(Image Source: CNN)

BY MATT NOONAN

Barry Bonds is no stranger to records. But now baseball’s home run king can add a new one to the list -- a criminal record. Bonds has has been sentenced to house arrest and probation on felony obstruction of justice charges. MLB Network has the details.

“Barry Bonds has been sentenced for his obstruction of justice conviction. And the ruling? No jail time for bonds. Judge Susan Illston has sentenced Bonds, though, to 30 days of house arrest, 2 years probation, and 250 hours of community service. This is also what the probation office recommended. Prosecutors in the case were seeking jail time of at least 15 months, but the judge says she was reluctant to do that due to various reasons.”

While many will undoubtedly see the sentence as light, a San Jose Mercury News columnist says in this case the punishment fit the crime.

“I look at it this way: Bonds' attorney, Allen Ruby, said accurately during the original trial that the proceedings basically amounted to Barry Bonds being convicted of being Barry Bonds. So as punishment, he gets to spend time at home with Barry Bonds.”

And although Bonds still has to bear the title of convicted felon, a Sports Illustrated columnist says the decision to prosecute the slugger wasn’t the home run many thought it would be.

“Nearly nine years, thousands of attorneys' hours and reportedly more than $50 million of taxpayer money later, Barry Bonds has finally received his punishment… Considering the sizable investment of prosecutors' time and Americans' tax dollars, the punishment may seem a little light.”

Bonds’ trial is over, but his baseball legacy is still up for debate. A Yahoo! Sports blogger says the former San Francisco Giant can minimize the damage by taking an active role in the baseball community.

“[Bonds] might consider …  rehabilitating his image in hopes of reentering Major League Baseball as a friendly entity. Do some more charity work, smile for photographs, gladhand Giants fans. If he shows the proper amount of remorse and regret, he might even avoid the Pete Rose treatment and someday enter the Hall of Fame.”

Others aren’t as optimistic. ESPN’s Tim Kirkjian thinks Bonds has already sealed his own fate.

“The fact that he could still play 4 years ago and still be a productive DH for somebody, and nobody took a shot at him, tells me that 4 years later nobody’s going to go after him and say ‘We want you to be our color broadcaster or our hitting coach,’ or anything like that. So I think this is just the way it is. People have made up their minds.”

Bonds has not received any penalties from Major League Baseball, and will be eligible for hall of fame voting in 2013.

Transcript by Newsy.