Free Republic

The trial of Barry Bonds has always been more than a simple case of pursuing a bad guy and proving that he lied. The chase and the subsequent trial have been as much about a baseball era driven by vanity and greed, and fueled by performance-enhancing drugs. But the eight-year pursuit of Bonds also reflects America’s discomfort with prominent, powerful, wealthy black men. That might seem like an incredible statement to make in a nation that elected Barack Obama as its first black president. But Obama, who has had his citizenship questioned and has been heckled by a member of...

NEW YORK - Barry Bonds would boycott Cooperstown if the Hall of Fame displays his record-breaking home run ball with an asterisk. That includes skipping his potential induction ceremony. "I won't go. I won't be part of it," Bonds said in an interview with MSNBC that aired Thursday night. "You can call me, but I won't be there." The ball Bonds hit for home run No. 756 this season will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Hall. Fashion designer Marc Ecko bought the ball in an online auction and set up a Web site for fans to...

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds is just a tad bitter about his departure from the San Francisco Giants. The 43-year-old home run king heard a long list of his accomplishments read during a special speaking forum Wednesday night hosted by the Commonwealth Club, then was asked by KGO Radio host Ray Taliaferro if he'd really reached all those feats... "I did, and then I got fired," Bonds told a group of about 450 people in the audience...

Barry Bonds hits #756

Barry Bonds hit his 755th career home run off the Padres' Clay Hensley in the second inning Saturday to tie Hank Aaron's record.

A judge on Friday denied a bid by Barry Bonds' lawyers to block the authors and publishers from making money on a book claiming the San Francisco Giants slugger used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds' attorneys sued the book's authors, publisher Gotham Books, the San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated, which published excerpts of the book, saying they should be held liable for publishing "illegally obtained grand jury transcripts." They sought a temporary restraining order on all profits from the book. Judge James Warren denied that request. The lawsuit stands, although the judge said he thought it had little...