Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
November 23, 2007, Washington Post

If You Cheat, More Becomes Less

Barry Bonds was accused last week of lying to law enforcement officials. If found guilty, baseball's all-time home run champion might go to prison.

Police and prosecutors were investigating the illegal sale of steroids, dangerous drugs that can make athletes faster and stronger. They asked Bonds under oath if he had ever taken steroids. He said no. Now, prosecutors say that Bonds lied, and that they have evidence he took steroids.

Barry Bonds was a great player who became even better. The question is: Did he lie and cheat on his way to becoming the all-time home run champion? Barry Bonds was a great player who became even better. The question is: Did he lie and cheat on his way to becoming the all-time home run champion?

I don't know if Bonds is guilty. Everyone in this country has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But if you believe the prosecutors and the authors of the book "Game of Shadows," it seems that Bonds started taking steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the late 1990s because he was jealous of the attention that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa received for hitting so many home runs during the 1998 season.

According to the book, Bonds suspected that McGwire and Sosa had taken steroids to help them hit their home runs, so he started taking drugs, too.

If that's true, it's really sad. It's sad not only because taking steroids is cheating and can be dangerous to one's health, but because Bonds did not need to take steroids to be a great player. He was a potential Hall of Famer before anyone accused him of taking steroids.

Take a look at Bonds's lifetime stats. During the first half of his career, 1986-96, he won the National League Most Valuable Player award three times and played in six All-Star Games. He stole bases in bunches and won six Gold Gloves for fielding. Bonds didn't hit home runs at the rate he did later, but he hit plenty -- 334 in 11 seasons.

If the charges are true, Bonds was not happy with what he had. He wanted more -- more fame, more money, more home runs. And he got it. During the past 11 seasons, he hit 428 home runs and won four MVP awards. The question is: Did he cheat and lie to get them?

Wanting more is not always bad. Being ambitious can be good. Moms and dads work hard so they can buy things for their families. Kids work hard to become better students and athletes.

But sometimes wanting more -- more money, more expensive things or wanting to be the greatest home run hitter ever -- is not good, especially if a person is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Think about the person who commits crimes to get rich or the kid who cheats to get better grades.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day, a time when everyone should be grateful for what they have. Maybe if Barry Bonds had been grateful for what he had, for being an all-star baseball player, instead of wanting even more, he wouldn't be in trouble now.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

© 2007 The Washington Post Company