Tawdry talk turns trial into cringefest

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/29/11 | Gwen Knapp

[SmithL]

Cast as a gold-digging, scorned mistress desperate to promote a tell-all book and humiliate former lover Barry Bonds, Kimberly Bell pulled a shrewd maneuver on his defense team Monday.

Asked whether she had tried to "disparage Mr. Bonds in the most vulgar ways possible" on Howard Stern's radio show, Bell parried with lawyer Cristina Arguedas about what constituted vulgarity and then asked to have her memory of the show refreshed.

In other words, she wanted a transcript from the interview with Stern read to her and, by extension, into the record of Bonds' perjury and obstruction-of-justice trial. Arguedas went to the defense table and then returned to withdraw her question, saying: "We're going to decline that opportunity to go into the gutter."

Too late. Way too late.

[Artemis Webb]

First of all let me be really clear. I despise Barry Bonds! I think he’s pond scum. However I could not care less about the outcome of this trial. What I DO care about is Bonds never getting into the Hall of Fame. The baseball writers who get the votes have put the writing on the wall pretty clearly that they are not going to allow cheaters into The Hall.

As a baseball fan that is, to me, what is important here.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The federal government is spending millions prosecuting a guy who did nothing worse than harm himself and cheat at a professional sport. This is an issue for MLB, not the courts. Suspend Bonds from the Hall of Fame, expunge his home run record from the books, whatever - but stop wasting tax dollars on this nonsense.

[UCANSEE2]

“Kimberly Bell pulled a shrewd maneuver on his defense team Monday. “

Kimberly is a ‘he’?

[TexasCajun]

How about revoking about 7 Cy Youngs from ass Roger Clemens?

That arrogant SOB's comeuppance is just about due.

And I'll be laughing my ass off.

Roger Clemens

* Cheater

[fungoking]

Bonds isn't on trial for using steroids (guilty), being a serial womanizer (guilty), or for being a jerk (GUILTY!). He is on trial for perjury, which was a big deal when Clinton did it and is a big deal now.

[Artemis Webb]

One of the great shames about both Bonds and Clemens is that they were both great players prior to using PHDs. I totally agree with you though about Clemens. Personally my all time favorite pitcher is Greg Maddux. As one writer once said about Maddux, "If he used steroids he needs to ask for a refund".

[DrC]

“Kimberly Bell pulled a shrewd maneuver on his defense team Monday. “

I had to read that a few times myself. I believe the writer meant Kimberly pulled a shrewd maneuver on Bond’s defense team etc.