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I mean, I don't know how you can understand DAT 'TEGRITY through Chollie's accent, but whatever.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20071116_BARRY_DISTRESSING.html
Marcus Hayes | Barry Distressing Bonds' indictment saddens Manuel, baseball
SILENCE; then, sadness.
Charlie Manuel's reaction mirrored that of most of baseball.
Manuel was clearly shaken and saddened upon learning that home-run king Barry Bonds finally was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco in connection with a 4-year investigation into performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds faces four counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice during federal grand-jury testimony in 2003, charges that carry a maximum of 30 years in prison.
More damning, perhaps, is the apparent revelation that Bonds was, in fact, dirty.
"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment said.
Bonds, who holds the single-season and career home-run marks, consistently has denied knowingly taking steroids.
Manuel is one of baseball's most respected hitting gurus, having tutored the likes of Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and now, as the Phillies' manager, Ryan Howard. Recently, he often has used Bonds' approach his knowledge of the strike zone, his balance, his mechanics as a template for his pupils. Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson, once a contemporary of Bonds', even told Howard to seek Bonds' advice concerning plate discipline.
Through it all, Manuel always noted that Bonds had never been proven guilty of anything.
That might change, beginning Dec. 7, when Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Regardless, said Manuel, he doesn't want Bonds' records to be tainted and he doesn't want Bonds to bear the entire burden of a decade or more of steroid-tainted play.
After all, Manuel said, if sluggers Jose Canseco and Jason Giambi and a slew of pitchers were using, why pin it all on Bonds?
"If that was going on in the game," said Manuel, a hitting coach and manager through the era, "that just means it's an even playing field."
Manuel isn't in favor of cheating and he isn't hiding his head in the sand. He just isn't in favor of a witch hunt, either.
"I want things cleaned up in the game," Manuel said. "I just don't want examples made of guys with huge numbers and pitchers with a lot of wins."
But that seems to be the way things are going. Bonds testified in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) case in 2003 with immunity. He was told that he need fear nothing as long as he told the truth.
The indictment surprised several experts and Bonds' attorneys.
"There's been an effort to get Barry for a long time," said John Burris, one of Bonds' lawyers. "I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."
Later, in a theatrically presented statement, defense attorney Michael Rains declared, "Every American should worry about a Justice Department that doesn't know if waterboarding is torture and can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand and persecution on the other."
In a related development, Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, refused to testify in the grand-jury investigation and languished in jail for contempt for almost a year. With Anderson's testimony no longer necessary, a federal judge released Anderson yesterday.
Bonds set the season mark of 73 homers in 2001 and passed Hank Aaron's 755 career homers in August, finishing the season, and perhaps his career, at 762.
He set both marks with the Giants, the team he joined in 1993 and the team for which he played during his alleged steroid seasons that, according to several reports, began in 1999. They employed Bonds when the alleged positive test mentioned in the indictment was performed.
That test was apparently performed by BALCO labs, in 2000, not Major League Baseball, which did not comprehensively test for steroids until 2004.
With the grand-jury investigation hanging over his head, the Giants told Bonds this season they didn't want him back. They issued a statement yesterday in which they said it is a "very sad day."
Bonds is a free agent. Several experts last night said Bonds' age (43), his hobbled body and his legal issues could mean the end of his career. Furthermore, evidence presented at trial could mean that Bonds would face a suspension if he ever tries to come back.
"I take this indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely," said commissioner Bud Selig.
Former Sen. George Mitchell, whom Selig commissioned last year to investigate performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, is expected to issue that report by the end of the year.
Baseball's union chief, Don Fehr, said he was "saddened" by the news, but cautioned prejudgment of Bonds, who, he said, deserves due process.
President Bush, a rabid baseball fan who called Bonds to congratulate him when he broke Aaron's record, said through a spokesman that it was a "sad day for baseball."
Manuel, meanwhile, said if Bonds stays out of jail his bat could keep him in baseball for another season or two.
"He's got such a good swing. He's got the best swing, the most consistent swing, I've ever seen," Manuel said.
He said it with sadness. *
Send e-mail to hayesm@phillynews.com
---- bshelly
"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God
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