SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -For years, Barry Bonds insisted to anyone who would listen that this day would never come. Deep down he truly believed it.
Acknowledging reality has never been his strong point.
The home run king publicly said again and again he had no fear of the feds digging up enough evidence to indict him. That's exactly what makes great athletes great: an attitude of invincibility.
``Let them investigate. Let them, they've been doing it this long,'' Bonds said after his first spring training workout back in February. ``It doesn't weigh on me at all - at all. It's just you guys talking. It's just media conversation.''
On Thursday, prosecutors caught up with him. They charged the slugger with four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, stemming from a four-year investigation into steroids.
Bonds may have thought he was home free. His personal trainer, Greg Anderson, had kept quiet for so long and was serving a prison term for refusing to testify against his 43-year-old friend.
``That's just the competitor in him,'' former Giants teammate Steve Kline said Thursday night. ``That's how he's dealt with everything in his life: the competition. If in his mind he thinks he's not guilty, he figures they have to find something first. I guarantee he'll probably fight this until he dies.''
The Giants knew this was a reality, writing into his contract language that protected them from an indictment. It took months of negotiating for the sides to reach agreement.
Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record in August. The next month, San Francisco told Bonds he would not be brought back next year.
``This is a very sad day,'' the Giants said in a statement. ``For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era. These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law.''
Bonds' arrogance and prickly personality have kept him from becoming a beloved fan favorite such as 49ers great Joe Montana or Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.
In my five years covering Bonds, he played the victim and the race card, saying he's the black man taking the brunt of blame for every major leaguer who might have used performance-enhancers.
Bonds was so used to special treatment and calling his own shots that he became spoiled. He told managers when he would play and when he needed off to rest his tired legs or achy knees. He rarely stretched with his teammates before games or stood for team photos. He did so more at the end, apparently trying to improve his image before becoming a free agent.
He used to have a recliner at his corner locker - make that lockers, as he always got more space for his belongings than the others. Even his teenage son, bat boy Nikolai, had his run of the place.
Bonds' entourage featured two publicists, his family, MLB-issued security guard and a personal videographer, and took up a good chunk of the small parking lot at the team's spring training home at Scottsdale Stadium. The parking attendant received word on his hand-held radio to clear things out when Bonds was en route.
The stress of chasing Aaron got to Bonds right after the All-Star break. After going 0-for-5 in consecutive games, he called himself an ``embarrassment'' and flipped a laundry cart to the ground.
He was more under control last month when he spoke at a San Francisco hotel and told a cheering crowd of close to 450 that he had been fired by the Giants.
After everything he had done, too - 14 All-Star selections, a record seven NL MVPs and eight Gold Glove awards. He'd helped the Giants draw 3 million fans in all eight years of their new waterfront ballpark.
``I did, and then I got fired,'' Bonds said. ``Shame on me, huh?''
All along, Bonds denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.
``I truly believe I have been singled out. Definitely,'' he said during an interview this month on MSNBC. ``I don't bring baggage to a team. I've never brought any baggage to a team. I've brought my baseball bag, but I don't bring any baggage. I go on the field and I play.''
Wherever Bonds ends up next season - if he plays at all - cries for an asterisk will follow. Perhaps more now than ever before. Some of his longtime fans in San Francisco may turn on him. He's no longer wearing No. 25 for their team, batting cleanup or playing left field in their stadium.
He didn't even show up when they cheered him for a final time in the Giants' last home game, a video tribute playing on the main center-field scoreboard. Greg Maddux stayed put in the Padres dugout and watched.
For many who have supported him along the way despite the suspicions, this is goodbye and good riddance.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
