Bonds Jury Gets One Charge To Stick

((HT: KGO-TV))

The three perjury charges ended up on the cutting room floor and Judge Susan Illsston Nelson declared them to be mistried...

The jury voted 8 to 4 for acquittal on Count One- knowingly getting steroids from Greg Anderson. The vote was 11 to 1 guilty on Count Two, receiving an injection from anyone besides his personal doctors. On Count Three of taking human growth hormone, the jury voted 9 to 3 for acquittal.

It was a unanimous guilty vote on Count Five- obstruction of justice. Remember, Count Four was blown up early in the trial...

Obviously, the jury couldn't agree on whether or not to agree on the truth values of Kimberly Bell and Steve Hoskins. But they did agree that Bonds testimony back in 2003 was not worthy of telling the truth.

The Feds now have to figure out whether or not they want to chase after the three dismissed charges, and Bonds team has to figure out whether or not they want to appeal.

Heather Ishimaru has the conclusion for now...

Bonds Week 3: Hearing Hoskins Again

((HT: KGO-TV))

The biggest element of jury deliberations so far is the idea that they all wanted to hear the testimony of Bonds ex-personal shopper as she was the one who said she saw Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, inject Bonds with "something..."

Heather Ishikawa continues...

Bonds Trial Update: Jury Deliberations

((HT: KGO-TV San Francisco))

Now it's up to the 8 women and four men as to whom they believe...

By the way, Greg Anderson was released from his cell in the hoosegow...
Amazing how that happens...

Here's your preview of progress- or the lack thereof...

Bonds Trial Update: Closing Arguments

((HT: KGO-TV))

The bottom line in the Barry Bonds perjury trial will come down to whether or not the jury thinks Barry is believable as a person since he can't be judged as a credible witness...

Witnesses called to the stand gave examples of his physical, mental, and emotional changes as a person once he allegedly started taking PED's. His nine-year mistress, Kimberly Bell, detailed their escapades- including the times when his second marriage wasn't even dry on the paper it was written on...

It's time for the jury to figure Bonds out...

Here's Heather Ishimaru with a preview of closing arguments...

Bonds Day 11: One Charge Dropped, Defense Rests

((HT: KGO-TV))

Barry Bonds' defense team didn't call a single witness and rested in their presentation. Closing arguments are to start Thursday.

Judge Susan Illston granted a prosecutors' request to dismiss one of the five charges against Bonds. He is still charged with three counts of lying to the grand jury and a fourth charge of obstruction.

Here's the morning update from San Francisco...

Bonds Day 10: Lab Workers And Inaudible Tapes

((HT: KGO-TV))

Prosecutors are now arguing that the jury should hear the newly discovered-very old-secretly recorded Steve Hoskins tape recording of him and Bonds' orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting, allegedly discussing steroids back in 2003.

Much of the recording is inaudible, but the prosecution says there is enough on the tape to undercut Ting's testimony that he never had a conversation with Hoskins about Bonds and steroids.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston says that her preliminary view was that much of the recording was inadmissible or irrelevant.

So much for that idea...
UCLA lab workers are supposed to be on the stand next talking about the analysis of a 2004 urine sample that was tested two years later in Los Angeles.

Who knew pee had a half-life...

Here's the morning report...

Bonds Week 2: New Evidence For Prosecution...?

((HT: KGO-TV))

There was no testimony today because of a juror's illness, but an audio tape has surfacced that could be damaging to the defense...

You'll remember Steve Hoskins said that he had more than one conversation with Dr. Arthur Ting and he has found the recording to prove it.

The tape was subpoenaed in 2005 for use in a federal grand jury investigation. Hoskins said he looked and couldn't find it. Now, he has...

Defense attorneys said they only found out about this discovery last night via email.

Hoskins said last week that he talked to Dr. Arthur Ting 50 times about steroids. Ting testified that he never discussed steroids, and only talked once in generalities to Hoskins. Hoskins said the cassette has evidence that they did discuss it.

Terry McSweeney has the latest...

Bonds Week 2: Case Crumbling...?

((HT: KGO-TV San Francisco))

Two witnesses went on the stand at the end of the second week of the Barry Bonds perjury trial- and, as like most of the case, the results were 50-50...

