Updated News As The 2008 Baseball Season Approaches

The long-awaited Erik Bedard trade to the Mariners reportedly may be nearing completion. The Baltimore Sun and Seattle Post-Intelligencer are reporting that Mariners outfielder Adam Jones -- the key prospect the Orioles are expected to receive for Bedard -- is in Baltimore to take a physical. The Sun, citing an unnamed source, reported Monday that the trade of Bedard from Baltimore to Seattle is pending only completion of physicals. The newspaper reported that if Jones passes his physical, a trade could be announced as soon as Monday.

Talk about old school! Juan Gonzalez is trying a comeback with the St. Louis Cardinals. After sitting out the past two seasons, the two-time AL MVP will be one of 26 non-roster players invited to St. Louis' spring training camp this month. The 38-year-old Gonzalez last played regularly in 2003 when he had 24 home runs and 70 RBIs in 324 at-bats for the Texas Rangers. He had one at-bat with Cleveland in 2005 before injuring his hamstring.

Shelley Duncan is at early spring training workouts, healthy and looking forward to the season following offseason treatment for a blood clot. Duncan will be competing for time at first base with Morgan Ensberg, Wilson Betemit, Jason Lane and Jason Giambi, who is heading into the final season of his $120 million, seven-year contract. Duncan also played both corner outfield positions last season along with first base.

Free agent first baseman Sean Casey has reached an agreement a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Boston Red Sox, ESPN's Peter Gammons reports. Friday's deal was made pending a physical. Casey will give the Red Sox an experienced backup at first to starter Kevin Youkilis.

The Detroit Tigers could have kept Curtis Granderson around for a while, retaining his talents with one-year deals until he became eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. The Tigers, though, don't just wait around to make moves these days. Granderson and baseball's busiest team agreed Monday to a $30.25 million, five-year contract that includes a club option for 2013 that could make the deal worth up to $43.25 million.

Khalil Greene's big 2007 season with the San Diego Padres resulted in the shortstop agreeing to a two-year, $11 million guaranteed contract with the team, according to a published report.

Roger Clemens Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex-Trainer Brian McNamee

Probably everyone by now has seen or at least heard about Roger Clemens' interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. What people may not know is that shortly before the interview was aired, Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, told ESPN's T.J. Quinn on Monday that McNamee is determined to file a counter lawsuit against Clemens. Ward said he spoke to McNamee on Monday morning and Clemens' statements in Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview are "a total lie."

No countersuit has been filed yet.

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statements were "untrue and defamatory."

"According to McNamee, he originally made his allegations to federal authorities after being threatened with criminal prosecution if he didn't implicate Clemens," according to the 14-page petition, obtained early Monday by The Associated Press.

The suit, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, states that when McNamee told others that when he first was interviewed by federal law enforcement last June, he denied Clemens had used steroids or human growth hormone. The suit quotes McNamee as saying he was pressured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella and IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky -- key members of the BALCO prosecution -- to implicate Clemens. The suit did not attribute where the quote from McNamee was obtained.

"After this exchange, and for the first time in his life, McNamee stated that he had injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001," the suit said. "Following his recantation, McNamee has relayed that he magically went from a 'target' in a federal criminal drug investigation to a mere 'witness,' so long as he continued to 'toe the line.' "

Richard Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers, said he would seek to remove the case to U.S. District Court in Houston, then to possibly shift it to federal court in Brooklyn.

"I think it's dismissible on its face. I think it's a press release for Clemens and his career," Emery said. "The case is shoddy at best. The prosecutors acted completely professionally in this case. This is a very odd thing for me to be saying, but it's the truth. Sometimes you are bound by the truth."

The suit said that when McNamee initially refused a request from federal authorities that he speak to Mitchell, he was threatened with prosecution. Clemens said McNamee decided only then to cooperate with Mitchell and the suit said McNamee said the interview "was conducted like a Cold War-era interrogation in which a federal agent merely read to the Mitchell investigators McNamee's previously obtained statement and then asked McNamee to confirm what he previously stated."

Clemens asked that damages be determined by a jury.

"Clemens' good reputation has been severely injured," the suit said. "McNamee's false allegations have also caused Clemens to suffer mental anguish, shame, public humiliation and embarrassment."

Ward believes Clemens filing the lawsuit is the pitcher's way of getting out of testifying at next week's congressional hearing about the Mitchell report.

