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Michael Jordan Supports Barry Bonds

Posted: Jul 28th 2007 10:00AM by Larry Brown (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, Bobcats, Charlotte, Chicago, Giants, NL West, San Francisco

14 COMMENTS

This has been quite the whirlwind week for Barry Bonds. Not that we'd expect anything less from potentially the most controversial figure in all of sports, but this is taking it to new heights. First, Bonds got into a war of words with Bob Costas over BALCO chemist Patrick Arnold's accusations that Bonds and Gary Sheffield took performance-enhancers. Luckily for Barry, the negativity of those allegations were offset by the compliments he received from Gary Sheffield who called him the best player ever, and Joe Montana, who recorded a video that showed support of Barry. Now we have come to learn that another prominent figure in sports has also shown his support for Barry Bonds after Barry belted career home run No. 754 on Friday night. It was none other than Michael Jordan:

When he jogged out to left field, a video message was played on the scoreboard from Michael Jordan, the National Basketball Association star who has six rings playing for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan congratulated Bonds for his accomplishments.
"Hey, Barry, it's Michael Jordan," he said. "I just want to congratulate you on your historic event. I'm very happy for you. Ever since the first day I saw you in the batting cage, you've been working towards this for a long period of time. So I want to wish you and [wife] Elizabeth and that beautiful girl of yours congratulations. I'm very happy for you."

Barry's got friends ... in high places. Now, if they've already shown Joe Montana and Michael Jordan -- and it doesn't get much bigger than Joe Montana and Michael Jordan when it comes to sports -- it makes me wonder. What could they possibly have in store for 755 and 756???? A message from Babe Ruth? Satchel Paige? Roy Hobbs? How the heck can you top Montana and MJ?

Previously at FanHouse:
Joe Montana Supports Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds Says Bob Costas Practices 'Irresponsible Journalism'
BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers
Gary Sheffield: Bonds Is Best Player Ever
Barry Bonds News
Home Run Chase

Barry Bonds Says Bob Costas Practices 'Irresponsible Journalism'

Posted: Jul 27th 2007 11:35AM by Larry Brown (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NL West, MLB Gossip, MLB Media Watch, San Francisco

7 COMMENTS

OK, so BALCO chemist Patrick Arnold appeared on the HBO show Costas Now and said he thought Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield took performance-enhancers. Barry did not take to that accusation kindly, calling Bob Costas a midget who didn't know jack about baseball. In an awesome turn of events, Bob Costas responded to Barry's insults. And now finally, as directed by Barry M. Bloom, we have come to find that Barry Bonds has clarified his opinion of Costas on his site:

Yesterday, I was asked about my thoughts about Bob Costas. My reaction stemmed from my feelings about Costas' statements during a broadcast. The comment I made about him was off-the-cuff and my problem with Costas is not with his height, but with his irresponsible journalism. If my choice of words offended anyone, that was not my intent. I have consistently said that reporters talk about "third party" conversations without having specific first-hand knowledge of what they are reporting. It is irresponsible and many get away with it day after day. Costas stated that what I am doing on the field is "inauthentic" and he made some really strong accusations about me. To quote him, "he would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer even before he started juicing. And I'm not in the category of those who say suspected juicer, I live on this planet I've seen what I've seen, I know what I know."
I take great offense to those statements, especially coming from someone who is supposed to have journalistic integrity and not make blanket reckless accusations.

Barry Bonds

Doesn't sound at all like a member of Bonds' legal/p.r. team wrote that, does it?! Gotta love that. Now, if Bonds' journal entry read like this, then I might change my opinion. Either way, as PostmanR said, this rules. Ball's in your court, Costas.

Previously at FanHouse:
Bob Costas Chirps Back at Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds Thinks Bob Costas Is a Midget and Doesn't Know Jack About Baseball
BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers

Gary Sheffield Doesn't Know Patrick Arnold

Posted: Jul 26th 2007 2:45PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Filed under: Detroit, Tigers, AL Central, MLB Gossip, MLB Media Watch, MLB Rumors

7 COMMENTS

The Patrick Arnold interview on HBO with Bob Costas, which can be seen here, seems to be the talk of the sporting world. Hell, even Barry Bonds is letting his feelings be known on the subject.

In the interview Arnold talks about how he feels that Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds definetely took the steroids, and definetely knew what they were. Even though they didn't have to stick any needles in their butt.

Well Gary Sheffield not only didn't know he was taking steroids, he also doesn't know who Patrick Arnold is.

"We can all claim a lot of things. I claim a lot of things, too. But I don't know this guy, never seen this guy," Sheffield said Wednesday about chemist Patrick Arnold. "I certainly don't know him. He may know of me."

Well Gary, he's the guy who invented the stuff that you took but didn't know it was steroids because you didn't stick any needles in your butt. It's pretty cut and dry, buddy.

I'm in no position to say whether or not Sheffield knowingly took performance enhancing drugs like steroids and HGH, I wasn't there and Gary has never told me. (I call him all the time and ask too.) What I do know is that of all the things that Gary Sheffield is, he's not an idiot. He says some things without thinking about the consequences once in a while, but it doesn't mean there's no validity to what he says. That's why, much like Arnold, I don't really buy into Sheffield's defense that he had no idea what he was taking.

