Ben from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada asks, "Will Barry Bond's ever be able to erase the stigma of steroid-usage hanging over his career?"
Maybe, if he lives to be 175, and cures cancer, and wins a Nobel Prize, and adopts three or four Cambodian orphans, and appears on Sesame Street. Otherwise, he won't. Of course, in Bonds' fantasy world, he's clean, and a victim of Major League's Baseball's crusade to clean up the game.
Recently, Bonds, through the words of his greasy lawyer, Michael Rains, announced that he will be unable to cooperate in MLB's steroids probe. Under normal circumstances, Bonds would gladly open up his locker, also known as his medicine cabinet, and answer any questions MLB might have about Bonds' knowledge of steroid use. There's one small problem, though. Bonds can't answer any questions as long as he's the focal point of a perjury indictment stemming from his testimony in the BALCO hearing. In other words, Bonds can't tell another lie until he's cleared of a previous lie.
But the lies keep piling up like Bonds' home runs. Bonds is 22 homers short of breaking the record of 755. Bonds will eventually break the record, and when he does, count on ESPN.com's headline to read "Liar's Club." Henry Aaron, who's probably never told a lie in his life, set the record of 755 over two decades of steroid-free seasons. In Aaron's day, a steroid was also known as a hot meal. Bonds is only 13 falsehoods away from breaking Pete Rose's record of 22,145 lies, provided no one again asks Rose if he bet on baseball.
That's not to equate Bonds' situation with that of Rose, though. Bonds' lies are much more serious. If Bonds did use steroids (has the word "if" ever meant less?), then any records he has broken or will break are tainted. Let's be honest (okay, everyone except Bonds and Rose). Rose did bet on baseball, but that didn't affect his breaking of Ty Cobb's all-time base hits record. Unless, of course, Rose bet on himself to break the record. But what's wrong with that. At least he recorded all those hits with natural ability. Would Rose have taken steroids were they available in his playing days? Sure, he would have, especially if they would have made him a better bettor.
Bonds isn't the only questionable character in the steroids inquiry. There's Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmiero, and many others. And there's Gary Sheffield, who, like Bonds, has refused to cooperate with MLB's probe. Sheffield has called the probe a "witch hunt," with intentions only to get Bonds. It's no coincidence that after Sheffield's statement, Bonds arrived to San Francisco Giants practice on a broomstick.
But that's the kind of joker Barry is. He's very clever. He thinks that wearing a "Don't Ask Me. Ask Barry" t-shirt with teammate Barry Zito is funny enough to take our minds off of steroids. That's funny. Gosh. I wonder which Barry I should ask to get a straight answer about steroids. Zito should be careful who he befriends. The next thing he knows, he could find his locker next to Bonds,' and that tube of toothpaste he hands to Bonds could turn out to be steroids.
Seriously, Bonds' credibility is so far gone that nothing short of extremely drastic measures can convince the baseball world that he's innocent. And, as far as Bonds goes, an extremely drastic measure is the telling of the truth. Is that so hard? If George Washington can admit to chopping down a cherry tree, why can't Bonds admit to years of steroid abuse, lies to grand juries, and general shady behavior? So what Bonds should do is come clean and tell the truth, and pray that we, the fans, think he's so full of it and still don't believe him. Then, Barry's got us, and can insist that he was telling the truth all along, the first time.
Jon from Sandusky, OH writes, "Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been rated as the No. 1 prospect in April's NFL draft. Is a repeat of last year possible, when the best player in the draft didn't go first?
First of all, Jon, I'm not that impressed with a 6'5", 239-pound wide receiver with 4.35 speed in the 40-yard dash and a 45-inch vertical leap. Sounds crazy, right? It is, but it does qualify me for a position is the Houston Texans scouting department. In fact, the Texans are trying to trade up for the rights not to pick Johnson.
Last year, the Saints got the lucky break when the Texans passed on Reggie Bush at No. 1. Johnson is likely to fall to number four, through no fault of his own. The Raiders have the first pick and are set to pick LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, provided Russell doesn't pull a John Elway and refuse to play for Oakland. But why on earth would he do that? Actually, should he go to the Raiders, Russell could be 2007's Vince Young, just with receivers. And boy, those receivers are one happy bunch.
The Lions have the No. 2 pick, and luckily for Johnson, their record of drafting wide receivers is almost as bad as their winning percentage. Detroit's wideout picks feature more busts than a "Girls Gone Wild" video, but, in the Lions' defense, the respective ages of those draft picks were all over 18. Detroit won't pick Johnson, mostly out of the guilt it would bring in ruining the career of another wide receiver.
The Cleveland Browns have the No. 3 pick, and credible and uncredible sources say that they will take Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who also had an impressive workout at the scouting combine. Like the Raiders and Lions, the Browns have their own troubled wide receiver in Braylon Edwards, who's clashed with coaches and had a sideline confrontation with quarterback Charlie Frye last year. If the Browns were smart, they would make it known that they're picking Johnson and sucker a team below them into a trade. That is, if they really want Peterson. But when's the last time the Browns made a good decision?
That leaves the Buccaneers at No. 4 with a very good shot at Johnson. Although they're aging on defense, Tampa Bay would be hard-pressed to pass on Johnson here. If would be great for Jon Gruden to leave his predecessor a superstar receiver when Gruden is canned at the end of 2007. Tampa needs a receiver, with Joey Galloway nearing the end of his career, and Michael Clayton more suited as a No. 2 receiver.
So, yes, it looks like the draft's No. 1-rated prospect will last longer than Reggie Bush did last year. But unlike the Texans of last year, the teams that may pass on Johnson have valid reasons to do so.
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