If Bonds is found guilty ..... then what?

[Lynch]

I'm curious about what people think on this subject. I didn't see a thread anywhere else so I'll ask it here (smack) since this will surely be a mudsling fest at some point.


My question is this. When/if Bonds if found guilty of perjury, does that pretty much make it 'fact' that he knowingly used roids? And if that's the case ... what does that do with his stats?!?

• Do you put the * next to everything?
• Do you only put the * next to some stats?
• Do you wipe some years off the books?
• Do you only wipe a certain timeframe?
• Do you wipe his entire existance off the face of MLB and make an example out of him?
• Do you leave the history books as they are and turn a blind eye?
• Do you just ignore it and hope it never happens again
• Do you really not care one way or the other?

How do you feel, and why?

[love_that_reefer]

Its not turning a blind eye if you do nothing about it. In my mind, baseball can't do hardlly anything you suggested. He played in a steroid era and everyone knows that. No need to put an * on the whole era. People have their minds made up about Bonds so there is no need for baseball to do anything. There is already an * on the record breaking homerun ball and that will be in the HOF forever. Fact is he hits those homeruns and played in those games and MLB let him do all of this.

[DravenX]

Originally Posted by love_that_reefer MLB let him do all of this.

That right there is the problem. They let me do all of that and not do anything. Mr. Bud should be thrown in jail in the same cell.

[Veovis]

Bonds is a creation of his era. Punish the man for his perjury, but I fail to see how baseball can punish his statistics. Let's face it, his legacy is garbage now anyway; to put an asterisk next to his numbers would be grossly unfair as we have no idea who else was using steroids - especially those men on the pitching mound.

I can see keeping him out of the Hall of Fame though. That character clause has to be examined closely by the voters.

[GiantsFanatic]

And Ruth's legacy must be garbage aswell for using a cork bat and not playing against minorities.

And the voters looked carefully at Ruth's character aswell, after all he's only known for being drunk **** and a womanizer.

[browntown653]

So you're saying we should look at everyone's legacy from that era for not playing against minorities?

As for Bonds, as much as I don't like him I don't think you can erase the numbers because of so many other players that were doing it...that's the bottom line. You * his, you gotta * a ton of others.

[catman]

The stats stay in place, with nothing to bring more attention to them. No asterisk or any other comments.
The man is banned by MLB for life, meaning he is not eligible for enshrinement until after he is dead, and then only if the voters decide to look past his indiscretions.

[love_that_reefer]

As a Giants fan and a guy who followed his whole career from 87 til now, I can live with Catman's recommendations.

[Veovis]

Originally Posted by GiantsFan83 And Ruth's legacy must be garbage aswell for using a cork bat and not playing against minorities. And the voters looked carefully at Ruth's character aswell, after all he's only known for being drunk **** and a womanizer.

I would have thought Ty Cobb was a more obvious character issue guy, but I suppose you can detract from Ruth for his various indiscretions.

Do you dispute that Bonds' legacy is tarnished though? I'd say at this point it stinks of rotten cabbage, but I am interested in what you think people will say/feel about him 50 years down the road.

[love_that_reefer]

50 years from now I will still say he is the best I ever saw and most feared hitter in baseball history.

[BuckFoston]

Wrong, 50 years from now I will say Alex Rodriguez is the best I ever saw and the most feared hitter in baseball history.

[love_that_reefer]

ARod might be the greatest but not even close to being the most feared.

[Veovis]

I agree with Reefer. No way has A-Rod ever been feared as much as Bonds, and I doubt he ever will be. Just look at the intentional walks for Bonds.

I guess I just see Bonds' legacy as being a cautionary tale of greed and pride. It will be pretty hard separating him from steroids, which fair or not color his career numbers as artificial and ill-gotten in comparison to a more revered figure such as Hank Aaron.

[BuckFoston]

Originally Posted by love_that_reefer ARod might be the greatest but not even close to being the most feared.

This is true now but I could see this changing in the future.