Jeff Pearlman calls out Barry Bonds

[Aces McGee]

link to espn.com column

Apologies if this has been done and I didn't see it, or if this isn't of interest.

A lot of writers call out Bonds, of course, but not all of them have a biography of the man currently in bookstores.

I don't think we're supposed to copy/paste whole columns, but Pearlman basically says at the beginning that in the course of promoting his book, he's tried to paint Bonds as a nice guy. He says he's had enough of that, refers to Bonds as "an evil man," and tells Bonds to man up and tell the truth, in part so the "Game of Shadows" guys don't have to go to jail for refusing to divulge the leaker of grand jury testimony.

Anyone read the book? How is Bonds portrayed in it? Do you guys think will help or hurt book sales?

Is this even worth talking about?

-McGee

[danvh]

It was a decent article. I didnt get the "tell the truth to keep the reporters out of jail" part. Arent they in trouble for reporting information they shouldnt legally have? Does it matter if the testimony is proven correct or not? Actual question, I really dont know the laws concerning this well.

Also. I always thought Bonds could actually get some credibilty back and admit to roids if he did them. I would kinda of sympathize with him if he admitted to roids because of his Dad and godfather. Just say he so much wanted to prove he was as good as his dad and Mays that he cheated. And make sure to work in stuff about living in the shadows of their legacy..Blah Blah Blah

[West]

I don't like Barry Bonds anymore than the next guy, but the article just struck me as someone trying to make a name for themselves. Maybe I'm not representative, but I sure didn't know who Jeff Pearlman was going into reading that article.

The responsibility he's tryng to put on Bonds about keeping the writers out of jail seems ridiculous hyperbole.

Maybe Bonds is really that big of an a-hole to deserve it, but it always struck me as disconcerting how McGwire escaped so relatively easily the steroid scorn that Barry is deluged with. It's hard not to consider a racial element to it - when McGwire was breaking the single season home run record, the hype made the World Series seem like an afterthought. Then Bonds turns right around and breaks that record and it was like he rained on the media's parade.

Then we get all the media consternation over Bonds passing Ruth, when Aaron has the record, but yet hardly a peep about Maris being shafted, even after McGwire's "I"m not here to talk about the past" in front of congress. I give him credit for not pulling the Pete Rose/Rafael Palmeiro routine though.

The Sports Guy made a comment the other day that no one had any idea about steroids-baseball back when McGwire was breaking the record - I say complete bs - people just didn't want to know.

[homeslice]

he's just trying to sell more books.

[jesusarenque]

Bonds might be a douche, but Jeff Pearlman might be the biggest douche in the entire world. What an assclown.

[TMTTR]

[ QUOTE ]
Bonds might be a douche, but Jeff Pearlman might be the biggest douche in the entire world. What an assclown.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? Because he wrote what we all think?

[prohornblower]

[ QUOTE ]

it always struck me as disconcerting how McGwire escaped so relatively easily the steroid scorn that Barry is deluged with. It's hard not to consider a racial element to it - when McGwire was breaking the single season home run record, the hype made the World Series seem like an afterthought. Then Bonds turns right around and breaks that record and it was like he rained on the media's parade.

Then we get all the media consternation over Bonds passing Ruth, when Aaron has the record
The Sports Guy made a comment the other day that no one had any idea about steroids-baseball back when McGwire was breaking the record - I say complete bs - people just didn't want to know.

[/ QUOTE ]

To your first statement...I think it had a lot more to do with the fact that McGwire (or Sosa, almost) broke a 37 year old record. Sosa is not white. Had Sosa broke the record there would have been just as much mayhem. By the time Bonds broke McGwire's 3 year-old, infant-stage record, there had already been a handful of 60+ homerun man-seasons. With all that said, I think you are still selling Bonds short. I was at the game in Houston when he hit #70, about 450 feet to right-center. The place went NUTS. People were standing and cheering like crazy.

And with all that said, yes, there is always a racial factor in the media. In this case though, I think you are playing it up, and downplaying these other factors I've mentioned.

In response to paragraph 2, I agree. I didn't really understand the whole hoopla around #715. To me, it meant nothing. But you have to remember, Ruth is a larger-than-life, White, East Coast baseball legend of the game. The powers-that-be will never let anyone forget how great Ruth was.

[West]

Don't you think he's being just a bit melodramatic? Calling Bonds "truly an evil man" (and adding only brief detail) is just one example. He's supposedly not writing to pump his book, but that's exactly what he's doing. Other than that and telling us how evil Bonds is, the point of his article is somewhat ridiculous - laying it on Bonds' doorstep to absolve the writers of Game of Shadows of their problem with the government having to do with their refusal to reveal their source(s) of Bonds' leaked grand jury testimony (the core of that issue obviously having nothing to with Bonds). Though he admits that a Bonds steroid confession might not even stop them from going to jail.

[TMTTR]

I guess I agree with you somewhat, the writer is a bit disingenuous -- but he is certainly not a bigger douche than Bonds. Most of the stuff in the article has been written before just not brought together in a piece like this.

[shemp]

This article is shameless.

[ QUOTE ]
I am not writing this column to sell books. I'm writing it to tell Barry Bonds -- to beg Barry Bonds -- to finally do something selfless and righteous: Come clean.

[/ QUOTE ]

After hundreds of interviews and months/years of research he concluded Barry was a misunderstood mixed bag, but during the last 4 months on the road pimping his book, he's discovered the truth, and now he wants to reveal, not for the good of his books sales -- though he links to his book at Amazon -- but as direct (well, an indirect, work for hire for espn.com) appeal to Barry Bonds for his soul -- someone he considers evil, not flawed, mind you, evil.

Because, if Bonds "comes clean", in addition to saving his own soul, journalists would no longer be part of an investigation into the compromise of a grand jury? What?

I feel I'm part of the problem having read and commented on this piece of crap.

I almost respect the audacity.