Hopefully, Bonds is found guilty and put into jail; the court of public opinion already passed its verdict awhile ago.

On Nov. 15, former San Francisco left-fielder Barry Bonds was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, stemming from a years-long federal probe that examined his use of steroids.

A look at Bonds now compared to him ten years ago provides at least superficial evidence for extensive steroid use; he gained 50 pounds, his shoe size increased by three and his hat size increased by 1 1/2, although that last one could also be contributed to his inflated ego.

Actually, the disgruntled All-star admitted to unknowingly using performance-enhancing drugs a couple years ago, claiming ignorance as his defense. Nonetheless, even if federal prosecutors cannot obtain a conviction, Barry Bonds remains an unquestionable disgrace to baseball and his records undoubtedly taint the game’s legacy.

Barry Bonds took steroids. He admitted to it; “I didn't knowingly use steroids” said the bad-fielding outfielder in an interview a few years back.

Right, and Ricky Williams only uses marijuana for medicinal purposes. But try to disregard intention for a second and somehow believe Bonds.

Regardless of reasoning or justification, it still remains cheating. Steroids are illegal; they enhance performance, production and durability regardless if taken willingly or not. He may not have engaged in criminal activity (the Supreme Court can uncover that) but he cheated.

If the league acts accordingly, it should suspend Bonds for however long it takes him to clear the illegal substances out of his system. Of course that assumes Bonds does not end up behind bars, in which case a suspension would seem like a walk in the park. Cheating is simply cheating, regardless of intention, because it still provides the user with an unfair advantage against his counterparts.

The night Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record, the most sacred and glorified mark in all of sports, was one of the darkest moments in baseball history. An arrogant, cheating, potential criminal surpassed one of baseball’s most respected figures and forever tainted our national pastime.

Instead of a team and nation celebrating a living legend and honorable man, fans and players simply exhaled because the media circus and gloomy hour finally passed. Bonds, with less personality than a corpse, saw the manifestation of the hatred he generated towards himself that night as a nation mourned the death of a true record and now faced the baseball nightmare the steroid-filled slugger created.

Hopefully, Bonds is found guilty and put into jail; the court of public opinion already passed its verdict awhile ago. So unlikable is the overpaid former star that his childhood friend, Steve Hoskins, is set to testify against Barry, along with Bonds’ ex-girlfriend.

In a league that ostracizes cheaters and punishes arrogant players, Bonds believed he stood bigger than the game itself; luckily, he was not, is not, and never will be.

Barry Bonds is a conceited person, a cheating player and perhaps an unlawful citizen. For the betterment of the game, ideally he will be convicted and the league can legitimately and definitively erase or at least qualify his records with the all-powerful asterisk. Do not feel sorry for Barry Bonds.

Save that sympathy for Hank Aaron, a true hero with class, and a stark contrast to the indicted steroid user who has cast a shadow on the game of baseball that is bigger even than the Bonds’ inflated head.

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