Feds end Barry Bonds pursuit with sad whimper

The U.S. Department of Justice formally dropped its criminal prosecution of Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball’s career home run leader.

With that 10-1 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered an overwhelming blow to the government’s high-profile, oft-sidetracked case against the former San Francisco Giant, accused of lying to the grand jury about using steroids as he chased baseball’s home run records. The DOJ had a few avenues to appeal the decision including a petition to the United States Supreme Court.

Bonds served 30 days of home confinement before his conviction was reversed in 2011. A federal appeals court overturned that conviction in April. In addition, the slugger was convicted on one obstruction charge in 2011, and the jury deadlocked on three perjury charges.

“The finality of today’s decision gives me great peace”, Bonds wrote in a blog post. “As I have said before, this outcome is something I have long wished for”.

However, Bonds’ legal victory likely will not remove the tarnish attached to his on-the-field accomplishments. “I am relieved, humbled and thankful for what this means for me and my family moving forward”. A San Francisco jury found Bonds guilty in 2007 for his “rambling” answer to a question during the 2003 trial regarding whether or not Greg Anderson, his former trainer, had ever supplied him with performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds is the only one of 11 people charged in the BALCO case left without a conviction. A player must garner at least 75 per cent of the vote to be elected. Though the 9th Circuit’s ruling exposed confusion over the federal obstruction of justice law, it was not a good candidate for review by the U.S. Supreme Court because it generated four different opinions.

For Bonds, the clearing of his criminal record could provide ammunition for his stated goal of eventually gaining entry into baseball’s Hall of Fame, although the baseball world long ago concluded he used performance enhancing drugs to boost his career, and Bonds himself testified that he was simply not aware the substances he was taking were steroids known as the “cream” and the “clear”. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful.