S.J. Mercury News Becomes Bonds Apologist

Maybe the San Jose Mercury News is still a little bit miffed that the rival San Francisco Chronicle scooped them by taking the lead in the breaking BALCO story last year. So, what does the Murky News do: It becomes a Bonds apologist.

Giants beat writer Chirs Haft wrote in yesterday's Mercury News this lead paragraph regarding Bonds' hallow plea that Congress focus on hurricane Katrina instead of steroids in sports.

Barry Bonds, whose very existence has fueled the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs, joined the chorus of Americans who believe that Congress should focus on other priorities, such as helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Just where this chorus of Amrericans who believe in cheating resides is unclear.

It's also unclear whether Haft is referring to the scant polling last years that showed Americans indifferent to the steroid scandals in sports or whether there is some outrageous outcry for all of the nation's ills to be put aside just for the disaster in the Gulf Coast.

Some of these Sports Editor's in the Bay Area should start to access whether this sort of coverage of Barry Bonds' return is actually akin to rooting for the bad guy.