"[The lawsuit is an] amateur and transparent attempt to try to avoid testifying before Congress," Ward told Quinn.

Clemens' attorney has said the lawsuit wouldn't keep him from potentially testifying before the hearing.

A fiery look in his eyes and stubble on his face, Clemens told CBS' Mike Wallace during the "60 Minutes" interview that he would have spoken with baseball drug investigator George Mitchell had he been aware of the extent of McNamee's accusations.

Ward told ESPN's Quinn that he has documentary proof that Clemens hired his attorneys before the Mitchell report came out. Ward claims that Clemens sent investigators to speak with McNamee to ask him what he told Mitchell. Ward says McNamee told those investigators everything he told Mitchell, thus contradicting Clemens' claim that he didn't know what information was going to come out in the Mitchell report.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner, who was scheduled to hold a late afternoon news conference Monday in Houston, sounded indignant and defiant in a segment of CBS's "60 Minutes" broadcast Sunday night, his first interview since McNamee accused him. The pair are approaching a potential confrontation if the pair testify under oath at a Jan. 16 hearing on Capitol Hill.

he most prominent player implicated in last month's Mitchell report, Clemens steadfastly maintained his innocence and called McNamee's allegations "totally false."

"If he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth," said Clemens, who wore a lavender button-down shirt during the interview, taped Dec. 28 at his home in Katy, Texas.

On Friday, when the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform invited Clemens and McNamee to testify, the pair spoke by telephone, an individual close to the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because public comments weren't authorized. The conversation first was reported Sunday by Newsday.

The individual would not say what was discussed.

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, told the Chronicle that it was McNamee who arranged to talk to Clemens on Friday but instead of getting back to Clemens the conversation was leaked "with spin" to Newsday.

"We kept thinking McNamee might change his mind and come to his senses and admit he was lying," Hardin told the Chronicle.

During the "60 Minutes" segment, Clemens said he might be willing to take a lie-detector test and was "shocked" close friend Andy Pettitte used HGH. He said -- again -- that he probably will retire.

"I thought it was an impassioned, disingenuous and desperate plea," said Ward.

One of the few revelations in the much-hyped interview came when Clemens was asked whether he conceivably would take a lie detector test.

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know if they're good or bad."

After Monday's news conference will come the congressional hearing. Pettitte, former Yankees teammate Chuck Knoblauch and former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who allegedly supplied McNamee with performance-enhancing drugs, also were asked to appear before the committee.

Lawyers for Clemens and McNamee have said their clients are willing to testify but Hardin wouldn't commit to the date.

Emery said he wanted to hear testimony from Clemens.

"If Congress calls him, he pretty much has to take the Fifth, and if he takes the Fifth, nobody will ever believe him again and all this effort has gone down the drain," Emery said. "And if he doesn't take the Fifth, it's very hard to imagine that a prosecutor isn't going to pursue this. So I think he's put himself in a terrible corner."

Clemens said his lawyer advised him not to speak with Mitchell, who spent 20 months on his investigation.

"If I would've known what this man, what Brian McNamee [had] said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it," Clemens said.

Only two active players, Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas, spoke with Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director and a former Senate majority leader.

In excerpts of the CBS interview that were released Thursday, Clemens said McNamee injected him with vitamin B-12 and the painkiller lidocaine. In the full 14-minute broadcast, Clemens also said he was given an injection of toradol under the supervision of the New York Yankees.

McNamee told Mitchell he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH about 16 to 21 times during 1998, 2000 and 2001 -- before baseball players and owners agreed to ban performance-enhancing substances.

Eighth on the career list with 354 wins, the 45-year-old Clemens said he was angered McNamee's accusations have been accepted as truth by some.

"It's hogwash for people to even assume this," Clemens said. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch."

Clemens said the descriptions McNamee gave Mitchell of injections "never happened."

"If I have these needles and these steroids and all these drugs, where did I get 'em?" he said. "Where is the person out there [who] gave 'em to me? Please, please come forward."

Roger Clemens' Interview On 60 Minutes

This article is from ESPN in regards to Roger Clemens' first interview since being accused of taking steroids:

Roger Clemens might be willing to take a lie-detector test, was "shocked" close friend Andy Pettitte used human growth hormone and, in his first interview since the Mitchell report, said -- again -- that he probably will retire.