Bonds' former personal shopper and estranged friend, Kathy Hoskins, was something of a hostile witness. She told the jury that while at Bonds' house helping him pack for a 2002 road trip, she once saw Greg Anderson inject him with something in the belly button area. She said Bonds told her, "That's a little something something when I go on the road. Can't detect it. Can't catch it."

But then Dr. Arthur Ting returned to the stand and contradicted the testimony of Kathy's brother, Steve, who testified last week. Ting testified that conversations between him and Steve never happened to the depth and detail Steve testified to last week. He admitted to only one conversation, over the phone, where Steve asked for information about the side effects of anabolic steroids.

Here's Heather Ishimaru with your recap...


Yep, this is done...

Bonds Day 8: Down To Three

((HT: KGO-TV))

The Feds are down to their last three witnesses in the Bonds perjury trial.

Bonds' orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting is first- probably after the court reads a transcript of Bonds' 2003 grand jury appearance.

After Ting, the government was expected to call pre-eminent anti-doping expert Don Catlin and Bonds former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins. Prosecutors have said Hoskins will testify that she once saw Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson inject him with some unknown substance. Bonds' defense team is going to paint Hoskins as a disgruntled ex-employee.

Of course, no one knows exactly what the substance was and since Anderson won't testify, we still won't know.

Here's your morning update...

Bonds Day 7: More Ballplayers On The Stand

((HT: KGO-TV))

Ex-major leaguer Randy Velarde testified that Greg Anderson gave him PED's throughout the 2002 season.

Ex-Giant Marvin Benard also went on the stand and testified Anderson gave him the same flaxseed oil that Bonds thought he was taking at the time: Both the "cream" and the "clear."

Once again, neither associated any behavior with Bonds.

Here's your morning update...

Bonds Day 6: Giambis On Deck

((HT: KGO-TV))

The Rockies' Jason Giambi says Barry Bonds' personal trainer first sent him steroids at the end of 2002. He went on to testify that he met Greg Anderson after the 2002 season while both were traveling with a U.S. all-star team during a tour of Japan.

Before the '03 season, Giambi said that Anderson shipped him steroids and instructions on when to use them.

Giambi didn't say anything about steroids and Bonds. What the prosecution is looking for is a discrediting of Anderson. For the 437th time, Anderson is in jail for refusing to testify at this trial or anything else related to Bonds and steroids.

The HQ is hoping Anderson is being taken care of by the appropriate parties...

Giambi said he used the steroids until August 2003.

Remember, he then went on to apologize for what he had put people through at the time, but he never used the word "steroids" in any apology.

Here's Scott Miller of CBSSports addressing the issue in 2007...
((HT: CBSSports))


Here's your morning update from KGO...

Bonds Day 5: Kimberly Bell Testifies

((HT: KGO-TV San Francisco))

Prosecutopr Jeff Nedrow called Kimberly Bell to testify after Giants clubhouse manager Mike Murphy said on the stand that Bonds needed a larger hat for the 2002 season.

One of the side-effects of taking HgH is the growth of your head...
And Bonds' head DID grow...

Bell is expected to testify that Bonds told her that he used steroids and about the transformations he went through over the nine years she was involved with him.

Here's the latest from court and Heather Ishimaru...

Day Four: Bonds On Trial

((HT: KGO-TV San Francisco))

A steroids expert told jurors in the perjury trial of Barry Bonds that the two designer drugs allegedly used by Bonds- the "clear" and the "cream"- were created not to be detected.

Larry Bowers, the chief scientist at USADA, said that the "clear" ((or THG)) was not detectable by most drug testing protocols in 2003. The "cream" was designed, according to Bowers, to "basically fool the laboratory."

Neat...

Here's the morning update from San Francisco


The HQ thinks this has come a long way from the days of flaxseed oil...

DAY 3: Novitzky Takes Stand At Bonds Trial

((HT: KGO-TV San Francisco))

The federal investigator who headed up the probe that led to the Barry Bonds' inquiry and subsequent trial wrapped up his testimony on Day 3 of the trial.

Jeff Novitzky talked about the transcript of a taped conversation Bonds had with discussed which government officials created the transcripts of a recording made between Bonds and Steve Hoskins- a former business partner.

Hoskins was expected to testify about the recording he made secretly of a conversation about steroids he had with Bonds' former personal trainer, Greg Anderson.

