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You are here: Home / Sports / $55 Million and Counting

$55 Million and Counting

by John Cole|  April 22, 20157:07 pm| 61 Comments

This post is in: Sports, Our Failed Political Establishment

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Money well spent, if you’re a lunatic:

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an obstruction of justice conviction against former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds on Wednesday that dates back to his 2003 testimony about performance-enhancing drugs.

A grand jury found Bonds guilty of obstructing law enforcement in 2011, saying his testimony was “evasive” in the famed BALCO trial. According to records obtained by Maura Dolan of the Los Angeles Times, the appeals court found “Bonds’ rambling reply was material and that he may not be retried.”

“Making everyone who participates in our justice system a potential criminal defendant for conduct that is nothing more than the ordinary tug and pull of litigation risks chilling zealous advocacy,” Judge Alex Kozinski wrote, per Dolan.

***

If they choose, federal prosecutors can look to extend the case before the full Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court. Given the mountainous cost of the case—in 2011, The Daily Beast reported that there were estimates that the federal government spent $55 million to get a conviction—it’ll be interesting to see how prosecutors choose to proceed.

Imagine if that money had been spent doing something (anything) else.

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Reader Interactions

61Comments

  1. 1.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 22, 2015 at 7:08 pm

    How much was wasted on what amounted to Wingnut welfare in the case of Bill Clinton’s blow job?

  2. 2.

    eric

    April 22, 2015 at 7:12 pm

    It was not money wasted….it made sure that Bonds will never again use steroids while playing in the major leagues……oh, wait.

  3. 3.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 22, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    I almost feel like we should just let athletes go hog-wild with drugs. It’d make it more fun, and it’s not like they don’t already. Like, think of the announcing!

    Wow, and what a catch by Johnson! He must be coked out of his gourd to have thought that was possible. Now up, we’ve got Wilson, looks a little woozy, he must’ve done one of his famous bong rips before he knew he was getting substituted in. Let’s pull up the footage…

  4. 4.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    I didn’t follow the Bonds case, but there was an acquittal in another terrible case today.

    Before I get to that: checked ABC News site, and the prosecutor in Boston is making sure the jury sees video of imprisoned Dzokhar Tsarnaev giving the camera the finger.

    Prosecutor says that means convict is not repentant. I think it’s ridiculous of the prosecutor to sink to that level.

  5. 5.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    April 22, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: At one point, i know it was $75 million. I think that was just Ken Starr’s “work”.

  6. 6.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 22, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    @Elizabelle: The prosecutor wants to check that box on the old career checklist.

    This isn’t about justice. It’s about keeping score.

  7. 7.

    Howard Beale IV

    April 22, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    And speaking of players tripping balls, lets all play homage to the late Dock Ellis.

  8. 8.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    April 22, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: All Drug Olympics

  9. 9.

    Quaker in a Basement

    April 22, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    $55 million would be just about enough to buy the Giants another starting pitcher for the next 3 seasons.

  10. 10.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 7:22 pm

    Now for the other case of prosecutorial overreach: acquittal today in case of an elderly man who’d been accused of having sexual relations, without consent, with his Dementia patient wife in a nursing home. Daughter from a previous marriage apparently took issue and prosecution ensued. NY Times story.

    An Iowa jury on Wednesday found Henry Rayhons not guilty of charges that he sexually abused his wife, an Alzheimer’s patient, by having sex with her in a nursing home after staff members told him she had become cognitively unable to give consent.

    In the highly unusual case, Mr. Rayhons, 78, a farmer and former Republican state legislator who by all accounts had a mutually loving relationship with his wife, faced a felony charge that could have resulted in up to 10 years in prison.

    We’ve all got death panels and sex panels in our future.

  11. 11.

    Violet

    April 22, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Yeah, I kind of feel the same way. Only problem is the drug use among child athletes would probably be even worse than it is now.

  12. 12.

    the Conster

    April 22, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    Yeah, but it’s not like we’re not sure how we feel about him here.

  13. 13.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Agreed.

    And convict was barely past being a teenager when crime committed. I’m not sure the life without parole will be more humane than death, but it’s bloodthirsty and wrong to push for a death penalty.

    Family of youngest (and unforgettable) victim, Martin Richard, say they don’t want to see a death penalty.

    I think less of the prosecutor, and the law, for these actions.

  14. 14.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 22, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Ha! Thanks.

    (The Fish #2 is up btw, shameless plug)

  15. 15.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    @the Conster: Ah, meaning you’re conflicted as to the sentence?

  16. 16.

    SoupCatcher

    April 22, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    Link in post pointing at the Steelers instead.

    Here’s a link to the Bonds’ story.

    I wonder if laser corrective eye surgery for athletes, especially for baseball hitters, will eventually be looked at in the same way we look at performance enhancing drugs.

  17. 17.

