Not because of PED’s so much as the kind of human being he is. The 2008 Cardinals were a fun team to watch—they didn’t make the playoffs, but they’re a team that I’ll remember more fondly than if Bonds had been out there on the field instead of Brian Barton or Skip Schumaker.

Was thinking the other day that it wouldn’t surprise me too much to see him sign on with the Cubs. He’d fill their need for a big lefty bat.

Their OF defense would be tragic, with Bonds-Fukudome-Soriano left to right.

…But I’m a fan, not a GM or other sort of executive. My reasons come entirely from that perspective, instead of a fully objective, “will he help, how much, and what cost” point of view.

It does seem weird in retrospect that NO ONE even seemed to seriously speak with the guy. NO ONE. The guy could fall out of bed and post a .400 OBP, and that is nothing to spit at, and probably do even better. I have no doubt he could still contribute in a big way.

Now, do I think something nefarious was going on? I think it’s certainly possible, and I’ve thought that for quite some time. How widespread was this, if it indeed happened? No idea…It could be one or two GMs saying they wouldn’t do it, or perhaps several, or perhaps none at all.

I will say, that it will be interesting to see where this leads.

Was there really a significant number of people claiming that? I didn’t see that argument put forward with any real frequency, although I didn’t follow the story that closely on VEB or elsewhere so I’m sure I missed it somewhere. I do know there were a lot of people (myself included) who argued that, while collusion was a possibility, it wasn’t really needed to explain a bunch of teams not wanting to get involved with 1) his age and injury history (especially NL teams where he has to do something besides swing the bat), and 2) his perceived personality and clubhouse chemistry problems. But I agree it certainly will be interesting if they have some real dirt on the owners.

For once.

where did MLB profit by NOT letting Barry Bonds play in 2008? This seems like a senseless act of cruelty, if the guy was physically able to play.

If I was an owner I wouldn’t have offered Bonds a contract. I certainly wouldn’t have to collude with anyone. Isn’t possible that 29 other guys felt the same way. What about the tax evasion charges? Isn’t there another shoe to drop?

they would have already won this series.

I don’t see how there wasn’t collusion. The all-time HR hitter doesn’t get signed after the numbers that you referenced last year?

I would have loved it if the Cards signed him this year. I think I’ve read that sabermetrics has proven lineup protection to be somewhat of a myth… But Pujols hitting in front of Bonds??? Are you kidding me?

I’m also prolly one of the few that would have gotten a kick out of the media circus that it would have become.

I’ve thought about this quite a bit over the past few days. Well, not a lot, but I have thought some.

Here’s the thing: Barry Lamar Bonds is not the kind of chap I would nominate to run a community bake sale. I think that Bonds is probably one of the least savory sports figures I’ve seen in my nearly 4 decades following the world of sports. The id part of my personality is a little happy that this all happened to him.

HOWEVER…if any segment of the MLB Executive “fraternity” (for lack of a better term) got together and planned to NOT sign Barry Bonds, then they broke the law. Bonds has the right to pursue employment, and if individual teams don’t want him, then that is their prerogative…UNLESS they in any way, shape, or form conspired to deny him said employment. Did that happen? I have no idea, but I don’t think it’s an impossibility. Like I said in an earlier response to this topic, it should be interesting to see where this leads. I’m hoping that Jeff Borris has some kind of evidence here, not because I want to see MLB get smeared, but rather because if he doesn’t than this will turn into another sad episode in the human trainwreck that is Barry Lamar Bonds.

i’ve come to think that, regardless of our feelings about bonds, it’s pretty clear that he has become the living symbol of the steroid era, and i can’t see how it’s fair to heap so much significance onto one person, as people have done with barry lamar. it’s like people think they can cleanse themselves of the whole problem by casting him out. even if bonds is a jerk, even if he’s the greatest single villain in the whole saga, i don’t think it’s really possible anymore for most people to see him fairly. he was basically too good, broke too many records, got paid too much, and was never caught, so he never was forced to admit anything. ah well. i’m not the least bit surprised by this collusion stuff.

I don’t think the union has a very strong case. Bond’s case is probably something along the lines of a Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage. The restatement of torts section 765 explains about “concerted refusal to deal” and section 767 explains whether interference is improper. So even if one shows that there was concerted action, which I doubt can be proved, one still has to show that the interference was improper. However, if the union wins this, the damages could be significant. Becase this is a tort and not a contract case, Bonds/union could claim consequential damages and even punitive damages. I hope this litigation dies quickly. I don’t think this litigation is in the interest of the majority of the union members.

Pasted below is the best article, by the best sportswriter in the world, on Barry Bonds…

http://www.edgeofsports.com/2008-05-12-344/index.html

Barry Bonds might be the greatest player of all time- he absolutely is the greatest hitter. And with an entire league where he wouldn’t even have to take the field in order to put up numbers no one else (not even Albert) can touch, the only conclusion is collusion.
Owners in MLB colluded to keep blacks out of baseball for fifty years, colluded to literally own the rights of players for life for 100, and have colluded to blame the steroid scandal on that mean black guy- Barry Bonds. When the game was struggling, due to the OWNERS lockout in the 90’s, they sure didn’t seem to mind the andro-driven home run race of ‘98. Only when a guy that doesn’t play their game, who doesn’t say what they want him to say, approaches the most hallowed of records do they say- ‘hey, this steroid thing is just flat out unfair’. Friggin’ convenient.

and nothing would make me happier if the union had proof of this & it was good Ole Bud’s ultimate downfall. the man has single handily done more damage to baseball than any other commish before him. true he’s done a ton of great things, but his tenure has brought great shame to this great game of ours. he should have never been given the job in the first place & one day every one will see he’s done far more damage to this game than good.

good Ole Bud & roids will be forever linked. and nothing would be more just than if the King Of Steroids took Bud down with him.