The Bonds charge stems from allegedly lying to a grand jury in 2003 when he said
did not knowingly take performance-enhancing drugs. Yesterday, Novitzky told the jury how, in 2002, he regularly searched the trash of Victor Conte's BALCO lab for evidence.

Sometimes, that's the best way to get evidence...

Here's your morning primer from our friends at KGO-TV

Barry Bonds finally goes on trial

Photo One to be used as evidence against Bonds

Jury selection starts today (Monday). The long awaited of trial of one Barry Bonds, technically the all-time home run leader in major league baseball, is starting in a San Francisco courthouse. Bonds is attempting to prove he didn't perjure himself to a Federal Grand Jury when he said he "Never used steroids".

As you know, the rumors abound about Bonds's alleged use and the key point in the case will be the differences in Bonds's body over the years. He went from a lean, athletic looking body type when he first came up to the majors to a very, large--almost bloated looking version in his later years, when the home runs came in droves.

Read more about what to expect from the San Francisco Bay-Citizen RIGHT HERE

Photo 2 to be used as evidence against Bonds

The trial is expected to run 2-4 weeks and it will be very heavily followed. There is a lot of speculation that they'll never be able to prove Bonds did anything. His personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who has already said he will not testify against his former client.

The prosecution is relying heavily on photographic evidence and the testimony of Bonds former mistress, Kimberly Bell. Specifically they'll be focusing on the various physical changes in Bonds appearance.

To be honest, we aren't sure exactly what this trial will accomplish. The evidence as it will be presented here is very circumstantial. It rely's almost exclusively on hearsay and photos. Bonds never tested positive and there isn't actual physical proof that he did it.

That being said, we believe that he did, nobody changes like he did in the span of a few years without some artificial help. We also fully realize that during the time period he played, a lot of guys did the same thing. That doesn't make it right and in fact, it is illegal. But it is only illegal if you get caught and though Bonds certainly looks the part outwardly, there really is no tangible proof that he actually did it. (I can't believe I just said that).

 Check out this interesting video that someone did with year-by-year photos of Mr. Bonds and his stunning growth:



Here's your morning primer from our friends at KGO-TV in San Francisco

DEVELOPING: Bonds Indictment Now 5 Charges

Down from 11...

In a court filing Thursday, federal prosecutors filed another revised indictment against Bonds, who is scheduled to stand trial starting on March 21st.

In their third indictment now, they reduced from nine to three the number of charges alleging Bonds perjured himself when he testified that he never knowingly took any kind of PEDs.

He is still charged with perjury for telling the grand jury that no one other than his doctor ever stuck a needle in his body and the ever-popular and equally nebulous charge that he "obstructed the grand jury's investigation into sports doping with his allegedly misleading testimony."

That's just a long way of saying "obstruction of justice..."
The HQ thinks...

Here's Rome burning on Barry Bones back in 2007... and, yes, it seems to have taken this long to get to this particular time and place...
((HT: ESPN/youtube))

Feds "Overreached" on MLB Drug List

A Federal Appeals court today ruled that Federal investigators were a bit too overzealous in their search and seizure and releasing of names on a "List of Violators" regarding steroids. By now, we all now about the "List of 104", guys who tested positive and names were leaked. Some of those names (A-Rod, David Ortiz and others) have already been released. This also was the big "Turning Point" in both the Balco investigation and the charges leveled against Sort of Home Run King Barry Bonds.

The story from the San Jose Mercury-News here.

The other interesting tidbit here is that unless Prosecutors can get the U.S Supreme Court to hear this, they lose pretty much all of the information/evidence mentioned in this appeal for there court case. This doesn't bode really well on mulitple levels.

Really, I get the Balco part of this, they should continue trying to prosecute them. As for the players, I'm not real comfortable with them being both prosecuted and persecuted for something they did 6 years ago. While what they did wasn't right, they did it and so long as they still aren't doing it, it doesn't help anything to drag this on and on (Just my 2 cents)

The Chase is Over

What seems to be the longest, death march of a record-setting chase is finally over. It took entirely too long to come to fruition. But now it finally has.

Thank ((insert divine being here))!!!!!

And counting, I'm sure. We all know that the gentleman wants to get 3,000 hits before his, ahem, esteemed career comes to a close.

And I've been over the whole thing for quite some time...

