I will give Barry Bonds the benefit of the doubt and consider him innocent until proven guilty. There is simply too much public "trying" of cases due to the "seriousness of the allegations" whereby people are tried, convicted, and sentenced by members of the media or by everyday citizens.

Yet, the case against Barry Bonds seems to be compelling, especially if he lied to a Grand Jury in 2003 about his steroid use, as alleged. If convicted, will he do jail time? Probably not. Instead, perhaps his record will expunged and Bonds be forever banned from Cooperstown.

Sometimes jail time is the right punishment for lawbreakers. In other cases, the removal of one's legacy is the more appropriate punishment as it sends a strong message to others to not even consider going down that path. What a solid message this could send to youth who look up to a superstar like Bonds and attempt to emulate him in all of his ways...except for steroid use.

Baseball needs some serious governance. If the commisioner's office doesn't have the will to oversee what goes on, then Congress will certainly rise to the task. Not many people favor government intervention, but if professional baseball cannot regulate itself, then outside governance becomes all the more important.

Copyright 2006