Previously at FanHouse:
The Patrick Arnold Interview
Gary Sheffield: Bonds Is Best Player Ever
BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers

The Patrick Arnold Interview

Posted: Jul 26th 2007 1:54PM by Eamonn Brennan (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NL West, MLB Media Watch, MLB Video, San Francisco

19 COMMENTS

Thanks to the Sports Frog, you can watch a replay of Costas Now's Barry Bonds piece everyone is talking about this week. Above is Part 1, and after the jump, watch Parts 2 and 3.

Continue Reading The Patrick Arnold Interview

Bud Selig Will Step in if Giants Sit Bonds on the Road Too Much

Posted: Jul 26th 2007 11:10AM by Larry Brown (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NL West, MLB Gossip, San Francisco

4 COMMENTS

By now, you've probably heard a lot about the Costas Now show on HBO that's been making waves in the baseball world. To begin with, I told you about the interview with BALCO chemist Patrick Arnold who says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield took performance-enhancers. Then, PostmanR let you know about Bonds' response to Costas' show, wherein he labeled Costas a midget who doesn't know jack about baseball. Then, PostmanE told you about the Curt Schilling interview, during which Schilling said this was forever the steroids era. Well, I finally got to watch the episode, and I was intrigued by the Bud Selig interview. Here was one part I found interesting:

Costas: "If [the Giants] go on the road and they start sitting him in a pattern that you find questionable -- especially against contending teams -- will you move in and order the Giants to play him?"

Selig: "I've said in the past -- we are in a pennant race -- and so there's no question people will be watching. I understand that he can't play every day, but I expect the pattern to be a fair and consistent one, and if it wasn't, you bet, I would have something to say."

Hey, so much for all that manipulating history business I was talking about earlier in the week. Glad to hear Bud Selig will do his part to step in and not allow any funny business. It also should be pointed out that Costas did an excellent job putting Selig on the spot regarding the steroids issue -- questioning whether or not Selig turned a blind eye to that issue. Bud of course pleaded ignorance -- saying steroids only became an issue to him when he read about Mark McGwire's use of andro. Seems to me like Bud used a "don't ask don't tell" policy more than anything else -- and that's sad.

Previously at FanHouse:
BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers
Barry Bonds Thinks Bob Costas Is a Midget and Doesn't Know Jack About Baseball
Curt Schilling Wants to Share His Opinions! Aren't You Excited? Aren't You?
Manipulating History: Should the Giants Sit Barry Out for Road Games?

Barry Bonds Thinks Bob Costas Is a Midget and Doesn't Know Jack About Baseball

Posted: Jul 26th 2007 1:52AM by PostmanR (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NL West, MLB Gossip, MLB Media Watch, San Francisco, The Word

55 COMMENTS

It's not often Barry Bonds says much of anything to the media. I hardly blame him. Anything controversial or telling he's quoted as saying is only going to get blown out of proportion and further vilify him. (This Rick Morrissey piece from last week is the definitive work on that thesis.)

So it is with somewhat great surprise that Bonds blasted the reports about him on HBO's "Costas Now" we told you about yesterday. He claims he's never even met or heard of chemist Patrick Arnold and had some choice words for Bob Costas.

"I've never met that guy, I've never seen him in my life," Bonds said about Arnold. "I've never met him in my life. I've never even heard of the guy -- never."

About Costas, Bonds said: "Is that the story Bob Costas talked about? A little midget man, who doesn't know jack about baseball, who never played the game before? You can tell Bob Costas what I called him."

I actually agree with Bonds on the Arnold quote -- he's even admitted himself he never met Bonds. But dude, going after Costas? OK, I guess it's understandable. You can only be called out so many times for having a big head before you start fighting back, I suppose.

{Via BBTF.}

BALCO Chemist Says Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield Took Performance-Enhancers

Posted: Jul 25th 2007 7:02AM by Larry Brown (author feed)
Filed under: Detroit, Tigers, Giants, AL Central, NL West, MLB Gossip, San Francisco, The Word

29 COMMENTS

If you read Game of Shadows, you're more than familiar with the name Patrick Arnold -- he's the chemist who supposedly created "the clear" and several other drugs BALCO marketed. Well, Arnold appeared on HBO, telling Bob Costas that he felt strongly that Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield took "the clear". Arnold says BALCO founder Victor Conte had the sluggers on his program which included "the clear," although the New York Times says Conte denies that charge.

Here's what I don't get. According to the leaked grand jury testimony, Bonds says he took the substances, but thought they were flaxseed oil. Regardless of whether he knew what he was taking or not (which is the subject of his possible indictment for perjury), there is no question the guy took performance-enhancers, right? And that also puts aside Gary Sheffield, who showed his level of intelligence on the subject by saying steroids were something you could only stick in your butt. Arnold dispelled both those notions:

Bonds reportedly told the grand jury that he thought he was taking flaxseed oil, not the clear. Arnold challenged that and likened the liquid to "nontoxic antifreeze."

He added: "I guess it's possible that Barry had never tasted flaxseed oil and said, 'Well, I guess this is flaxseed oil.' But it's pretty hard to believe."

When asked about Sheffield's recent statement that he never took steroids because "they are something you shoot in your butt," Arnold said: "That's an ignorant statement. That's some sort of weird rationalization. No, he took steroids. This is a bona fide anabolic steroid."

Bottom line, according to grand jury testimony, and now, Patrick Arnold, these guys both took performance-enhancers. That is something the American public has yet to grasp onto, but really needs to.

Previously at FanHouse:
Report: Grand Jury Close to Indicting Bonds
Gary Sheffield Is Back, Baby!