Conspiracy to keep Bonds out of baseball

[podgejeff_]

Apparently the players' union has proof that teams conspired to keep Bonds out of baseball.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-bonds-collusion&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Red in Atl]

I hope they did conspire, and I hope he never plays again. He's a horse's you know what, and a cheater. The fact that he broke Aarons record should always be added with an asterisk. And he deserved no more chances to pad his record after his contract was up.

[bounty37h]

Could care less, and I actually hope they did work together to keep him out to be honest.

[smoke6]

Good. Keep him out. He's not a very nice guy. :D

[Orenda]

Well at least he was the best of the suspected Steroid users: Giambi, Palmero, Sosa, McGwire, Canseco, etc. Also there are a lot of guys in the minor leagues and majors who have been caught and are still playing yet they don't receive the same wrath from fans. Oh well...I guess somebody has to be the fall-guy.

[Nasty_Boy]

I don't like Barry and I don't care if he plays again, but if there is collusion the owners involved should be hit hard. I don't care if Bonds used or didn't use, he wasn't the 1st and he won't be the last. I really couldn't care less about steroids in the game... but if owners start the process of collusion it could lead to another serious labor issue and possibly another strike.

[Orodle]

I dont see the problem is conspiring against Bonds. Hes bad for their product...they dont want him.

People keep saying why are they going after Bonds when Giambi, Sosa, and other are still in the league. Bonds has the Hr record....he has tainted the most popular record in all of sports. I mean if Pete Rose is banned why not Bonds?

[mroby85]

I thought this before anything came out. it's kind of obvious, when you look at his numbers in his last season, they're not that bad at all, and you figure a guy like Corey Patterson got a job here, you can't tell me something isn't up with that.

[Eric_the_Red]

I don't like Barry and I don't care if he plays again, but if there is collusion the owners involved should be hit hard. I don't care if Bonds used or didn't use, he wasn't the 1st and he won't be the last. I really couldn't care less about steroids in the game... but if owners start the process of collusion it could lead to another serious labor issue and possibly another strike.

Good point. It could lead to other roads that none of us want to go down.

[Eric_the_Red]

I dont see the problem is conspiring against Bonds. Hes bad for their product...they dont want him.

People keep saying why are they going after Bonds when Giambi, Sosa, and other are still in the league. Bonds has the Hr record....he has tainted the most popular record in all of sports. I mean if Pete Rose is banned why not Bonds?

You're bringing up Pete Rose in this? Really?

[redsfandan]

as much as i don't like bonds i was a little surprised that none of the teams that were fighting for playoff spots didn't offer him a contract. a low $ contract for an AL team in the hunt would have made alot of sense.

[ChatterRed]

I don't like Barry and I don't care if he plays again, but if there is collusion the owners involved should be hit hard. I don't care if Bonds used or didn't use, he wasn't the 1st and he won't be the last. I really couldn't care less about steroids in the game... but if owners start the process of collusion it could lead to another serious labor issue and possibly another strike.


The dude's been indicted. Every sports team at every level would not mess with a guy in legal trouble.

This is just the players union reaching for a big paycheck again and continually ruining baseball. I'm so sick of this crap.

[Orodle]

You're bringing up Pete Rose in this? Really?

I bring him up because how is what Pete did different from actually cheating while playing the game? If anything I thinks its worse. Anyways my point wasnt to focus on Pete but more that these steriods guys are lucky they werent banished as well.

[I(heart)Freel]

The dude's been indicted. Every sports team at every level would not mess with a guy in legal trouble.

This is just the players union reaching for a big paycheck again and continually ruining baseball. I'm so sick of this crap.

Exactly... couple issues at play here.

One... he flat-out said he wasnt going to play for a lowball contract. He believed he was worth a certain figure and none of the teams who were half interested in him were interested in that figure. That's just economics. He thought he was worth more than any consumer (owner) was willing to pay. That's not collusion. That's Econ 101.

Two... there is a trial hanging over his head. What owner wants both the distraction of Bonds (and every question of every press conference somehow pointing back to him) AND the possibility of a jail sentence that could at any time cut into his playing time?

I belong to a union... and yet this is exactly why I can't stand them.

[dougflynn23]

The dude's been indicted. Every sports team at every level would not mess with a guy in legal trouble.

This is just the players union reaching for a big paycheck again and continually ruining baseball. I'm so sick of this crap. All very valid and good points. A team should look at that and decide if he's worth the risk in terms of negative PR and return on investment. But collusion is against the MLBPA/MLB agreement, and has nothing to do withan independent MLB teams decision to pursue/not pursue Barry Bonds. I am curious to see what an arbitrator will determine to be Bonds remedy if collusion is proved.

