Pelosi applauds hometown hero Bonds

Judging only by the reaction of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), there is no trace of a controversy surrounding the all-time home run record set Tuesday night by San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds.

Though steroid allegations have dogged Bonds for years, and in the eyes of many baseball fans have tainted the record, Pelosi made no reference to the controversy or to the congressional investigation into steroid use in baseball.

{mosads}“Tonight, Barry Bonds etched his name into baseball’s history books and took his rightful place among the sport’s immortals,” Pelosi said.

The slugger, who is still beloved in San Francisco despite hearing boos in almost every other major league stadium, plays in Pelosi’s home district.

In her statement on the home run record, which Bonds achieved by hitting career home run number 756 in a game against the Washington Nationals, Pelosi proudly notes that she is a Giants season ticket holder.

“It was a great night for baseball and a great night for San Francisco — the crowd went wild,” the speaker said.

Pelosi strongly supported Bonds in 2001 when he broke the single-season home run record. She introduced a resolution congratulating him for his accomplishment, which subsequently passed the House by voice vote.

Pelosi, who removed Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the Ways and Means Committee in the wake of ethical allegations that have not been proven, publicly defended Bonds in 2006.

“[Bonds] is innocent of any charges until proven otherwise,” Pelosi said last year.