Clemens told CBS's "60 Minutes" in the interview, which was to be broadcast Sunday night, that he would have spoken with baseball drug investigator George Mitchell had he been aware former trainer Brian McNamee accused him of using steroids and HGH.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner, the most prominent player implicated in last month's Mitchell report, steadfastly maintained his innocence and called McNamee's allegations "totally false."

In excerpts of the Dec. 28 interview that were released Thursday, Clemens said McNamee, his former personal trainer, injected him with vitamin B-12 and the painkiller lidocaine. In the full broadcast, Clemens also said he was given an injection of toradol under the supervision of the New York Yankees.

McNamee told Mitchell he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH about 16-to-21 times during 1998, 2000 and 2001 -- before baseball players and owners agreed to ban performance-enhancing substances.

"If he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead," Clemens said, according to a transcript released by CBS. "I should be pulling tractors with my teeth."

He said his lawyer advised him not to speak with Mitchell.

"If I would've known what this man, Brian McNamee had said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it," Clemens said.

I don't know if I can defend myself. I think people -- a lot of people have already made their decisions.

--Roger Clemens

Only two active players, Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas, spoke with Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director and a former Senate majority leader.

On Friday, Clemens did speak with McNamee by telephone, an individual close to the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because public comments weren't authorized. The conversation first was reported Sunday by Newsday.

The individual would not say what was discussed between the two.

Clemens is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday in Houston, part of his campaign to clear his name. In addition, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has asked Clemens, Pettitte and McNamee to testify under oath at a Jan. 16 hearing.

Former Yankees teammate Chuck Knoblauch, McNamee and former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who allegedly supplied McNamee with performance-enhancing drugs, also have been asked to testify.

"I don't know if I can defend myself," Clemens said. "I think people -- a lot of people have already made their decisions."

One of the few revelations in the much-hyped interview came when Clemens was asked whether he could conceivably take a lie detector test.

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know if they're good or bad."

Eighth on the career list with 354 wins, the 45-year-old Clemens told CBS's Mike Wallace he was angered McNamee's accusations have been accepted as truth by some.

"It's hogwash for people to even assume this," Clemens said. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch."

Clemens said the descriptions McNamee gave Mitchell of injections "never happened." McNamee said Clemens asked him to inject him in the buttocks because Clemens did not like belly-button shots he presumably could inject himself.

"If I have these needles and these steroids and all these drugs, what, where did I get 'em?" he said. "Where is the person out there [who] gave 'em to me? Please, please come forward."

McNamee said he obtained the drugs from Radomski or Clemens supplied them.

"Why didn't I keep doing it if it was so good for me? Why didn't I break down? Why didn't my tendons turn to dust?" Clemens said.

Shortly before Mitchell's findings were released Dec. 13, Clemens said McNamee e-mailed him asking where Clemens bought fishing equipment in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but never brought up the upcoming report.

McNamee told Mitchell he injected Pettitte with HGH in 2002. Pettitte issued a statement saying he took two HGH injections while rehabbing his elbow.

"I had no knowledge of what Andy was doing," Clemens said.

Asked why McNamee would tell the truth about Pettitte and lie about Clemens, Clemens said Pettitte's case was "totally separate."

"I was shocked to learn about Andy's situation," Clemens said. "Had no idea about it."

Clemens also discussed his use of Vioxx, an arthritis medication withdrawn from the market in 2004 because a clinical trial revealed increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

"I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles," Clemens said. "And now that, now these people who are supposedly regulating it, tell me it's bad for my heart."

Clemens has said he was retired after each of the past four seasons but came back each time, spending three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros and then returning to the Yankees last year. He said "you'll never see me pitch again," but hedged slightly and said "probably."

Clemens wouldn't say what penalty should be assessed on an individual found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

"I think it's a self-inflicted penalty. They break down quick. It's a quick fix," he said. "They're in and out of the game."

Updated List Of Players On George Mitchell's List

Previously, I posted the list of players George Mitchell labeled as steroid users. I found this list through research on NBC, but as I said, that list wasn't official.

I had made comments about some of the players that came out on the previously incorrect list. This is the actual list that came officially from the Mitchell Report.

