I believe in the Church of Baseball

This is a tricky one.

How do you write about something that has been and will be covered ten thousand times over?

Barry Bonds was indicted today on federal charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Those across the media were “shocked” and “surprised” that the indictment came down. What? How can anyone be surprised by this? The minute Marion Jones fell, you knew this was coming.

Like most Americans who don’t want to hear about bad things (Iraq, Global Warming, etc.), many hoped this investigation would just go away – that the grand jury would expire without an indictment and that would be that.

Sorry, not going happen. While the city of San Francisco had their collective heads up their asses and Bud Selig, the Neville Chamberlain of professional sports was touting the $6.075 billion in revenue MLB generated in 2007; federal prosecutors were doing their job. Read Game of Shadows. Are you telling me that every single individual in that book is guilty except Bonds? Bullshit.

It would be easy it say this about a cheater getting caught and his possible comeuppance.

It’s more than that.

It’s about hubris and apathy.

This is about Barry Bonds exuding the same contempt that George Bush and his cronies (Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld) do toward their detractors AND supporters. And don’t kid yourself, Bonds cares nothing about the game of baseball, just as Bush cares nothing about the Republican Party. Each got what they wanted and left a wake of carnage behind them. To Bonds and Bush, it’s always been about their legacy.

This is about sports fans who shrug when athletes are suspended or get arrested. This is about the American public so conditioned and bullied to be disappointed in their leaders that in 2004, only 64% of U.S. citizens voted in the election.

Some say this is a bad day for baseball. No. This is a good day. The Bonds indictment does what the Mitchell Report isn’t incapable of – it’s about representatives of the people saying this guy lied and cheated and that’s not acceptable.

It’s about fucking time.

~ by isolemnlysweariamuptonogood on November 16, 2007.