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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Reaction to Bonds verdicts

Giants fan Thomas Peterson holds a baseball that Barry Bonds signed as he left court on Wednesday. (Associated Press)

“Obviously, they don’t have the evidence. … If you could picture anyone recently in a Giants uniform, it’s him. He did a lot for the community. We want to move on and get past this. We’ve got a good drug program in place. It’s old news at this point.” – San Francisco Giants outfielder and Bonds teammate Nate Schierholtz.

“It is a wonderful day for the good guys, for those who choose to play fair. The most important thing for the youth of America is to get a very strong signal that winning isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if you have to cheat your way to get there.” – Don Hooton, whose 17-year-old son Taylor committed suicide, a death doctors blamed on depression after he stopped using steroids.

“It’s not to say he shouldn’t be convicted if found guilty. But at the same time, we have scarce resources and you’d think we could bring him to trial faster than this.” – Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia on the years between Bonds’ grand jury testimony in December 2003 and his April 2011 trial.

“The success of the BALCO investigation will not be measured by the depth of the fraud of the 40-plus people exposed through the investigation but by the height of the achievements of America’s current and future generations of clean athletes.” – U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.