    Bobby Thomson

    April 22, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    @Elizabelle: I think your comment is ridiculous.

  18. 18.

    raven

    April 22, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    you can call me ray
    and you can call me jay

  19. 19.

    Violet

    April 22, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    @Elizabelle: Oh, that’s just sad. And increasingly an issue as our society ages and dementia becomes more prevalent.

  20. 20.

    the Conster

    April 22, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    No – nothing he could do would change our minds about his conviction. I think he’ll wish he was dead if he gets life at the Supermax. That place is literally hell on earth.

  21. 21.

    Bobby Thomson

    April 22, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    @Elizabelle: cry me a fucking river. He murdered people including a child and maimed scores more. Fuck that guy. Seriously.

  22. 22.

    srv

    April 22, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    There is no limit to money well spent by the gov’t for the children. If just one kid avoids steroids, crucifying Barry was worth it.

  23. 23.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    Prosecutor says that means convict is not repentant. I think it’s ridiculous of the prosecutor to sink to that level.

    It’s a legitimate argument for a prosecutor seeking the death penalty to make.

  24. 24.

    srv

    April 22, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    Marissa Holcomb was held at gunpoint late last month in an armed robbery at a Popeyes in Channelview, Texas.

    Then, she was fired.

    The shift manager — who is five months pregnant — says she was reprimanded because she refused to pay back $400 that the gunman got away with, according to KHOU.

    Just another example of people not taking responsibility.

  25. 25.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    @srv:

    Why is the pregnancy of the shift manager relevant?

  26. 26.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    @Baud: Why is the death penalty necessary here? Convict is going away for natural life. He was 19 when he committed his horrible crime.

    We see so much death.

  27. 27.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    April 22, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    Imagine if that money had been spent doing something (anything) else.

    Like supporting authors trying to self-publish.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    Death penalty is never necessary. But since it’s on the table, the prosecutor can legitimately demonstrate lack of contrition in support of it.

  29. 29.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    Nice.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    @srv:
    @Baud:

    Never mind. Cole just posted the whole article. I didn’t realize that the shift manager was the one that was fired.

  31. 31.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 22, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Looks like it’s going well! Congrats and good luck.

  32. 32.

    Mike J

    April 22, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    Same thing they got Martha Stewart on. They could never prove that she did anything criminal in her financial dealings, so they convicted her for not admitting she did anything criminal. Both cases were bullshit.

  33. 33.

    Roger Moore

    April 22, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
    I’m glad to see that some people are taking you up on the offer of going to a hockey game with the author.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Two questions.

    1) when you say ebook, does that mean it will be available through iBooks, and Kindle, etc? Or do you mean that a .pdf version of the book will be sent to the backer?

    2) have you asked a front-pager to front page your Kickstarter? Or asked fi it’s possible for a front-pager to include links to the Kickstarter in the occasional open thread?

  35. 35.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Where you been, WG?

  36. 36.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    April 22, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    @Roger Moore: The pledges are kind of misleading because it includes $5,000 from my parents that they would have contributed even without the Kickstarter, so the campaign itself hasn’t been as successful as it looks. Given the way donations usually come in for them (heavily weighted towards the very beginning and the very end) I don’t have a good feel for how likely it is that I’ll get there.

    @WaterGirl: 1) I mean an ebook available through some online store. I haven’t yet sat down to see which ones and how many I’ll do it with, but it won’t be just a PDF. Amazon is almost a certainty and Smashwords is pretty likely, but a lot will depend upon how much additional expense there would be for multiple formats. The only PDFs involved will be signed copies if I don’t raise enough to do a print edition.

    2) Yes, I have asked.

  37. 37.

    Mike E

    April 22, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    Just watched the Jim Hunt docu on my local teevee news station…it hits you, how screwed NC is for the foreseeable future.

  38. 38.

    replicnt6

    April 22, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    …checked ABC News site, and the prosecutor in Boston is making sure the jury sees video of imprisoned Dzokhar Tsarnaev giving the camera the finger.

    Thereby reminding the jury that he’s a teenager.

  39. 39.

    Elizabelle

    April 22, 2015 at 8:12 pm

    @replicnt6: Yup. Prezactly.

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @Baud: I had to step away and regroup after those awful Hillary threads.

    Cole seems to be back, which I am thrilled about!

  41. 41.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 8:18 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Ugh. Well, I hope things stay civil. It’s going to be a long few months.

    As far as Ce goes, Twitter must be down. ;-)

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:18 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: You have asked, but has anyone answered you? (mostly kidding)

    My extended family is all Apple, so if it ends up on iBooks, I would think about backing several times at the $15 level so I could get the book for everyone. But Kickstarter will probably be over before we would know the answer to that question, wouldn’t it?

  43. 43.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    @Baud:

    Ce = Cole

  44. 44.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    April 22, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    @replicnt6:
    And un unrepentant murderer.

