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.