Ex-Giant Bonds accusing Major League Baseball of collusion – SFGate

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ex-Giant-Bonds-accusing-Major-League-Baseball-of-6262003.php

Barry Bonds is going on the offensive against Major League Baseball, accusing the organization of colluding to end his career — and multimillion-dollar paychecks — before he would have otherwise retired.

Baseball’s all-time leader in home runs has filed a grievance through the players’ union, multiple sources told The Chronicle on condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the legal proceedings. In many workplace arbitration cases, all parties are sworn to nondisclosure agreements.

At issue is whether owners violated Article XX(e) of the collective bargaining agreement: “Players shall not act in concert with other players and clubs shall not act in concert with other clubs.”

Baseball’s legal personnel have denied teams colluded against Bonds, the latter part of whose 22-year major-league career was marred by accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds’ felony obstruction of justice conviction — stemming from his 2003 grand jury testimony during the investigation of the BALCO steroid scandal — was recently overturned by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

Bonds turned 43 in July 2007, but pitchers still feared him. He led the National League in on-base percentage (.480), thanks to a league-high 132 walks, and hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats that season.

And then nothing.

Bonds got no offers for 2008. The Giants had announced in September they wouldn’t bring him back, and none of the other 29 teams offered a contract even though his agent, Jeff Borris, said he’d play for the league minimum salary.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays publicly expressed at least minimal interest and other teams, including the A’s, spoke of the possibility internally, if only briefly.

‘Run out of the game’

At the time, Borris told The Chronicle, “He deserves to go out on his own terms, not to be run out of the game in this fashion. He gave his heart and soul to this game. What’s going on right now is not good.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred, then MLB’s executive vice president of labor relations, countered Borris’ claim by saying, “We have not found any indication of anything other than clubs making individual decisions that this player is not appropriate for them.”

One source close to the matter believes Bonds’ collusion case was heard in mid-April by baseball arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who questioned officials from several clubs. MLB, the players’ union, Borris and Horowitz refused to comment on the case.

At a Monday event in San Francisco at which he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, Bonds was asked if he would confirm that the hearing was held.

“You guys are smart enough to write what happened,” he said. “You don’t need me.’’

Asked if he felt confident that the arbitrator would rule in his favor, Bonds said, “I’m not going there.’’

Horowitz heard the grievance filed by New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and reduced Rodriguez’s drug suspension from 211 games to 162, which spanned the entire 2014 season.

Triple damages

The players’ union has won three collusion grievances in which owners conspired against free agents after three consecutive seasons in the 1980s and agreed to settle for $280 million, also agreeing they’d be subject to triple damages in future collusion, meaning three times a player’s lost income.

Bonds made $15.5 million in 2007.

While he remained one of baseball’s best hitters and an All-Star, Bonds’ defense and speed were subpar. He was also indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in the wake of the grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. The trial was to begin in March 2008.

“I don’t evaluate players, but I think anybody who has watched the game understands there’s a variety of factors surrounding this individual that might make clubs hesitant,” Manfred said at the time.

In recent years, the union said it had intended to file a grievance once Bonds’ legal matter was resolved. On April 22, his felony conviction for obstructing justice was overturned by a federal appeals court in San Francisco. Prosecutors are considering appealing to the Supreme Court.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ex-Giant-Bonds-accusing-Major-League-Baseball-of-6262003.php

Barry Bonds is going on the offensive against Major League Baseball, accusing the organization of colluding to end his career — and multimillion-dollar paychecks — before he would have otherwise retired.

Baseball’s all-time leader in home runs has filed a grievance through the players’ union, multiple sources told The Chronicle on condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the legal proceedings. In many workplace arbitration cases, all parties are sworn to nondisclosure agreements.

At issue is whether owners violated Article XX(e) of the collective bargaining agreement: “Players shall not act in concert with other players and clubs shall not act in concert with other clubs.”

Baseball’s legal personnel have denied teams colluded against Bonds, the latter part of whose 22-year major-league career was marred by accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds’ felony obstruction of justice conviction — stemming from his 2003 grand jury testimony during the investigation of the BALCO steroid scandal — was recently overturned by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

Bonds turned 43 in July 2007, but pitchers still feared him. He led the National League in on-base percentage (.480), thanks to a league-high 132 walks, and hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats that season.

And then nothing.

Bonds got no offers for 2008. The Giants had announced in September they wouldn’t bring him back, and none of the other 29 teams offered a contract even though his agent, Jeff Borris, said he’d play for the league minimum salary.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays publicly expressed at least minimal interest and other teams, including the A’s, spoke of the possibility internally, if only briefly.

‘Run out of the game’

At the time, Borris told The Chronicle, “He deserves to go out on his own terms, not to be run out of the game in this fashion. He gave his heart and soul to this game. What’s going on right now is not good.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred, then MLB’s executive vice president of labor relations, countered Borris’ claim by saying, “We have not found any indication of anything other than clubs making individual decisions that this player is not appropriate for them.”

One source close to the matter believes Bonds’ collusion case was heard in mid-April by baseball arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who questioned officials from several clubs. MLB, the players’ union, Borris and Horowitz refused to comment on the case.

At a Monday event in San Francisco at which he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, Bonds was asked if he would confirm that the hearing was held.

“You guys are smart enough to write what happened,” he said. “You don’t need me.’’

Asked if he felt confident that the arbitrator would rule in his favor, Bonds said, “I’m not going there.’’

Horowitz heard the grievance filed by New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and reduced Rodriguez’s drug suspension from 211 games to 162, which spanned the entire 2014 season.

Triple damages

The players’ union has won three collusion grievances in which owners conspired against free agents after three consecutive seasons in the 1980s and agreed to settle for $280 million, also agreeing they’d be subject to triple damages in future collusion, meaning three times a player’s lost income.

Bonds made $15.5 million in 2007.

While he remained one of baseball’s best hitters and an All-Star, Bonds’ defense and speed were subpar. He was also indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in the wake of the grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. The trial was to begin in March 2008.

“I don’t evaluate players, but I think anybody who has watched the game understands there’s a variety of factors surrounding this individual that might make clubs hesitant,” Manfred said at the time.

In recent years, the union said it had intended to file a grievance once Bonds’ legal matter was resolved. On April 22, his felony conviction for obstructing justice was overturned by a federal appeals court in San Francisco. Prosecutors are considering appealing to the Supreme Court.