  45. 45.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    @Baud: Yeah, some people like to argue. I am not one of them.

    Had to get another prescription for Mr. Bear today and I took Henry in with me. He weighed in at 9.5 today, so he’s more than double than the day I met him. He LOVES everyone and he does this sit-slide-roll on his back all-in-one move so everyone can pet his tummy. HIs hair has grown out and now he looks like a miniature sheepdog. It’s pretty adorable.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    @Baud: I thought that just meant that you and Cole are best buds now so you know his double-secret shorthand nickname.

  47. 47.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    April 22, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    @WaterGirl: It will likely be over, but it would at least inform my decision making if someone who has backed the project made a request. I confess that I haven’t even looked into what it would take to get into the iStore, let alone the formatting issues.

    Edit: I also don’t know anything about giving someone a free copy of an iBook. On the platforms I’ve looked at, I can just send someone a copy of my file and it will work just fine with their reader. I have no idea if that’s possible with an iBook, or whether you’d have to purchase it from the store even if you contributed.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I try to do that sometimes, but it doesn’t go over so well.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:34 pm

    @Baud: You’ve seen his photo, are you as cute as Henry? I think that helps!

  50. 50.

    Tree With Water

    April 22, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Bonds got cute with a grand jury, which is a stupid thing to do. Not $55 million worth of stupid, but still pretty damn stupid.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: You can read ordinary pdf files with iBook, but I thought they’d be more likely to read it if it could show up in iBooks.

    My two nieces from Michigan grew up playing hockey – they owe me big for that, too, because my sister didn’t think girls played hockey and it took some serious convincing on my part for her to sign them up. There’s not a lot that’s cuter than little 5-year-olds on skates playing hockey between periods at a pro or semi-pro hockey game.

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: There may be a lot of folks like me who plan to contribute to your Kickstarter but are kind of out of discretionary money until the first of the month.

    Did you and ruemara ever do the video to help with the Kickstarter?

  53. 53.

    TriassicSands

    April 22, 2015 at 8:43 pm

    But I’ll bet that if the government had spent that money going after the Koch brothers, you’d consider it money well spent. It’s probably hard to know ahead of time how much a prosecution will cost and difficult to decide when to proceed and when to call it quits. As with many kinds of expenditures, this may have been one of those slippery slope cases where it seems worthwhile in the beginning and then it becomes a matter of continuing because you’ve already spent so much and it would be a shame to quit with nothing to show for the time and money already spent. I suspect that most fifty-year-old Americans (and older) have at one time or another found themselves in that position. Life would be a whole lot easier if we didn’t have to make decisions.

  54. 54.

    Baud

    April 22, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Yeah, I’m not even close.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    April 22, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    @Baud: I love you anyway!

  56. 56.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 22, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    If you’re going to go after unrepentant murderers, go after the deserting coward and the Dark Lord.

  57. 57.

    kindness

    April 22, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    Pete Rose and Barry Bonds should be in Cooperstown. Put a large * next to their pictures but they do belong.

  58. 58.

    Lavocat

    April 22, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    Millions for the war on drugs, but not one penny for due process.

  59. 59.

    SoupCatcher

    April 22, 2015 at 11:21 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Well, then, let’s do away with Tommy John surgery and arthroscopic knee surgery. Let guys with sore elbows just leave the game, and cut guy’s knees open from thigh to shin, like in the old days.

    Even if the correction is to better than 20/20 vision? I always heard about Ted Williams’ better than average vision and how that helped his hitting (and his piloting). Last year, when he was still a Giant, Pablo Sandoval was doing radio ads for laser corrective surgery and it got me wondering if there was anyone trying to get a competitive advantage from that procedure. I have no evidence, just thinking out loud, but, as we improve in the procedures we can do, is there ever a point where we get into 6-million-dollar-man territory? One of the things Bonds said was that he saw players who he knew were not as good as he was getting better contracts (I think the implication was that they were juicing to improve performance) and, from a business perspective, he needed to be competitive.

  60. 60.

    burnspbesq

    April 23, 2015 at 12:02 am

    Did you actually read the opinions, Cole? Including the dissent?

    Aww, who am I kidding. OF COURSE Cole didn’t read the opinions. If he had, he would know that the Ninth Circuit fucked up badly here. And that would cause his widdle head to ‘splode.

  61. 61.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    April 23, 2015 at 10:34 am

    I have no evidence, just thinking out loud, but, as we improve in the procedures we can do, is there ever a point where we get into 6-million-dollar-man territory?

    @SoupCatcher: As someone who’s had the lasik, it’s nice, and yes, you can have it corrected to “better than 20/20”, but all that means is that you’re farsighted at that point.

    Your retina has a certain limited amount of resolution, your brain has a certain limited amount of processing power to make sense of the retina’s output, and there’s no surgery in the world that can improve that.

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