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C'mon Barry!

Because baseball’s fraternity is so tightly knit, it is common for superstars of one era to seek wisdom from their predecessors. That must have been what happened in the case of Barry Bonds. I have to assume Barry conferred with Pete Rose at some point, and determined that the best way out of this steroids quagmire is to deny, deny, deny.

Of course, maybe Barry missed the big picture on the Pete thing. Eventually, Pete came off looking like a liar driven by ego and consumed with pride who did not admit he gambled on baseball until he looked down and realized his pants were on fire and everybody was watching. Even then, he confessed in conjunction with a book tour.

With Barry, we have the same pathetic scenario, only the offense isn’t gambling, it’s the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

One day after it was reported that Jason Giambi admitted to a federal grand jury that he used steroids, it was revealed that Barry made a similar confession, with one slight departure: He claimed he didn’t know they were steroids.

Barry said he took substances from his trainer and friend, Greg Anderson, but was told they were flaxseed oil, a nutritional supplement, and a rubbing balm for arthritis. I can understand the confusion. I took flaxseed oil for a while and noticed that my shirts burst at the seams and I was able to lift SUVs off the ground with one hand. I have also, from time to time, applied rubbing balm to my tired joints and muscles, and whenever I do I start getting calls from NFL scouts.

Maybe Barry just didn’t read the instructions on the labels. Maybe he took more than the recommended dosage.

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Or maybe, just maybe, Barry is a liar.

This is what happens when anybody takes the Pete Rose approach. The truth not only catches up to you, it laps you. And when that occurs, the person in question looks 10 times more guilty.

Barry is a resident of the modern world. He is an intelligent man. He is fully aware that steroids not only exist in sports, but are rampant. They’re not confined to body-building. Steroids help swimmers, cyclists, football players, track stars and others build strength and allow them to perform beyond their natural capabilities.

Barry is a baseball fanatic. He is a student of the game. Check that: He’s a professor of the game. He knows what goes on at every level of the sport. He certainly was aware that throughout the minor leagues, players whose bodies are massive and sculpted are all the rage now. He surely has heard rumors around the majors about this guy and that guy juicing.

It is safe to assume that Barry knows steroids are out there, available for the asking.

And yet, what Barry told the grand jury is that Anderson gave him these substances, but Barry didn’t know they were steroids.

This means Barry took what he thought were flaxseed oil and rubbing balm, then went out and hit 73 home runs in one season. That stuff must be potent.

If I were a cynic, I would have this reaction: “C’mon, Barry. Are you freaking kidding me?”

Former Giants Armando Rios, Benito Santiago and Bobby Estalella reportedly admitted that they used performance-enhancing drugs that they received from Anderson, whom they met through Bonds.

But Bonds didn’t know he was taking steroids?

O.K., all together now: “C’mon, Barry.”

Prosecutors showed Barry a piece of paper that said BALCO was screening his blood for steroids starting in 2001. Barry’s response: “I don’t understand this piece of paper.”

All right now, just the men: “C’mon, Barry.”

Barry also told the grand jury he asked Anderson to test him for steroids because he didn’t trust Major League Baseball’s testing procedures. This reminds me of when a criminal lawyer announces that his client is willing to take a lie-detector test — as long as its administered by their guy.

C’mon, Barry. Really.

There might have been a time when Barry could have skated on his baseball chops. After all, he is one of the greats, with or without steroids. But the more he insults the intelligence of the public, the more he starts to look like Pete Rose. I wouldn’t be surprised if ESPN rushes a feature film into production called “Juiced.”

Barry has a lawyer named Michael Rains, who did what lawyers do: He tried to spin it. He expressed shock and dismay that the grand jury testimony was leaked, then lashed out at the government: “Their failure to indict him has resulted in their attempts to smear him publicly.” Keep in mind that the longer Barry denies he took steroids, and the longer this grand jury investigation goes on, the more billable hours Rains rolls up.

But the downside is a deepening distrust of Barry Bonds, and a fall from grace. It’s a Shakespearean tragedy, really. He owns baseball. Every time at bat is high drama, although usually it is quickly eliminated by an intentional walk. Yet he is undeniably the game’s No. 1 superstar. Nobody leaves the room when Barry steps to the plate.

With these recent revelations and his laughable pleas of ignorance, much of the excitement will now be replaced by suspicion. Instead of Barry making a joke out of baseball, he’ll be the joke. Pressure will mount for Barry to admit wrongdoing, and just like Pete, he’ll make it worse by stubbornly refusing to do so.

It promises to be a painful time for Barry Bonds, and neither flaxseed oil nor rubbing balm will make it any easier.

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