Beyond reproach

Hate's a strong word, so I'll resist the temptation to use it. But I detest Barry Bonds. I wouldn't hate, er, detest, him so much if, say, Mark McGwire was the all-time home run leader, but he's not. Every time I think about the prospect of Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's record, I want to throw up. And I will, if he does.

(Point the cameras my way, if I happen to be in attendance that night ... I can regurgitate on demand).

Now comes word that Bonds is suing the authors of "Game of Shadows," not because they allege he used steroids (is that even an allegation anymore?), but because they might make some money from alleging he used steroids.

"Our client, Barry Bonds, will seek an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order against them, as well as Gotham Books/Penguin USA, Sports Illustrated Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle," Alison Berry Wilkinson, an associate of Bonds' lead attorney, Michael Rains, wrote in the letter. "This injunctive action will be brought pursuant to California's Unfair Competition Law ... to obtain, in summary, disgorgement of any profits related to or derived from the publication and distribution of the book."

"The reason we filed in the lawsuit in the simplest terms possible is to prevent the authors from promoting themselves and profiting from illegal conduct," Rains told The Associated Press on Thursday.

To be clear, this is not a libel lawsuit. Bonds is not denying any of the allegations made against him in "Game of Shadows."

I have a solution: give Barry all the profits from the book, as long as he'll retire from the game. I'll personally start a fundraiser to repay the authors their lost wages. Anything to get Bonds out of baseball.

He's not only beyond reproach ... he's beyond disgrace.