Special Edition: Meet the authors of "Game of Shadows"
Get out from under your rock. The steroids-in-baseball story will not go away. Last night I went to Cody’s bookstore in Berkeley to hear Game of Shadows authors and San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams talk about their work.
I asked them why they wrote this book. Fainaru-Wada said, “I was motivated by a good story and the truth. We wrote the book because we've been working on the story for two years for the Chronicle. We've been able to reveal a lot about what's going on in baseball, track and field, and football, and we felt we had more to say.” He said that Game of Shadows looks at the current athlete mentality of "Cheat or lose."
Critics have accused these Chronicle reporters of churning out this book to make a fast buck. That’s way off the mark. “Anybody who knows the book business knows you don't set out to write a book because you think you're going to get rich,” said Fainaru-Wada. In reality the two were approached with a proposal to write the book. For them (or almost any writer) it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two of them took an unpaid six-month leave from the Chronicle to write the book.
Most of the critics of Game of Shadows come from people who refuse to read the book. For these critics -- mainly diehard Bonds fans or those weary of the steroids story -- the argument seems to center on whether Barry Bonds used steroids at all. I personally think we’ve already gone beyond that. Bonds told a grand jury he used the The Cream and The Clear, but he didn’t know they were steroids.
"There's a perception we went after Barry somehow,” said Fainaru-Wada. “We didn’t start the federal investigation. We didn’t give the drugs to Barry. We didn’t suggest he use them. Bonds happened to be at the center of the investigation because his personal trainer was indicted and later pled guilty to steroid distribution. His nutritionist was indicted and later pled guilty to steroid distribution. And Bonds is chasing baseball’s most hallowed record and he’s now part of an ongoing perjury investigation.”
I personally know some Giants fans who continue to support Bonds and, while I respect they're entitled to their point of view, it continues to astound me that they remain supportive. I've long withdrawn my approval of Jason Giambi, for instance.
Lance Williams, despite his role in exposing the clay feet of the biggest star in San Francisco baseball of the last 25 years, is understanding of the supportive Bonds fans.
“I get this because I grew up in Cincinnati," he said. "Pete Rose was the manager of the Reds, the entire world knew he had gambled on baseball, but all my relatives, all my wife's relatives, all my old friends who still live in Cincinnati knew that wasn't true. It's no different.”
I asked them why they wrote this book. Fainaru-Wada said, “I was motivated by a good story and the truth. We wrote the book because we've been working on the story for two years for the Chronicle. We've been able to reveal a lot about what's going on in baseball, track and field, and football, and we felt we had more to say.” He said that Game of Shadows looks at the current athlete mentality of "Cheat or lose."
Critics have accused these Chronicle reporters of churning out this book to make a fast buck. That’s way off the mark. “Anybody who knows the book business knows you don't set out to write a book because you think you're going to get rich,” said Fainaru-Wada. In reality the two were approached with a proposal to write the book. For them (or almost any writer) it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two of them took an unpaid six-month leave from the Chronicle to write the book.
Most of the critics of Game of Shadows come from people who refuse to read the book. For these critics -- mainly diehard Bonds fans or those weary of the steroids story -- the argument seems to center on whether Barry Bonds used steroids at all. I personally think we’ve already gone beyond that. Bonds told a grand jury he used the The Cream and The Clear, but he didn’t know they were steroids.
"There's a perception we went after Barry somehow,” said Fainaru-Wada. “We didn’t start the federal investigation. We didn’t give the drugs to Barry. We didn’t suggest he use them. Bonds happened to be at the center of the investigation because his personal trainer was indicted and later pled guilty to steroid distribution. His nutritionist was indicted and later pled guilty to steroid distribution. And Bonds is chasing baseball’s most hallowed record and he’s now part of an ongoing perjury investigation.”
I personally know some Giants fans who continue to support Bonds and, while I respect they're entitled to their point of view, it continues to astound me that they remain supportive. I've long withdrawn my approval of Jason Giambi, for instance.
Lance Williams, despite his role in exposing the clay feet of the biggest star in San Francisco baseball of the last 25 years, is understanding of the supportive Bonds fans.
“I get this because I grew up in Cincinnati," he said. "Pete Rose was the manager of the Reds, the entire world knew he had gambled on baseball, but all my relatives, all my wife's relatives, all my old friends who still live in Cincinnati knew that wasn't true. It's no different.”
posted by blank book at 9:10 PM
3 Comments:
Did they have security at that bookstore? :) good thing they did it in Berkeley and not in San Francisco for example.
Fans of Barry are supportive of him not necessarily because they believe he's innocent of steroid use. They support him because he's contributed so much to the Giants' organization the past 16 years that he's earned their support. The Pete Rose anology is an excellent example. It's not so much about evidence and facts or right and wrong as it is about loyalty. I could go on for days about the moral issues involved with the case, but since this is an A's blog, I'll spare everyone.
Dear General,
I totally agree with you on Bonds. Actually I dare anyone to say if Bonds was on their team they would not root for him. Anyone who says they won't, would be a hypocrite in my opinion. Since this topic is about the book, I don't see why not talk about here. We're just neighbors of A's fans :)
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