Oh My Gosh! Barry Bonds Failed A Steroid Test In 2000! No Kidding?!

In the midst of the heated Roger Clemens Vs Brian McNamee debates, suddenly a familiar accused steroid user popped back into the picture. The problem was, while everyone accused Barry Bonds of taking steroids, no one had actually proved or convicted him with evidence. Well, that's about to change.

A month after hitting his record 73rd home run, Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids in November, 2000. The allegation comes in the federal perjury case against Bonds and claims he received steroids from trainer Greg Anderson.

Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids in November 2001, just a month after hitting his record 73rd home run of the season, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday.

The allegation came in a legal filing in his steroid perjury case that referred to Bonds' long-time trainer, Greg Anderson.

Is this surprising? I'm actually surprised they didn't make this discovery sooner. I also find the timing of this discovery to be no coincidence either. Roger Clemens is slightly more respected overall than Barry Bonds. By revealing this information about Barry Bonds to the public at this time, some of the focus and attention should shift away from Roger Clemens and move towards Barry Bonds again.

"At trial, the government's evidence will show that Bonds received steroids from Anderson in the period before the November 2001 positive drug test, and that evidence raises the inference that Anderson gave Bonds the steroids that caused him to test positive in November 2001," U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello wrote.

The U.S. government made the assertion in a document that asked a federal court to reject Bonds' motion last month to dismiss the charges that he lied about past steroid use.

In December, the record seven-time National League Most Valuable Player pleaded not guilty to lying to a federal grand jury in 2003 when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

He testified in the BALCO sports steroid case, which ended up jailing his personal trainer, Anderson, and the head of the BALCO lab near San Francisco.

The latest government motion also referred to a question by a prosecutor during the BALCO case to "determine why Bonds apparently tested positive for anabolic steroids in November 2000."

To date, prosecutors have revealed little about the details they have in the case against Bonds, the greatest hitter of his era long dogged by suspicions about doping.