FanHouse MichaelRains

One of the popular charges made by those who accuse Bonds of taking steroids and cheating the game of baseball is that he would call a legal defense for slanderous statements made against him if they weren't true. Well, to this point, he hadn't threatened to sue anyone. Until now. From KPIX TV in San Francisco, via Steroid Nation:

Attorneys John Burris of Oakland and Todd Schneider of San Francisco said Bonds has retained them "in connection with legal issues arising from the myriad of false statements attributed to him by players, the media and others."
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Burris said Bonds didn't speak out while he was pursuing the home run record, which he finally achieved last week, because "he was highly focused on setting the record and didn't want to break his concentration."

Yeah, that's one heck of an excuse right there. It's also being said that the lawyers were retained specifically to defend accusations made by players such as Curt Schilling:

"This is directed at Schilling more than anybody," said criminal defense attorney Michael Rains, who is representing Bonds in a grand jury investigation stemming from the Balco case.

"Schilling said some things that were inappropriate and potentially defamatory. I know it was upsetting to Barry. We talked about the issue and I know he was talking to some civil lawyers to put people on notice that he has someone defending him."

I guess the best offense for Barry is now a good defense. This to me is ridiculous. The guy admitted to a grand jury that he took steroids. Any such accusations are true, not false. That should be kept in mind.

Previously at FanHouse:
Curt Schilling Wants to Share His Opinions! Aren't You Excited? Aren't You?
BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers
Barry Bonds Says Bob Costas Practices 'Irresponsible Journalism'
Sorry, No Photos

So you're a woman who once had a longtime affair with Barry Bonds, but the two of you are no longer together. Now that Barry is about to break Hank Aaron's home run record, what are you going to do for yourself?

Why you're going to talk about your grand jury testimony and appear nude in Playboy of course!

Barry Bonds' former mistress, at the center of the government's perjury investigation of the slugger, said Monday she will discuss the couple's relationship in the November issue of Playboy magazine.

The Playboy article, accompanied by a nude pictorial of Kimberly Bell, is scheduled to hit newsstands Oct. 1. The 37-year-old Bell said the article will cover details of her relationship with Bonds that she told a grand jury investigating the perjury allegations in 2005.

"The opportunity was there, and I took it," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. The photo shoot "was one of the most liberating experiences of my life."

The opportunity for what? Make money? Get yourself some time in the spotlight? Start an acting career? What do you want, Kimberly?

Bell has talked before of her dealings with Bonds, and his alleged steroid use and tax evasion. Bonds' lawyer, Michael Rains, couldn't be reached for comment on the latest grenade launched at his client.

Personally, I don't think this will be all that big a deal for Bonds. It's Playboy, nobody reads the articles. The only thing I want to know is if Bud Selig was present for Bell's photo shoot, and did he look happy while he was there?

Previously at FanHouse:
Barry Bonds
Bud Selig Might Be There But Won't Celebrate
Sorry, No Photos

About a month ago, I told you that Barry Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, tore into the government's steroids probe of Bonds. I also just noted that there was a New York Daily News report suggesting the grand jury was close to indicting Bonds. Recently, Rains has even called the investigation a "witch hunt." Now, Rains has taken that a step further, suggesting President Bush is behind the push for indictment:

"This investigation is based on the political considerations of this (presidential) administration," Rains told the Mercury News on Friday. "The Balco case is a legacy of Bush, and it is a catastrophic failure - legally and from a public-relations standpoint."

Rains said he believed the ultimate call to indict would be made by no less than the president, who directed a massive shake-up of the Justice Department earlier this year under embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.

"Barry and I have talked about it, and he can't believe it," Rains said. "I think it's possible, I really do. The case has been so political.

"The question is how they can throw in the towel without losing an immense amount of face after all they have done."

Wow, that is quite the charge by Rains. But that shouldn't be a huge surprise, after all, his job is to defend Barry. Earlier in the week I wrote about President Bush's interview with Karl Ravech on ESPN. When asked what how he would treat the Barry Bonds situation if he were Bud Selig, Bush was non-committal:

Regardless of all the players who have been caught and suspended for steroids use, the near admissions of usage by certain players, and the ongoing probe by George Mitchell, it's been Barry Bonds around whom most of the steroids attention has centered. And as Steroid Nation points out, Bonds' lawyer, Michael Rains, is taking the offensive in fighting back:

The attorney for Barry Bonds said Thursday he is prepared to go public with information that raises questions about the government's investigation of the baseball star unless interim U.S. Attorney Scott Schools takes what he deems appropriate action. A good place to start, he suggested, would be the dismissal of grand jury proceedings against Bonds.
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I am respectful of the process. But we've been going through all this stuff with the [San Francisco] Chronicle people saying when grand jury testimony gets leaked that the public has a right to know. Well, I'll echo what they've said, 'The public has the right to know.' And the public has the right to know of the information I have given to Mr. Schools. And it has a right to know how the government has conducted itself here and I hope the government will engage in some dialogue with the media and the public to discuss this.''

This is something that many fans of Bonds have been pointing out for quite some time -- that Barry is singled out and unjustly pestered by the government. And that is exactly what Barry's attorney wants to fight. Rains also says Bonds most likely would not cooperate with MItchell's probe if he were questioned. My quick take on this, I've read Game of Shadows and seen a lot of the mounting evidence against Barry. The way Rains is spinning this to make Bonds appear like a victim makes me laugh.

Previously at FanHouse:
Barry Bonds News
Steroids News
Bud Selig Is Getting Jason Giambi Somehow, Someway
Jason Giambi Admits He Did 'Stuff", Wants MLB to Apologize
Sorry, No Photos

That headline is a bit presumptuous - hey, maybe they catch movies together all the time! - but it's difficult to see Barry Bonds and George Mitchell agreeing about anything.

Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader who is leading baseball's steroids inquiry (or investigation, or whatever you call it), sent a letter to Bonds and other players asking them for legal access to their medical records. Bonds politely replied "Eff No, dude," and his lawyer pulled out the ever-handy trump card:

Bonds' lawyer Michael Rains told the Chronicle that Bonds cannot cooperate as long as he remains the focus of a possible perjury indictment. Rains did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Sunday night.

Rains said Bonds wanted to help but could not do so while facing possible indictment on perjury charges related to his testimony before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the Northern California lab that allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to the athletes.

I'm not sure whether that's the law or not - I haven't gotten further than the LSAT, and perjury statutes weren't included - but I would imagine Bonds' lawyer wouldn't just make up laws on the fly. That would be pretty ballsy.

On the other hand, I especially appreciate the "Rains said Bonds wanted to help ..." part. I would imagine that phone conversation went a little something like this:

"Yeah, Barry really wanted to help, Mr. Mitchell. He really did. It's just this, this nagging perjury charge. I know, right? It's like they expected him to tell the truth up there! And his medical history is totally clean, believe me. ... No! No, he did not try to hire the plastic surgeons from that weird Nip/Tuck show to try to reduce the ever-burgeoning size of his head, and no, he did not have work done, um, down below ... nor did he have hair and acne removal surgery on his back. Totally prurient and false rumors, and the court will vindicate my client! Anyway, I've got to go, Pacman's on the other line. Caio!"

Previously in the MLB FanHouse:
'Barry Bonds Lives in an Alternate Reality'
'Remember That Steroid Investigation? George Mitchell's Not Done Yet'