Bonds Guilty of Obstruction

The jury deliberated for several days. They had to decide whether Barry Bonds had perjured himself before a federal grand jury. Perjury means lying under oath. Three perjury counts were considered. A fourth count - obstruction of justice - was also to be decided.

The jury decided that they could not convict the former slugger of perjury. Though the evidence seemed somewhat overwhelming to the ordinary person, a jury has to have proof. Since he denied using steroids, and no one could definitely say otherwise, the jury said not guilty.

They did vote guilty on the obstruction charge. Bonds was not very forthcoming in his grand jury testimony. Is there a difference between lying and not telling all you know. Of course. Thus obstruction.

Some people will suggest that if you have enough money to hire the right lawyers you can beat the system. They will claim Bonds did just that.

Other people will suggest what was at stake here was our belief in the criminal justice system. By convicting Bonds of obstruction, the system prevailed.

I can buy both arguments, but here's my take.

The view from my seat suggests that it is time to move on. Who really cares about Barry Bonds? Let's forget about him and concentrate on the game of baseball.

At least until Roger Clemens trial!