2008 Woodie Awards
Church's Influence on Sports
A Tale of Two Tales
David Church
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Opinion
I have tried to stay away from the steroid issue in baseball this spring, but the NBA trade deadline wasn't as thrilling as I hoped, but I was happy to see Ben Wallace go to the Cleveland Cavilers and give King James some support.
But this week I want to talk about two great players who found a way to cheat the system and maybe the legal system. Both Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have put up unbelievable numbers over the years in the pros, but those numbers appeared to be tampered.
Bonds, the single season and career homerun leader in Major League Baseball, may have found a way to cheat the legal system like he has cheated baseball all these years. Bonds' legal team has found typos in the filing by prosecutors.
Now Bonds may have found his scapegoat in perjury and obstruction of justice charges. A typo in notes stating that Bonds failed a drug test in 2001 was the mistake, when the player called "Barry B." failed a drug test in 2000 in the BALCO reports.
Here is my issue. Bonds you cheated, you got caught, now face the wrath. I understand that you deserve a fair trial and that you want to be charged for a lesser crime. But you lied under oath about taking steroids and you deserve to be punished for that.
Face the facts, your defense might of caught a break in arguing for a fair trial, but it's to give up. You fought the law and the law is about to win. And stars and athletes can tell you about this decade; it is not paying to break the law.
As for Clemens, give up the act. At first I didn't want to voice an opinion against you. But there is evidence and testimony that state that you were lying under oath and you deserve to go under to be in the same seat as Bonds.
But now there is a photo of Clemens at the Jose Canseco party in 1998 that he wasn't at according to his testimony. Not just that, there is also testimony by his former friend and trainer Brian McNamee that Clemens approached him shortly afterwards about using steroids.
Just looking at the 2000 season of Clemens should be evidence enough that he was using steroids. Early in the season he hit Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball. Then he knocked down Alex Rodriguez and argued about it afterwards. Then in the World Series, Piazza breaks his bat and Clemens throws it in Piazzas general direction clearing the benches as Piazza and Clemens exchanged finger pointing and words.
All I am getting at is a clear history of a lack of anger management which is one of many side effects to using the juice. Clemens used it at some point in his life, if not for most of his later career.
Now it is only a matter of time before we have a new perjury and obstruction of justice case against Clemens. This makes Bonds and Clemens on the same boat of trying to cheat the system, being caught and more than likely failing to get into Cooperstown.
Any comments or questions can be sent to churc009@csusm.edu or pride@csusm.edu.
But this week I want to talk about two great players who found a way to cheat the system and maybe the legal system. Both Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have put up unbelievable numbers over the years in the pros, but those numbers appeared to be tampered.
Bonds, the single season and career homerun leader in Major League Baseball, may have found a way to cheat the legal system like he has cheated baseball all these years. Bonds' legal team has found typos in the filing by prosecutors.
Now Bonds may have found his scapegoat in perjury and obstruction of justice charges. A typo in notes stating that Bonds failed a drug test in 2001 was the mistake, when the player called "Barry B." failed a drug test in 2000 in the BALCO reports.
Here is my issue. Bonds you cheated, you got caught, now face the wrath. I understand that you deserve a fair trial and that you want to be charged for a lesser crime. But you lied under oath about taking steroids and you deserve to be punished for that.
Face the facts, your defense might of caught a break in arguing for a fair trial, but it's to give up. You fought the law and the law is about to win. And stars and athletes can tell you about this decade; it is not paying to break the law.
As for Clemens, give up the act. At first I didn't want to voice an opinion against you. But there is evidence and testimony that state that you were lying under oath and you deserve to go under to be in the same seat as Bonds.
But now there is a photo of Clemens at the Jose Canseco party in 1998 that he wasn't at according to his testimony. Not just that, there is also testimony by his former friend and trainer Brian McNamee that Clemens approached him shortly afterwards about using steroids.
Just looking at the 2000 season of Clemens should be evidence enough that he was using steroids. Early in the season he hit Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball. Then he knocked down Alex Rodriguez and argued about it afterwards. Then in the World Series, Piazza breaks his bat and Clemens throws it in Piazzas general direction clearing the benches as Piazza and Clemens exchanged finger pointing and words.
All I am getting at is a clear history of a lack of anger management which is one of many side effects to using the juice. Clemens used it at some point in his life, if not for most of his later career.
Now it is only a matter of time before we have a new perjury and obstruction of justice case against Clemens. This makes Bonds and Clemens on the same boat of trying to cheat the system, being caught and more than likely failing to get into Cooperstown.
Any comments or questions can be sent to churc009@csusm.edu or pride@csusm.edu.
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