Swing for the Fences

Barry Bonds and his crack legal team have decided to sue the authors of "Game of Shadows". They aren't suing for Libel however. They have decided to sue based on the fact that the grand jury testimony in the book was obtained illegally. They are going to ask for temporary restraining order against the release of the book and so what they are saying is that because the testimony is supposed to be sealed and therefore unavailable to the public, the book should not be released. Not since the Republican Party and Karl Rove have I seen this kind diversionary tactic. However unlike the Republicans, I don't think that Barry Bonds has the spin machine in place to make this work.

Who would have guessed that Barry Bonds would turn into the champion of the legal system? It's not like he didn't make a mockery of the entire grand jury system by lying under oath. The funny thing is that the suit doesn't claim that anything that's being reported in the book is untrue. Meeting the standard for Libel is extremely hard. You have to show that the authors knew that what they were writing was untrue and that they meant to cause harm. However, if you feel that someone has written lies about you, wouldn't you try and sue them for libel anyway? Even if it is just to try and show that public that you feel that you've been wronged.

Barry has decided to pass on the full frontal attack and try to get them on a technicality. Perfect. Just like a guilty man to try and manipulate the legal process for his benefit. It's like a mob boss saying that wiretaps used to gain incriminating evidence are illegal. It's a classic "fruit of the poisoned tree" defense. It's a smoke screen, and hopefully it won't work. Unless of course, he can get Bill O'Reilly and the entire fox news team on his side.

Barry, if you think what has been reported is false, then says so. If not, stop with the frivolous lawsuits. Resorting to actions reserved for drug dealers and mob bosses only serves to make you look guilty as sin. Remember, the company that you keep defines who you are. If you hang out with know steroid dealers, then people are going to assume that you have something to do with steroids. If you resort to tactics employed by criminals then, well, you can figure out the rest.