The indictment of Barry Bonds would be an error for Baseball…

Nothing defines the American character quite like sports. And no sport is more central to that character than Baseball. Indeed, it seems entirely fitting that it was Baseball (and not schools, churches or places of public accommodation) that led the desegregation of American society. And, it probably surprises no one that blacks have dominated this sport from the time Jackie Robinson became the first black to join the major leagues in 1947, through the day Hank Aaron shattered Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record in 1974, to today when Barry Bonds is poised to dethrone Aaron to become Baseball’s new home-run king.

Of course, when it was revealed last week that a federal grand jury is equally poised to indict Bonds for lying under oath about taking steroids, many blacks expressed the cynical belief that his legal jeopardy has more to do with racist resentment over his preeminence in the sport than with his lies about steroids. And, despite the unseemly tendency of too many blacks to cry racism whenever a prominent black is the target of a criminal investigation, their paranoia is not entirely unwarranted in this case. After all, despite the entire world witnessing Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire perjure and / or incriminate themselves during congressional testimony last year, the U.S. Congress gave them both a walk by refusing to indict.

Nevertheless, I’ve been quite unabashed in proffering my reasonable suspicion that Bonds has cheated his way to Baseball superstardom by enhancing his performance with an apothecary of steroids that would make Dr. Frankenstein green with envy. And my suspicions were only confirmed when his steroids regimen was chronicled in the recently published book Game of Shadows. But, where it’s quite acceptable to revel in schadenfreude over the public ridicule Bonds has been subjected to (including having steroid-size syringes thrown at him during games); it smacks of prosecutorial abuse to make a federal case out of his dissembling about steroids.

Because, as I wrote in this previous article, even though Bonds has relished being the poster boy for the overpaid, self-indulgent, obnoxious, temperamental, whining cry-babies that professional athletes have become, an indictment would make him a scapegoat for the sins not only of Baseball but of the entire culture of American sports. And, that just ain’t fair….

Former U.S. Senate majority leader George Mitchell (L) and Commissioner Bud Selig announcing their investigation into the use of steroid by players

Moreover, as I wrote in this previous article, just as players like Babe Ruth were not indicted for drinking alcohol during prohibition, players like Bonds should not be indicted for taking steroids today. Although I appreciate that the grand jury investigation and that sensational book have forced Commissioner Bud Selig to act to protect and preserve Baseball’s public goodwill. And I have no doubt that that is all Selig’s appointment of former Sen. George Mitchell to head an inquiry into the use of steroids in Baseball is intended to do.

Therefore, speculation that Selig might suspend Bonds or strip him of any of his awards is utter rubbish – no matter what the Mitchell inquiry “discovers”. Because that would then require him to strip awards won by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and too many other major leaguers to list here.

All bets are off, however, if Bonds is indicted. Because this would provide a convenient pretext for Selig to get rid of the most troubled and unloved MVP in Baseball history: a pretext, alas, that is openly coveted by many Baseball insiders who dislike Bonds even more than they resent his phenomenal achievements.

So here’s the endgame: I predict that Bonds will be indicted! And once he is, Selig and Mitchell will be all too relieved to announce his indefinite suspension and declare all is well with Baseball again….

NOTE: It will be interesting to see what Selig does about all of those tainted records. And I’m sure he’s praying Bonds remains in his current batting slump so that he’s indicted before he surpasses Babe Ruth’s home run record, which looms only 8 good steroids-induced swings of his bat away.

Barry Bonds, grand jury indictment, Baseball Commissioner