Lenny Dykstra, David Segui, Larry Bigbie, Brian Roberts, Jack Cust, Tim Laker, Josias Manzanillo, Todd Hundley, Mark Carreon, Hal Morris, Matt Franco, Rondell White, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, Jason Grimsley, Gregg Zaun, David Justice, F.P. Santangelo, Glenallen Hill, Mo Vaughnm Denny Neagle, Ron Villone, Ryan Franklin, Chris Donnels, Todd Williams, Phil Hiatt, Todd Pratt, Kevin Young, Mike Lansing, Cody McKay, Kent Mercker, Adam Piatt, Miguel Tejada, Jason Christiansen, Mike Stanton, Stephen Randolph, Jerry Hairston, Paul Lo Duca, Adam Riggs, Bart Miadich, Fernando Vina, Kevin Brown Eric Gagne, Mike Bell, Matt Herges, Gary Bennett, Jim Parque, Brendan Donnelly, Chad Allen, Jeff Williams, Exavier "Nook" Logan, Howie Clark, Paxton Crawford, Ken Caminiti, Rafael Palmeiro, Luis Perez, Derrick Turnbow, Ricky Bones, Ricky Stone

The following players were cited under "Alleged Internet Purchases of Performance Enhancing Substances By Players in Major League Baseball."

Rick Ankiel, David Bell, Paul Byrd, Jose Canseco, Jay Gibbons, Troy Glaus, Jason Grimsley, Jose Guillen, Darren Holmes, Gary Matthews Jr., John Rocker, Scott Schoeneweis, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, Steve Woodard

The following players were linked through BALCO:

Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield, Randy Velarde, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Bobby Estalella, Barry Bonds, Marvin Benard

The List of Names In The George Mitchell Report

Here is the long awaited blacklist of the names provided by George Mitchell of those who have used steroids both past and present and both dead and alive. Please note that this isn't a final list. There may be other players not caught or unrevealed yet.

First, it is interesting to note that many of these players are either overweight or unusually large (Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus)
Second, it is interesting to note that many of these players have emotional issues (John Rocker, Kyle Farnsworth, Milton Bradley).


Aaron Boone, Rafael Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez, Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, Jason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, Kerry Wood, Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds

Some Comments on Certain Players:

1. No wonder Aaron Boone, a man of little power, was able to hit that clinch home run to win the series against Boston years ago.

2. The rage Milton Bradley showed against that umpire stems down to the steroids toying with his mind.

3. Mike Cameron is another man of little power so I can see why he would take steroids.

4. We all know Jose Canseco was the tattle-tale of this whole mess.

5. Only a man of steroids could pitch at the age Roger Clemens was pitching at and make it look good.

6. Johnny Damon? Talk about random. I guess pure contact and speed wasn't enough for this little guy.

7. When I watched Kyle Farnsworth pitch on the Braves, he was scary. He would throw the ball in a wild rage. Now I know why.

8. No! Not Troy Glaus! He's my favorite player. Anyway, now I know why his contact in baseball games was rated 60 while his power was rated 95.

9. Eric Gagne is another prime example of a player who needed surgery and recovery time and figured steroids is the best way to aid himself in recovering faster.

10. Nomar Garciaparra was a guy who became a nobody once he left Boston so I'm guessing through steroids he could put home runs on the board and become a well-known player again.

11. Jason Giambi's enormous size and baby-face attitude speaks for himself. Also, he wanted his brother Jeremy to get in on the action.

12. I have no explanation as to why Jay Gibbons used steroids. That's just random.

13. Of course, we all know Mark McGwire's and Rafael Palmiero's story.

14. I feel bad for Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Here are more examples of amazing pitchers plagued by injuries who thought steroids was the answer to recovery.

15. Andy Pettitte is one of the most controversial names on the list in my opinion. I think the Yankees may want to think twice before resigning in. I have no explanation as to why Andy Pettitte would take steroids, but I know many people who are Pettitte fans, especially one fan in particular. Let's see how loyal she is to him once she finds out he's a fake.

16. Oh wow. Albert Pujols is here. I gasp in disbelief. He was the best player in baseball. If he took steroids, no one can be trusted.

17. John Rocker's hate and racial speech stems from steroids.

18. I bet the Home Run Race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire was really a race about who can consume the most steroids in one year.

19. Now I know where all of Gary Sheffield's enormous power and violent swing comes from.

20. Jeff Bagwell seems more like a fossil. He's been playing for years belting out home runs and loved by many. Too bad he was a fake all these years.

21. And of course, the grand daddy of them all, Barry Bonds. At least Barry Bonds doesn't have to feel alone anymore or feel like the whole world was out to get him.