I'm not a big Major League Baseball fan, anymore. I kind of grew out of the sport after the strike in the mid-1990's. Guys complaining about money and self-worth. Owners complaining that there isn't enough money to go around.

"Whatever to the both of you! And a pox on both your houses!" I said at the time.

I keep a casual interest in the sport, just to the idea that I "have" to know what's going on at any given moment. The same thing applies for professional wrestling these days with me. And you know what? Both activities are strangely similar. And I still wish a pox on both your houses.

Before you go and complain... sit down for a second...
It's either everyone's fault, or no one's fault. I choose to look at the former.

I choose not to look at Bonds, who is without a doubt, the poster child for this drug-induced assault on the history books. But I'm looking at an entire era of athletes that have taken advantage of a system set in place ((or, probably to be more accurate- not set at all)) for their own personal, financial and statistical benefit. I look at Ken Caminiti, Brady Anderson, Eric Gagne, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa just as much as I do a player like "25."

I look at John Rocker, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and all the owners and Commissioners that have passed through any turnstile or business office just as much as I do our current homerun champ.

The whole process is disgusting...as was the turning of that phrase that ended the last paragraph.

Players take advantage of a system. Owners and personnel turn their heads and cough.
All of them have not only soiled the very game we all grew up idolizing ((and all the records that were accomplished within)), but have soiled themselves in the process. We all need to shower and grab a change of clothes.

It's only fitting that the record was set in "25's" home stadium. The response he got in Los Angeles was nothing short of expected. San Diegans wanted to boo- and to cheer- simultaneously. The easy-going ones wanted it both ways. Boo until he gets to the plate. Cheer when he makes an out. Cheer louder when he hits 755 off Clay Hensley ((himself server of a steroid suspension in the minors)). Boo their own pitchers when they choose to pitch around him. Greg Maddux being the only savior in the weekend. "Doggie" played with Bonds' mind saying he'd walk him so as not to get tagged with the 755 moniker. What does he do? Challenge him and send "25" home- going oh-fer-four.

Chicks may dig the longball, but I dig the artistry of the backwards "k" in the scorebook just as much.

San Franciscans have chosen to wear the rose-colored glasses the entire time. And that's their prerogative. If they choose not to see the extremes a truly talented player went to to make himself better than those before him instead of believing in his God-given abilities- it's his fault for not having faith in himself, but having the hubris of a hundred men to want to see his name in every history book from now until Doomsday- asterisk be damned.

Would "25" have been a Hall of Famer without enhancement- still unproven, but alleged from every mountaintop? Absolutely.

But the greed of wanting that "little extra" turned into "a lot extra." And I don't think that one of the most surly stars of this generation could give a tinker's damn about what the rest of us think one way or the other about him.

Included, godfather Willie Mays, who seemed ignored by "25" when they were on the field together after 756. And you know... you KNOW... Hank Aaron will collect some big favor someday for reading the cue card and prepared statement of congratulations after the fact. The heart-felt love and appreciation shown by "25" to the big screen almost reminded me of a bad buddy movie, I-love-you-man moment that sends the release straight to DVD shelves and cable television.

What do we get instead in all of this?

We get Bud Selig, hands in pockets, fishing for car keys and the closest exit while "25" circled the bases after 755. We get Jimmy Lee Solomon from the league office to represent The Game. Or was it Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio? Mary Stuart Masterson? Joe Don Looney? Joe Don Baker?

Jimmy Crack Corn... you know the rest...

dot...dot...dot...

But what they say about karma may return to the ballpark one day. It always gets a hand stamp. I'm still waiting for it to tap David Stern and Gary Bettman on the shoulder.

I don't think any one of us could root for Alex Rodriguez any harder or any faster these days.
I can't believe I just volunteered that information, either.

And where was "Commissioner" Selig? Meeting with George Mitchell and his toothless committee results trying to determine which major leaguer he could blackmail into testifying next.

Genius...
Absolute genius...

Will people remember the names Clay Hensley and Mike Bacsik? Maybe as much as Jack Billingsley and Al Downing...
Will people remember the "chase?" Probably.
Will people remember the sunken feeling in the pits of their stomach around the country after the chase ended?

One can only hope... this wasn't fun to watch at all.

Play it safe, everyone... I'll talk to you soon...

--Jon Nelson