And So the Trial Begins...Why?!

Barry Bonds faces possible jail time, but is it fair?

Today is a day many in the baseball media have longed for. A day they hope is the beginning of the big bully finally getting what he deserves. Ah yes, today baseball's home run king Barry Bonds will stand trial in U.S. District Court on four counts of perjury.

Wait at minute! Did I just say home run king? Yes I did, as should every red-blooded baseball fan!

The government is accusing Bonds of lying to a grand jury about his use of anabolic steroids. In December 2003, Bonds testified during the BALCO investigation he used substances identified by the government as "the cream" and "the clear," both anabolic steroids, but Bonds said he believed they were arthritis balm and flaxseed oil.

Did Bonds lie to the grand jury? Who knows. Honestly I don't care, but what I do care about is whether a man is treated fairly in a county that prides itself on "equality". Let's look at scenario from a wide angle lens for a moment:

• Barry Bonds has never tested positive for steroids in his baseball career and has vehemently denied knowingly using any banned substance.
• Rafael Palmiero testified on Capitol Hill and wagged his finger at the congressmen on the panel while strongly denying ever using steroids. We found out later that Palmiero was a regular steroid user, however the government announced they would not seek perjury charges against Palmeiro.
• Mark McGwire refused to answer questions at the Congressional hearing and for years denied his involvement in steroid use. Last year he finally admitted using steroids in order to accept a job as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach and eventually find his way back on the road to Cooperstown.

One of these kids is not like the others.

I feel bad for Bonds, I really do. He's in a lose-lose situation here. On one hand if he's cleared of all charges, Major League Baseball will still continue to blackball him from the game. On the other hand, his case is very similar to Marion Jones. Both denied knowingly using PEDs. After much pressure from the IOC, Jones admitted her guilt and was sentenced to 6 months in prison. What will the sentence be for Bonds if he is found guilty?

Sadly the real culprits in the scandal will never be brought up on charges. Prosecutors have yet to turn their attention to the source of the problem. They have their eyes set on the accused $5 drug users while the king pin continues to live high and mighty. In this case, the king pin is Major League Baseball. For years they turned a blind "eye" to the rampant use of PEDs in the sport because the bigger the players were, the larger their revenue became.

Commissioner Selig and MLB execs, we can only hope the day will come for you to stand trial as well. But I won't hold my breath, your buddies in Washington have had your back for a long time.

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

Remember a few months ago when Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee was giving his thesis on why TCU and Boise State (both undefeated at the time) did not deserve a chance to play in the BCS National Championship Game? Remember that Gordon?

I'm sure ol' Gordon wishes he could forget ever opening his mouth about a sport, by his own admission, he knows very little about. As we discovered not long after those remarks, Mr. Gee's Buckeyes weren't deserving of the title shot either by having 5 star players admit to selling their Big 10 championship rings and game gear to OSU boosters. Next time Gordon, sweep around your own front door before you go sweeping others.

But wait! Gordon's not alone when it comes to dining on crow. Seated across the dinner table is none other than OSU head coach Jim Tressel, Mr. Sweater Vest himself.

It always puzzled me that Terrelle Pryor and the other 4 players were so adamant on returning to Ohio State next year to face a 5 game suspension rather than head for the NFL. I mean Pryor proved he was NFL-ready but he chose to remain with the Buckeyes to play just 7 games next year when he could have made millions as a backup quarterback on an NFL roster. My theory is Pryor and his 4 teammates felt obligated to return after their coach, who knew of their rule violations almost a year ago, attempted to cover up the issue to keep his guys on the field.

According to Tressel, he felt he was "doing the right thing" for the safety of his players. Come on Jim! You were doing the right thing for the safety of your job! We all know you've been on the hot seat for two years and you needed a championship run or at least a BCS bowl victory to save your job. Nice try Jim.