It seems like every player in this generation of baseball who has done something noteworthy or good deserves to be under the cloud of suspicion. I have a great feeling that this will be the first of many lists. I also get the feeling (and I know this should raise a big debate) that steroids in baseball have existed for years and years, but the MLB didn't want to blow it open because kids love the long ball and the prices of attendance have continued to rise. In other words, I smell a conspiracy and until Jose Canseco tattled because of his jealousy, the MLB wanted to keep this a secret. Think about it. The number of all-stars, CY young winners, and MVPs included in this list is tremendous. You mean to tell me since the early 90s the MLB was not aware of what these players were doing? I highly doubt that. I also believe this is connected to the infamous baseball strike that occurred in the 90s. The MLB needed to gain fans back so they allowed players to artifically increase their strength in order to provide a better show. I don't think its a coincidence that right after the strike McGwire and Sosa were slamming home runs left and right. I believe the MLB and the union knew about the steroid issue, but wanted to keep a lid on it. Also, yes steroids are bad for kids, but none of the kids would have known that their favorite players were using steroids. Steroids actually saved baseball and this entire witch hunt has destroyed baseball. However, once the government got involved, they couldn't keep it a secret any longer because steroids are illegal and MLB can't change that law.

Barry Bonds' Legacy And Future Is At Stake

Today begins what could possibly be one of the biggest sports related trials in history. It's hard to believe that while Bonds was on the field hitting homer after homer, the government was compiling document after document until they had enough of a reason to nail this guy. Its as if Bonds showed the government up and they weren't going to stand for it. They were absolutely determined to nail this guy and this shows one can not hide from the government; they will find you. Here is an article from ESPN answering any remaining questions one may have before Bonds's future is decided later.

When Barry Bonds walks into the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco on Friday, it will be only the beginning of an unpredictable legal odyssey. A few days after the fourth anniversary of his BALCO grand jury testimony, Bonds will surrender to U.S. marshals, go through the bureaucratic rigmarole of being arrested and later appear in court to enter a plea on four counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice.

Outside the courtroom and all over the United States, however, debate and speculation about his fate will rage as it has since he was pulled into the biggest steroid scandal in sports history. There are those who decry the government "witch hunt" and those who say Bonds is getting what he deserves, but there remain many unknowns about the facts of the case. Those will emerge in the coming weeks and months, but as the United States versus Barry Lamar Bonds begins, here are answers to some of the questions that have been batted about during the past few weeks. What is important to remember is that, like Bonds himself, we don't know what we don't know about the government's case.

Barry Bonds wasn't the only athlete to use steroids, so why are the feds going after only him?

The short answer is: They aren't. There are two false premises to that question: First, they aren't going after him for using steroids, they are going after him for allegedly lying about it before a federal grand jury. Bonds was charged with four counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice, not drug use. As with Martha Stewart and other high-profile defendants, the government seems determined to make an example of Bonds.

When Bonds testified before the BALCO grand jury in December 2003, he was given immunity from prosecution, meaning he could have spilled his guts about steroid use the way Jason Giambi did and not faced any punishment. The feds wanted Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative founder Victor Conte and Bonds' longtime friend and trainer Greg Anderson, not Bonds.

But Bonds testified he never knowingly took steroids or injected them. He said he thought "the cream" and "the clear" were benign substances, not two steroids designed to avoid detection. The government believed he was lying and soon began collecting evidence to prove its case.

Second, Bonds isn't their only target. Fallen track legend Marion Jones pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal investigators after she was targeted for prosecution. Her former coach Trevor Graham, the original BALCO whistle-blower, is awaiting trial on charges of obstructing a federal investigation, and former cyclist Tammy Thomas is awaiting trial on perjury charges.

Why did it take so long for the government to charge Bonds?

There has been considerable discussion about this, but really, the answer appears far less sinister than some would like to believe. Some have suggested the government must have found last-minute witnesses who convinced the U.S. attorney to seek charges or that the case involving former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski has played a role. But in interviews with sources familiar with the government's case, those don't appear to be issues at all.

First and foremost, the feds work slowly. The only clock was the statute of limitations, which is five years in a federal perjury case. The government had until December 2008 to bring charges.

