Bonds Pleads Not Guilty

Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty on Friday after being indicted on charges he knowingly used performance enhancing drugs and lied to federal prosecutors in 2003. He was arraigned in a U.S. District Court in San Francisco, CA and is charged with four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. If convicted he could face more than 2 years in jail.

Following his arraignment he was turned over to United States Marshalls to undergo normal booking procedures. Bonds allegedly lied under oath 19 times in a December 2003 testimony that was held by a federal grand jury that was investigating the BALCO performance drug facility.

"Even Johnny Cochrane couldn't help Barry if he was alive today although the fans might..."
-Patrick Viveiros

Angry fans protested outside courthouse. A tire retailer arranged it's marquee to read, "Say it isn't so Barry," and a Sacramento man arrived in a witch costume. He believes Bud Selig is on a "witchhunt" for steroid abusers in baseball and that Bonds is not guilty.


Bonds' agent confirmed that Bonds will likely be eligible to play the 2008 season, as his court date will probably be sometime December 2008. Bonds could help an American League team as a designated hitter. The 43-year old all-time home run king showed signs of his age at the end of last season. His performance defensively dwindled as his legs appeared to be giving up on him. However, he has hit 762 home runs in his career and still has one of the greatest swings in baseball so here's the question I had:

Should an American League team pursue Barry Bonds for his hitting services despite the charges he faces?

I don't believe anyone should pursue Bonds because anywhere he goes, the media frenzy will follow. A team looking to increase it's revenue and gain fame by exposure could sign Bonds but then how will that reflect the teams image?

George Bush stated that Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran harbor terrorists, will the team that signs Bonds want to be remembered as the team that "harbored the steroid freak"? It is a far cry to say that Bonds is a terrorist but the media has turned him into one.

Bonds is a tremendous athlete despite the allegations that surround him. He still hasn't been convicted of anything thus his statistics speak for themselves. However, the media continues to try and find ways to connect him with using performance enhancing drugs.

This brings me to another question, would the media be as upset with Bonds had he not been on the brink of eclipsing former home-run king Hank Aaron's all-time mark? I personally believe that Bonds has been targeted and had he not broken that record he might not have faced these charges. What is going to happen to Alex Rodriguez after he eventually breaks Bonds' record? Will the media try and connect him with steroid usage?

The point is, the life of an athlete is hard. Everyday is a battle especially with the media crazed United States. Unfortunately athletes are targets of the media who want only to expose them. Furthermore athletes have become targets for crimes and robbery. Such as the case of Washington Redskins free safety Sean Taylor who was recently murdered by home invaders.

If it comes out that Bonds never used steroids at all the media frenzy surrounding him still won't stop. It appears that majority of the country is against Bonds and therefore the media must do their job in seeing that Bonds is found guilty, if not now than at some point in his life.

Brian Cashman gets it the Sinatra Way

Brian Cashman got it "his way"...


New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman achieved something with his new bosses, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, that he could never accomplish with his old boss, George Steinbrenner. He convinced them that signing Santana would be too expensive for the Yankees. In return, Cashman got his wish to retain his three-top pitching prospects rather than trade them away for an expensive pitching talent in the form of Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana.

After Andy Pettite announced on Sunday that he would indeed be returning to pitch for the Yankees in the 2008 season, that put the Yankees "over the limit" spending wise this off-season. The Yankees have currently spent over $400 million this off-season to retain six players from last years team these players include: Jose Molina, Alex Rodriguez, Pettite, Bobby Abreu, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. If the Yankees were to execute a sign and trade for Santana, that would then skyrocket their payroll to way beyond $500 million, as Santana is looking for a contract in the likes of seven-years for $150 million.

Essentially the Yankees payroll for the 2008 season alone would then exceed $200 million, AGAIN. Cashman was convincing enough in his argument and got his wish. He took into consideration that the new Yankee Stadium is being constructed and it cost the amount of gold in Fort Knox to build, thus the team would be taking a HUGE financial gamble.

Cashman had better be right about his three gifted pitching prospects and their ability to fill the holes in the Yankees rotation next season. Philip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy will compete for a spot in a starting rotation that currently consists of Andy Pettite, Chien Ming-Wang and Mike Mussina. Cashman is entering the final year of his contract as GM next season.

The Yankees also announced that they will implement some type of innings limitations on their three gifted prospects next season. This does leave the possibility open for a six-man rotation however, that is unlikely. I believe Kennedy and Hughes will resume their starting roles while Chamberlain will return to the bullpen. There is a lack of bullpen help available in the free agent market and a trade for a bullpen pitcher is always a gamble, (i.e. Eric Gagne's woes for the Boston Red Sox after being traded for in a deadline deal this season). Chamberlain has that fire about him that reminds me that of Jonathan Papelbon, the Red Sox closer.

