This jury convicting Bonds was like someone getting a jaywalking ticket because they set one foot into the street against the light.
Bonds did not testify in his own defense during the trial. The jury used Bonds’ December 2003 grand jury testimony. In 2003, the government called a grand jury to investigate crimes involving illegal drugs in sports.
Yesterday a lawyer for Bonds asked a panel of federal appeal court judges in San Francisco to overturn the conviction.
Dennis Riordan said what I’ve been saying since the conviction; Bonds answered the question! I’m sure very few of you realize that. Members of the media who didn’t read the transcripts of Bonds testimony or those who did and chose not to write about it, have not told you what really happened.
And then there are those of you who hate Bonds anyway because of the years of negative crap that has been heaped on him by the media. I’m not saying Bonds isn’t rude. I don’t know, but I follow sports to see if my team wins, not to find out how Bonds treats the media. And since when was Mark MacGwire such a nice guy?
But back to the appeal. Bonds did not answer this question right away. Did Greg ever give you anthing that required a syringe to inject yourself with?
Greg is Greg Anderson, Bonds childhood friend and personal trainer.
Like most of us at one point during our lives, instead of directly answering a question, we give an explanation to the answer in order to skip a step, or speed up the process. Ever told your wife WHY you didn’t empty the garbage after she asked you whether you emptied the garbage instead of answering “no,” first? Furthermore, Bonds had just answered a series of questions about BALCO, the Bay Area Lab Co-op, at the center of the investigation.
Prosecutors had just asked Bonds if Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO, had ever talked to Bonds about any kind of cream?
BALCO made a cream that contained drugs aimed at helping muscle recovery in athletes. Bonds testified that “no” he had not talked to Conte.
Conte and his employee Anderson, accepted a plea deal and served 4 months in prison. The neighborhood where the court proceedings took place in San Francisco is known for drug dealing, and violent crime. Yet, the taxpayers spent millions of dollars making sure Conte and Anderson were off the streets.
Two questions later came the infamous and erroneously reported “rambling” answer to the question, Did Greg ever give you anthing that required a syringe to inject yourself with? “
Bonds first told prosecutors and the grand jury that “I’ve only had one doctor touch me, and that’s my personal doctor.”(page 43) Then Bonds testified that his relationship with Anderson was personal and not about the business of baseball. Then Bonds testified about why he doesn’t talk business with friends and that’s where the bit about being a celebrity child came in. Bonds was trying to say he learned from being the child of a celebrity that its best to stay out of other people’s business. Read the grand jury testimony yourself.
Then, exactly one page later, the Los Angeles Times says it was exactly 52 words later, Bonds was asked, “Did Mr. Anderson or Mr. Conte ever give you a liquid that they told you to inject into yourself to help you with this recovery type stuff, did that ever happen?
Bonds testified No. Bonds was asked three more times. He said no three more times. Check pages 42-44 in the grand jury testimony.
I bet you never knew that.
The jury acquitted Bonds on three counts of perjury. The appeals court will likely end this whole process by throwing out a conviction. Whether or not he gave a rambling answer, Bonds still answered no, THREE TIMES!