Second, the athletes were not initially targets of the BALCO probe, which started in the summer of 2002 after local agencies were tipped off about the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes, according to court records. Prosecutors first went after the dealers, ultimately indicting four men in 2004, and plea deals were not struck until 2005. Next, the focus shifted to any witnesses (athletes, coaches, trainers) the government believed had lied and essentially obstructed justice in the case. Bonds was on that list, but as mentioned above, he was not the only one.

Third, the case dragged for internal reasons. Among those, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, Kevin Ryan, was forced from office in February, creating uncertainty in the office. At the same time, then-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez came under fire and ultimately left his post, presenting an additional leadership vacuum.

Fourth, the feds had other cases to pursue. BALCO wasn't the only investigation based in the busy Northern District of California.

And while all of this was going on, the government was willing to take whatever time it needed to coax Anderson to testify about his client. Anderson refused, and he ultimately languished in jail for 413 days on contempt charges.

"There was nothing unusual about the timing," said Mark Corallo, a former Justice Department official with knowledge of the BALCO case.

How significant is it that the government says it has positive tests demonstrating Bonds used steroids?

It's hard to say, but it's possible it isn't significant at all. Certainly the government will need to prove Bonds actually used steroids to make its case, but there appears to be ample evidence of that in the form of documents, testimony, statements to federal investigators and even an audio recording in which Anderson discusses providing Bonds with a steroid designed to evade detection.

So, the focus on the importance of the positive tests and whether they could be problematic because of "chain-of-custody" issues seems to be a red herring. The case will not be about proving Bonds used, but rather about trying to prove he knew what he was using and that he injected some of the drugs, which he explicitly denied doing. If it turns out the government can prove Bonds was aware of the test results, that could be compelling evidence he knew what he was doing.

Is this case definitely going to trial?

There has been rampant speculation that because Bonds' criminal attorney Michael Rains has blasted the government repeatedly, there is no way Bonds will agree to a plea bargain. As Bonds looks to expand his legal team to include a veteran of the federal criminal justice system, however, he still hasn't seen the evidence against him. Whatever the government has probably will be turned over within the coming week as part of the discovery process. When that happens, Team Bonds might decide the evidence is overwhelming and he would be better off settling. Or Bonds and his team could decide the government's case is flimsy and worth fighting in court.

Whatever the case, however, Bonds is looking at a maximum of 30 months, not 30 years. Sentencing guidelines allow for 30 years, but that would apply to Bonds only if he had a long criminal history, which he does not.

Who are the witnesses?

First of all, sticking to the "we don't know what we don't know" guidelines, there might be witnesses in this case who have not been identified publicly, and sources close to the case have suggested that there are. But among the known witnesses in the case will be Arthur Ting, Bonds' personal physician; Kimberly Bell, Bonds' former girlfriend; and Steve Hoskins, a former friend and business partner of Bonds' who claims to have first-hand knowledge of Bonds' steroid use.

Former BALCO vice president James Valente, who pleaded guilty to his part in the steroid distribution scandal, also is expected to be called. In addition, the government is expected to call several players to testify, including former BALCO clients Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Benito Santiago. At minimum, each player could be asked about his dealings with the lab and what he was told about the substances he took.

They Finally Caught Barry Bonds

Let this be a lesson to everyone: It doesn't matter who you are, do not mess or lie to the government because eventually they will hunt you down. I've watched the Barry Bonds story develop over the years, always expecting it to finally die down at some point. I wanted this story to die down, not because I dislike Bonds (which I do by the way), but because I'm sick and tired of hearing about him anymore. Well, this case didn't die down. However, I've changed my opinion about this story. I find it rather comical how the government pursued this one man to the point where they were absolutely determined to indict him. In addition, I am more interested in the outcome of this story. Will the greatest home run king, who just came off his record breaking season, go to jail?

Bonds finished the year with 762 homers, seven more than Aaron, and is currently a free agent. In 2001, he set the season record with 73 home runs. The indictment culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes.

Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds has repeatedly denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. He has never been identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive, though we all can figure out through one theory or another that he is positive.

Bonds was charged with four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. He was cited for lying when he said he didn't knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer and longtime friend, Greg Anderson. Bonds also was charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids. Therefore, this is not a baseball issue on whether he took his steroids or not. The grand jury could care less about that. This is an issue of lying under oath. I'm curious (and we'll never find out the answer to this) to know if Bonds would have told the truth from the beginning, being who he is, would they have taken it easy on him in the same way they did to Jason Giambi?

If convicted on all five counts, baseball's home run king could go to prison for up to 30 years.