Zen Dayley: The burden is on the state

It's not unreasonable search and seizure when the defendant is a huge jerk.

Straddling the fence until the judge in Barry Bonds' perjury trial rules on the admissibility of his urine tests might e best, but what the hell. No less an authority than Shysterball is saying that the U.S. government is "relying on considerable amounts of hearsay" (dedicated Lionel Hutz legal scholars will note that's a kind of evidence) to build its case against the home run king. The Smoking Gun just outed the sketchy character who gathered much of the evidence that was used for the big bag of nothing that was the Mitchell Report.

(This is more interesting than learning the Blue Jays are about to add Kevin Millar, who slugged a mighty .394 last season? True, he used to be able to hit lefties very well.)

It basically means that most of what the media is reporting about Bonds is water off a duck's back, pending what happens later today in a northern California courtroom. However, most of the procedural decisions by Judge Susan Illston have gone his way so far. Also, as Gwen Knapp says:

"(T)he 2003 sample absolutely was taken under false pretenses. Its appearance in the trial would effectively make Bonds' employers agents of the state. That's not MLB's job."

The Smoking Gun just outed the sketchy character who gathered much of the evidence that was used for the big bag of nothing that was the Mitchell Report. Honestly, all of this seems so mired in sleaze and dodgy ethics that it's turning Bonds into Don Quixote -- no intention of burning.

Other stuff:

• Along with Millar, the Jays continued their raid of the Orioles by adding lefty Brian Burres, who at least was well-liked when he flung for the Ottawa Lynx a few years ago.
  
  That's three former Baltimores now with the Jays on minor-league deals. The Orioles are rebuilding and the Jays are adding their discards. Granted, it might make for a go
  
• It's always better to just talk baseball. Here is one promising report on Canadian Brett Lawrie, the Milwaukee Brewers' super hitting prospect. He might be their catcher or shortstop of the future.
• A portrait of the rightfielder as a younger man with the Jays' Alex Rios.
  
• One-time prospect, now suspect, Matt Murton is now with the Colorado Rockies. You know someone will overpay for him in a fantasy draft, now that he's at Coors Field.

Related:
MLB Bonds drug tests shouldn't be admissible (Gwen Knapp, San Francisco Chronicle)
Major League Snitch; Unmasked: How a white-collar Baltimore swindler turned secret FBI informant and ignited a Major League Baseball steroid scandal (The Smoking Gun)