I believe the way these pitchers show their emotions on the mound is exciting and it also helps fire up the team, fans and makes the game of baseball more entertaining while still remaining it's "gentleman's game" mentality. By showing their emotions and not being scared to throw inside and come at batters, they essentially improve their odds of striking out batters because they are psyching them out and gaining a mental edge on them. I believe Red Sox ace Josh Beckett can attribute most of his success of being clutch in big situations from being an emotional pitcher.

The Yankees announced they are pursuing negotiations with the Oakland Athletics in a deal that would land starting pitcher Dan Haren in the Bronx. Details of the possible trade have not been released. However, it can't be totally confirmed that the Yankees will indeed hang on to their top three prospects if a deal is made with the Athletics for Haren.

Where will Santana go? (IF ANYWHERE)

There were several reports today regarding the current status of the New York Yankees involvement in the trade negotiations involving two-time Cy Young Award Winner Johan Santana. The Yankees are trying to work out a deal with the Minnesota Twins that would send 21-year old pitcher Philip Hughes and 23-year old centerfielder Melky Cabrera to the Twins, along with another mid-level prospect that the Twins would select from the Yankees farm system. In return, the Yankees would get Santana.

However, there have been complications in the deal. Because the Yankees are not willing to trade another one of their top-tier pitching prospects, Ian Kennedy or fireballer Joba Chamberlain, the Twins and Yankees appear to be at a stalemate. The Twins like the offer of Hughes and Cabrera, but believe they are entitled to another of the Yankees top-pitching prospects, Kennedy or Chamberlain, rather than a second-tier prospect.

Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees owner, stated Sunday that the Twins have until Monday evening to accept or reject its offer from the Yankees. If they do reject the offer, Steinbrenner noted that the Yankees will not pursue Santana any further, possibly allowing their long time rival Boston Red Sox to acquire him in the deal they have set up with the Twins, consisting of centerfielder Jacoby Elsbury, and its top Minor League level pitching prospect Justin Masterson and Minor-league shortstop Jed Lowrie. However, there is a problem in that deal also, as the Twins want to acquire another one of the Red Sox top-tier pitching prospects either Jon Lester, lefthanded starter and winner of Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, or Clay Bucholz, the rookie phenom who managed to toss a no-hitter in only his second Major League start.

The Yankees are in desperate need of a number one starting pitcher, and Santana would provide just that. Last year the Yankees "ace" was Chien Ming-Wang who pitched wonderfully throughout the season while chalking up 19 wins in only his second year in the big leagues. However, his inexperience in the postseason was exposed. He was responsible for two of the Yankees losses in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.

Currently, the Yankees starting rotation consists of Wang, Andy Pettite (who revealed today he will pitch for the Yankees in 2008), Mike Mussina, Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes. Mussina could be the odd man out of the starting otation if the Yankees decide to re-instate Chamberlain as a starting pitcher.

If the Yankees complete a trade with Santana, the Yankees would immediately have a solid 1-2-3 combination for a postseason run. They would also prevent the Boston Red Sox from establishing possibly the greatest starting rotation of all-time.

If the Red Sox acquire Santana their rotation would consist of: Santana, 2007 Cy Young Award Runner-Up Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K), Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield. That would probably be the greatest rotation ever assembled in the history of baseball and it's a wonder the Yankees are willing to give up their pursuit of Santana only to prevent him from being Boston bound.

Steinbrenner stated the Yankees want to know about the status of their offer soon because they are also negotiating a deal with the Oakland Athletics that could land their ace, Dan Haren, in the Bronx. The stipulations of the deal have not been revealed however, it is believed that Hughes could be a centerpiece in that deal if the Santana deal doesn't fall through but that is only speculation.

Santana informed the Twins on Monday that if the Twins are going to trade him, they will only have their best opportunity during the offseason because he is not willing to waive his no-trade clause during the middle of the 2008 season. It appears the Twins have their best offers on the table from the Yankees and Red Sox however there is a possibility he could end up pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Los Angeles Angels. It appears trade negotiations with those teams have been restricted due to the staggering offers the Yankees and Red Sox have proposed.

Considering Santana is not willing to waive his no-trade clause in the middle of the season I believe if a deal is not made with the Yankees or Red Sox, the Twins will fail in their efforts to trade Santana before he declares free agency after the 2008 season. I truly believe Santana wants to play for one of these big market teams. I believe deals with either Los Angeles team is a longshot but their always remains possibility.

If a deal is not made for Santana in the offseason, I am sure there will be one of the biggest bidding wars ever in the 2008 offseason. And no those discussions won't involve Alex Rodriguez. Furthermore if a deal for Santana is indeed completed this offseason, the team that acquires him will only have a 72-hour negotiating period to re-sign him. He is likely to receive a contract in upwards of $150 million over seven-years.