Maybe next time, Gordon will keep a hushed mouth when it comes to who is worthy of playing and who is not. And maybe Tressel will urge his players to do the right thing and follow the rules of being a student-athlete. But that probably won't happen, Jim has a history of covering up for players who break the rules. Remember Troy Smith and Maurice Clarett?

Time For the Heat to MAN UP

After yesterday's 87-86 loss to the surging Chicago Bulls, a few undisclosed players on the Miami Heat reacted in a way that has even their loyal fans saying, "Man up!". In his post-game presser Heat head coach (for now) Eric Spolstra described the atmosphere in his team's locker room. "This is painful for every single one of us to go through this, there are couple of guys crying in the locker room right now, it is not a matter of want," Spoelstra said.

Really? I mean really Miami? You got guys shedding tears over a regular season loss? So the Heat is now a 12 and under AAU team? Granted the Heat are currently on a 4-game losing streak and have missed 13 consecutive shots with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime (LeBron James has missed four during this current losing streak alone). The team is slumping but is that enough to cry about? Honestly the Heat looked worse when they opened the season at 10-8. They are a virtual lock for the 3-seed in the East and can easily capture the 2-seed (currently 1 game behind the Bulls). So why all the crying?

Trust me, I'll be the first to admit that competition brings out emotion. As an athlete there were several occasions which I cried. I shed a few tears after a tough loss but those were championship games. I also balled like a baby when a hamstring injury ended my baseball playing days. We've seen even the great Micheal Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal cry, but only after winning a championship. The only player I can recall crying over a regular season loss is Terrell "That's My Teammate" Owens.

Now the question circling American Airlines arena is this: Who was actually crying? The answer will forever remain a mystery but we can narrow down the suspects easily. First, eliminate all non-starters from the list. Yesterday the bench contributed 6 points, 8 rebounds and 0 assists. The bench has been a non-factor most of the season so why would any of them cry now? So that leaves the five starters. Hmm...OK now we're getting someplace. We can now eliminate Erick Dampier. Why? Because he's Erick Dampier! When was the last time he's shown any emotion? Yesterday's line for Dampier: 0-4-0, and only one of those boards was on offense. That leaves us with James, D-Wade, Chris "What Is My Role on this Team" Bosh and Mario Chalmers.

Now according to Spolstra's statement, a "couple" players we're crying. So most likely one of their Big 3 was crying. It doesn't matter who it was, all I want is for this team to man up and make the run to the playoffs as entertaining on the court as we all expected it to be. The NBA is supposed to be where amazing happens...amaze me Miami!! I mean that's what this team what put together for, right?

Who's Clutch? It Ain't the "King"

Let the debating end now! LeBron James is not a better player than Kobe Bryant…PERIOD!

While both have phenomenal playing skills and can post great numbers in any given game, the Black Mamba makes the King look like a prince in one key area that is arguably the most important: closing out a game.

Over the last two weeks we sat and watched as game after game the Heat had an opportunity late in the game to either nail the coffin on their opponent or make a courageous comeback. In every instance, the ball was in LeBron's hands with less than 10 seconds on the clock. The result was identical in each game - CLANG! - a brick thrown up by James.

Yeah I know you LBJ worshippers think I'm picking on him. Well maybe a little, but I'm also stating facts. LeBron has had many opportunities to prove that he is a clutch performer. The last (and only) time he actually came through was in game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference semis against Orlando. Game 2? A game 2 winning shot is only memorable if that shot is a momentum shifter. We all know the Magic went on the run through LeBron and the Cavs.

On the other hand, Kobe Bryant has a killer instinct that we all once thought LeBron had as well. In a close game we have seen Kobe drive the dagger straight through the hearts of his opponents. I want to see that characteristic in LeBron…I really do! It makes arguing with LeBron loyalist more challenging is their guy is really all they believe he is. Kobe has proven to be the guy you want with the ball in his hands at the end of a game.  LeBron has only proven he can shed a tear with his teammates. More on that in my next blog. Crying? Really Miami?