Barry, Barry, Barry

MLB.com has the full interview transcript from Bonds interview on his first day at Spring Training. Bonds came out swinging, alluding to the reporters being liars and denying that his performance has anything to do with being on steroids. Here are some of the more interesting quotes:

Q. Do you personally think the steroids have been a part of baseball in the last 15 or so years?
BARRY BONDS: You know what, I never -- truthfully, I never really paid any attention to it nor did I really care because I worried about me. That's it. I was good then and I'm still good.

Q. Do you view the use of steroid as cheating?
BARRY BONDS: As cheating? I don't -- I don't know what cheating is. I don't know cheating, if steroid is going to help you in baseball. I just don't believe it. I don't believe steroids can help you, eye/hand coordination, technically hit a baseball, I just don't believe it and that's just my opinion.

Gwen Knapp has an interesting editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle in which she responds:

"I have lied about Bonds, too, but not in the way he meant when he went after the media at his spring-training debut on Tuesday. The first time I saw him in 2001, I said to myself: "He's juiced.'' I didn't say it in this column because, again, I didn't have proof. But I was sure of it."

She goes on to compare Bonds to a Karl Rove client based on the way he dodges questions and somehow shifts the blame to the media. Pretty interesting read if you get a chance.