Welcome to the age of the kinder, gentler Barry Bonds.
As the Balco stink begins to dissipate after a decade and his criminal conviction seems likely to be voided, the disgraced record-setting slugger has ventured into social media in recent weeks with a delightful and disarming Twitter account.
Exhibit A is the precious Throwback Thursday shot Bonds posted this week:
In the other 20 tweets, he’s a smiling father, cycling hobbyist, charity worker and fine dining enthusiast. He took the time to congratulate Serena Williams and Floyd Mayweather Jr. on recent triumphs, and his second-ever tweet offered condolences on the death of Joan Rivers.
Though new rules have decreased the likelihood, Bonds has his backers for induction to Cooperstown.
And then there’s this: Judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals questioned Bonds’ obstruction of justice conviction in a hearing Thursday in San Francisco and left open the possibility of throwing out the verdict.
At issue is a strange, rambling answer Bonds gave under oath.
Prosecutors asked Bonds whether Greg Anderson, his personal trainer, ever gave him “anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with?”
Baseball’s career home runs leader referred to his father, former major leaguer Bobby Bonds, when he responded: “I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts. I became a celebrity child with a famous father. I just don’t get into other people’s business because of my father’s situation, you see.”
Bonds has served his sentence of 30 days of home confinement and paid a $4,000 fine. He also was placed on two years of probation and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service in youth-related activities. A decision by the 11-judge panel is not expected until next year.
With AP