Zen Dayley: Buttoning up for Bonds

The question with the Barry Bonds trial has always really been if the juice is worth the squeeze.

The big story today is that Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, ain't talkin', even if means going back to jail. That could be bad for the federal prosecutors, who normally in the U.S. win about 95% of their cases, taking advantage of the conservative judiciary at the federal court level (the president's party tends to have much more impact on the federal courts than the big show in Washington, D.C.).

Anderson zipping it out of loyalty to Bonds would put the feds' case "on serious life support." (Dave Zirin.) It is understandable if you're disgusted that Anderson won't testify, especially if it turns out in 10 years that Bonds promised to make it worth Anderson's while . The white-hat guys have spent five years trying to bring Bonds down, when he's no threat to the public morality, let alone safety. That is more obscene that one swollen head.

This, that and the other:

• The Tao of Stieb is saying what most Jays fans are thinking: Put Alex Rios in centrefield and Vernon Wells in right. Cito Gaston (whom Jeff Pearlman believes will be the first manager fired) tends to be loyal to his guys (remember Devon White hitting in the 2-hole during the '93 stretch drive while two Hall of Famers flip-flopped in the 3 and 6 spots?), so it's possible Wells stays put, but really he should move.
• Baseball Prospectus' Jay Jaffe has a must-read about the Yankees being "shockingly out of touch with a fan base that it's trying to bully into spending beyond their means during hard economic times." Eighty-five bucks for a seat behind the foul pole, people.

Related:
Greg Anderson’s pledge of allegiance (Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports, Feb. 22)
Bonds' personal trainer expected to remain silent (The Associated Press)
The US v. Barry Bonds (Dave Zirin, The Nation)