[foxfire123]

Hmmm, he's a bad attitude and a clubhouse prima donna. I don't think it's so much the drug allegations, but the fact that he's just a plain outright male donkey that makes teams not want him. The fans are turning away from him in droves, and the fact that he's injury prone now, and getting older doesn't make him worth the PR hassles.

[flash]

It is not as if this type of thing hasn't happened before. Rod Carew wasn't signed by anyone following the 1985 season and he had just gone over 3000 hits. he had just batted 280.

[bounty37h]

Now if only they would concert and agree not to entertain any offers of players under contract with Boras.....The "owners" own the teams, its time for them to take some of the ownership back, for the fans and the games sake.

[Jr's Boy]

Well at least he was the best of the suspected Steroid users: Giambi, Palmero, Sosa, McGwire, Canseco, etc. Also there are a lot of guys in the minor leagues and majors who have been caught and are still playing yet they don't receive the same wrath from fans. Oh well...I guess somebody has to be the fall-guy.

Thank the media for that.Bonds has never kissed their butts,so they had it in for him a long time ago.

[Nasty_Boy]

The dude's been indicted. Every sports team at every level would not mess with a guy in legal trouble

Are you serious? Don't you watch the NFL? What about the NBA? Or hell, maybe even MLB... There are guys all over the major sports leagues that have or have had major legal issues and they still end up getting picked up because winning trumps conduct.

What about Giambi? He was involved with the same stuff and he gets a free pass because he rolled over and spilled his guts. I'm not saying that its right or wrong, but Bonds has more to lose than anyone else involved in the steroid scandles. If I'm him, I make them prove that I did wrong and deny it until the day I die.

[markymark69]

I dont see the problem is conspiring against Bonds. Hes bad for their product...they dont want him.

People keep saying why are they going after Bonds when Giambi, Sosa, and other are still in the league. Bonds has the Hr record....he has tainted the most popular record in all of sports. I mean if Pete Rose is banned why not Bonds?

one slight difference in the Rose v. Bonds case for banishment. When Barry (allegedly) started taking steroids they were not illegal, gambling was and Pete knew it.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Bonds and do not care whether he ever plays again, but there is a big difference.

I also think Pete belongs in the HOF, because all the gambling didn't take place until he was a manager and no longer a player.

[bounty37h]

^I think they were illegal, just not spelled out as banned in baseball rulebook? Sort of like murder is illegal, but there isnt a written rule in baseball saying "dont kill", it is just understood, since it is illegal and all to everyone by law.

[freestyle55]

Are you serious? Don't you watch the NFL?

Really, I mean just look at our hometown Cincinnati Bengals, or should I say the "Reclamation City" Bengals...

I'm just waiting until the day that we sign Pacman Jones...I know it's coming...

[Emin3mShady07]

as much as i don't like bonds i was a little surprised that none of the teams that were fighting for playoff spots didn't offer him a contract. a low $ contract for an AL team in the hunt would have made alot of sense.

No one offered him a contract because none of the AL teams really needed a DH, except for the Rays where there is probably some time of fiscal issues with signing Bonds plus they already had two guys platooning that were doing a pretty good job. Chicago had Thome, Boston had Ortiz and Anaheim had a platoon that was working out for them. You also have to look at the fact that Bonds had been out of baseball for a long time and there is no telling how long it could take for him to get his timing back, even though I doubt it would take that much time because Bonds is a great player

[levydl]

Exactly... couple issues at play here.

One... he flat-out said he wasnt going to play for a lowball contract. He believed he was worth a certain figure and none of the teams who were half interested in him were interested in that figure. That's just economics. He thought he was worth more than any consumer (owner) was willing to pay. That's not collusion. That's Econ 101.

Two... there is a trial hanging over his head. What owner wants both the distraction of Bonds (and every question of every press conference somehow pointing back to him) AND the possibility of a jail sentence that could at any time cut into his playing time?

I belong to a union... and yet this is exactly why I can't stand them.

One, he actually flat out said he'd play for the league minimum (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3486926), pro-rated even to the time he was signed. He could have been had for a few hundred thousand.

Two, on June 7th, 2008, the judge set Bonds' trial for March 2, 2009. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/07/BAPA114L8S.DTL) So, by June, the owners knew there was absolutely no chance of Bonds going to jail on that perjury charge during this season.