Barry Bonds best be careful where he aim's lawsuits...
Bonds sues to keep steroids claiming book authors from profiting...
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Apparently Barry Bonds isn't afraid of taking the rumored Tom Cruise/ Scientology approach (if you haven't followed that tiff, then you haven't been following the South Park, Chef, Scientology, Tom Cruise is in the Closet controversy and I can't help you much there, but oh well) and is now reportedly going to sue the authors of the book that makes well documented claims that Bonds has used steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in his quests to become MLB's greatest homerun hitter of all time.
The news on the suit can be found here: Bonds to sue over book detailing steroid use.
Here's the problem for Bonds though - he's apparently forgetting that in the world of libel and slander, truth is an absolute defense. If the authors of the book have done their homework, and from early reports based on released clips from the book they have, they will have a literary ton of evidence to supply to back up the claims they are making.
If Bonds' lawyer(s) take the case to court, it's possible that the judge could starting issuing findings of FACT that could very well do more harm to Bonds' reputation than simply having a book out could. The book, as things stand, is well documented, but still isn't legally fact. Once it becomes legally fact, or once portions of it are determined to be legally factual, there would be no turning back, and no putting the genie back into the bottle.
Personally, I think one would have to be a complete maroon (or perhaps a C.O.L.) to believe that Bonds never used steroids and other performance enhancers. I didn't need a book to tell me he did, as I could see the numbers, and the numbers didn't lie. He was a good player, and a good hitter/runner/base stealer, and became a great hitter, and took his home run hitting production to places one would never originally have imagined. The type of increase that was seen in his production could only have come from the type of help that was used by Sosa, McGwire, Giambi, Canseco and others, most of whom have admitted to using 'science' to help their game.
As well, one can look visually at Bonds and see the massive increase in the size of Bonds' head and face. He's bloated or swollen to a point as to be a gross charicature of his former self.
Finally, much as was reported in the book's earlier released sections, anyone that has followed Bonds' career know that he has a huge ego and can't stand the idea that someone else might be better than he. It's easy to see where the 1998 McGwire vs. Sosa home run chase would have inspired Bonds to go for broke.
In anycase, I expect Bonds and his lawyers may wind up very sorry they even hinted at a lawsuit here, as they may not like the results of it if they actually wind up in a court room.
The news on the suit can be found here: Bonds to sue over book detailing steroid use.
Here's the problem for Bonds though - he's apparently forgetting that in the world of libel and slander, truth is an absolute defense. If the authors of the book have done their homework, and from early reports based on released clips from the book they have, they will have a literary ton of evidence to supply to back up the claims they are making.
If Bonds' lawyer(s) take the case to court, it's possible that the judge could starting issuing findings of FACT that could very well do more harm to Bonds' reputation than simply having a book out could. The book, as things stand, is well documented, but still isn't legally fact. Once it becomes legally fact, or once portions of it are determined to be legally factual, there would be no turning back, and no putting the genie back into the bottle.
Personally, I think one would have to be a complete maroon (or perhaps a C.O.L.) to believe that Bonds never used steroids and other performance enhancers. I didn't need a book to tell me he did, as I could see the numbers, and the numbers didn't lie. He was a good player, and a good hitter/runner/base stealer, and became a great hitter, and took his home run hitting production to places one would never originally have imagined. The type of increase that was seen in his production could only have come from the type of help that was used by Sosa, McGwire, Giambi, Canseco and others, most of whom have admitted to using 'science' to help their game.
As well, one can look visually at Bonds and see the massive increase in the size of Bonds' head and face. He's bloated or swollen to a point as to be a gross charicature of his former self.
Finally, much as was reported in the book's earlier released sections, anyone that has followed Bonds' career know that he has a huge ego and can't stand the idea that someone else might be better than he. It's easy to see where the 1998 McGwire vs. Sosa home run chase would have inspired Bonds to go for broke.
In anycase, I expect Bonds and his lawyers may wind up very sorry they even hinted at a lawsuit here, as they may not like the results of it if they actually wind up in a court room.
