O.J. Simpson trial hilarious and that was about murder – not steroids, lying and testicles.

I wish Saturday Night Live were still funny because they could have a field day with this Bonds trial.

A key witness in Barry Bonds’ perjury trial testified on Wednesday that he saw Greg Anderson leave Bonds’ spring training bedroom with a syringe in 2000.

From CSN Bay Area:

Steve Hoskins said that when he saw Bonds and his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, coming out of the master bedroom he assumed Anderson had injected the star player with steroids.

He testified that he saw the two disappear into that room “once or twice” at each spring training over three consecutive years beginning in 2000.

He also told the jury of eight women and four men that, a year earlier, Bonds had ordered him to research the benefits and side effects of a steroid after the slugger had undergone elbow surgery.

I wouldn’t think this news will make or break Bonds’ case. In his opening statements on Tuesday, lead attorney Allen Ruby acknowledged that Bonds took steroids but claimed that Anderson misled him about what the substances were. This trial is not about whether or not Bonds took steroids: He did. But it’s up to the defense to somehow prove that he didn’t know what Anderson was giving him.

Good luck with that, by the way. Bonds’ defense team better have some real concrete evidence that their client had no idea what Anderson was giving him. And they better be able to convince a jury that Bonds was actually stupid enough not to question Anderson before ingesting/injecting unknown substances into his body.

Did you know that Barry Bonds’ trial begins today? Better yet, do you even care?

Oh, you care that he took steroids and tarnished baseball’s record books (or at least you act like you care because everyone else does). But do you really care whether or not this man goes to jail for four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice?

I can tell you one thing: Giants fans don’t care. Dude is nothing but a distant memory now that their G-Men are defending World Series champions. Ask 10 SF fans if they’re at least somewhat glad that the Bonds-led ’02 Giants lost because it made the victory in 2010 that much sweeter, I’d be willing to bet that at least eight of them would answer “yes.” Fans have fully embraced the Bearded Panda Freaks and hardly mutter Bonds’ name these days.

But what about non-Giant fans – do they care if Bonds goes to jail for lying under oath about steroids? Will they follow the story on a daily basis and keep up with the latest news? Do they know that the case has started and that close to 40 jurors have already been dismissed? Will bloggers follow this case as extensively as they did Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee’s trial?

Because I hardly doubt it. Again, fans care that Bonds tarnished the game by ballooning to the size of the Incredible Hulk in order to hit a bunch of home runs. But I find it hard to believe that the majority of people want to see “justice served” here (key word is “majority,” I realize that some, even many people want to see him go to prison but does the majority?). When you take Hammerin’ Hank’s fallen record and baseball out of the equation, Bonds took steroids. He didn’t kill anybody, he didn’t set a school on fire and he didn’t steal anyone’s money. He injected himself with steroids so that he could play long enough to break Hammerin’ Hank’s home run record and hopefully be remembered as one of the best ever.

Hey, wrong is wrong. If you lie under oath, you pay the consequences like everyone else. But the ironic part is that he’s not remembered like he had hoped he would. To me, that’s his true punishment. At this point, I couldn’t care less if he’s hauled off to prison and maybe I’m wrong but something tells me that the majority of fans don’t either. He simply isn’t news anymore.

According to ESPN.com, Barry Bonds will have to be arraigned and enter a plea next month for the third time since he was initially charged in 2007 with lying to a federal grand jury about his steroid use.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston on Friday ordered Bonds to enter his new plea after prosecutors revised the charges against him, cutting his indictment from 11 counts to five. Bonds is expected to plead not guilty for the third time at a hearing March 1. His trial is scheduled to begin March 21.

Illston said she will rule later on Bonds’ demands to exclude from trial a recorded conversation between Bonds’ former business partner, Stevie Hoskins, and Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson. The hearing to exclude the evidence began Thursday morning in San Francisco federal court.

The recording was made by Hoskins in March 2003. Anderson can be heard discussing an undetectable substance he appears to have given Bonds. Prosecutors allege Anderson is talking about a designer steroid they say showed up in a Bonds urine test.

Bonds’ attorneys want to exclude the recording from the trial because of Anderson’s refusal to testify at the trial. They argue the tape can’t be authenticated without Anderson’s testimony.

The thing that has always got me about Bonds is that he didn’t need roids to be great because he was already great. You talk about a naturally gifted baseball player, that was Barry Lamar Bonds. As the legend goes, the guy once sat in the dugout during spring training and correctly predicted, in order and out loud to his teammates, what pitch the pitcher would throw for nearly three batters. That’s how in-tune to the game Bonds was.

But his own ego got him in the end. He wanted to be remembered as the greatest player to have ever lived, so he used steroids to extend his career so that he could become the home run king*. He didn’t need steroids to be great – he needed them to extend his career.

And steroids are what he’ll be remembered for, which is kind of ironic if you ask me.