Sports and the the Law...

Wasn't there a movie about this starring Burt Reynolds?

No Seriously.

Barry Bonds gets arrested - not for using a controlled substance - for purgery and associated charges for obstructing justice. Awesome. He pleads not guilty because "I didn't know" what they were jamming in my ass.

This article, however, makes me very mad. When will people stop making this about race? This isn't about race - it was never about race. Want proof? Jason Giambi is NOT black. Neither is Jose Canseco. Neither is Raphael Palmero (whose Hall of Fame career is in serious jeopardy.)

And, McGuire didn't break the law the way Bonds did. In fact, he plead the fifth to avoid breaking the law.

McGuire is also not throwing it the face of everyone the same way Bonds is. McGuire hasn't made a public appearance in two years. Duck and cover is way better than leading with the chin.

I am also a little concerned that the Mitchell Report will not focus on solutions to the problem, but will point the finger at players, coaches and managers for allowing the epidemic to mushroom. There is no doubt that at the turn of the century, the number of people on the needle far exceeded those who weren't. It is too bad that the same "juice" that saved baseball in the late 1990s is now the scarlet letter that all sluggers are wearing.

So, this week as Baseball writers get their ballots for the Hall of Fame - let's hope twice as many as last year acknowledge what McGuire did do on the field and are less concerned about how he did it. He remains the first, and biggest, example of what saved baseball. Rest assured, there are a lot of others that are ducking behind him. Let Bond's hang himself all he wants - it would be a cold day in hell when a man who has already hit more home runs than anyone else doesn't get into the Hall. Mcguire at least did it with dignity.