Bonds failed a drug test last season

[EvilJester99]

NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds failed a test for amphetamines last season and originally blamed it on a teammate, the Daily News reported Thursday.

 

Bonds is still under investigation as to whether he perjured himself when he testified in 2003 that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

When first informed of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker, the New York City newspaper said, citing several unnamed sources.

 

"I have no comment on that," Bonds' agent Jeff Borris told the Daily News on Wednesday night.

 

"Mark was made aware of the fact that his name had been brought up," Sweeney's agent Barry Axelrod told the Daily News. "But he did not give Barry Bonds anything, and there was nothing he could have given Barry Bonds."

 

Bonds, who has always maintained he never has tested positive for illegal drug use, is already under investigation for lying about steroid use.

 

A federal grand jury is investigating whether the 42-year-old Bonds perjured himself when he testified in 2003 in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. The San Francisco Giants slugger told a 2003 federal grand jury that he believed his trainer Greg Anderson had provided him flaxseed oil and arthritic balm, not steroids.

 

Under baseball's amphetamines policy, which went into effect last season, players are not publicly identified for a first positive test. A second positive test for amphetamines results in a 25-game suspension. The first failed steroids test costs a player 50 games.

 

Bonds did not appeal the positive test, which made him subject to six drug tests by MLB over the next six months, according to the Daily News.

 

"We're not in a position to confirm or deny, obviously," MLB spokesman Rich Levin told the Daily News.

 

According to the newspaper, Sweeney learned of the Bonds' positive test from Gene Orza, chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Orza told Sweeney, the paper said, that he should remove any troublesome substances from his locker and should not share said substances. Sweeney said there was nothing of concern in his locker, according to the Daily News' sources.

 

An AP message for Sweeney was not immediately returned late Wednesday.

 

The Giants are still working to finalize complicated language in the slugger's $16 million, one-year contract for next season -- a process that has lasted almost a month since he agreed to the deal Dec. 7 on the last day of baseball's winter meetings.

 

The language still being negotiated concerns the left fielder's compliance with team rules, as well as what would happen if he were to be indicted or have other legal troubles.

 

Borris has declined to comment on the negotiations. He didn't immediately return a message from the AP on Wednesday night.

 

The 42-year-old Bonds is set to begin his 15th season with the Giants only 22 home runs shy of surpassing Hank Aaron's career record of 755.

 

Bonds, considered healthy again following offseason surgery on his troublesome left elbow, has spent 14 of his 21 big-league seasons with San Francisco and helped the Giants draw 3 million fans in all seven seasons at their waterfront ballpark.

 

After missing all but 14 games in 2005 following three operations on his right knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBIs in 367 at-bats in 2006. He passed Babe Ruth to move into second place on the career home run list May 28.

 

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Kalapse]

This is going to be fun.

[IlliniKrush]

Well at least the "he hasn't failed a test" Bonds ass lickers can shut up now.

[Steff]

Well at least the "he hasn't failed a test" Bonds ass lickers can shut up now.

 

 

 

I'm sure he failed a math one or two in his lifetime.

 

Though until he fails a roids test maybe the non "ass lickers" should stay off their soap boxes.

[southsider2k5]

I just wish he would take responsibility for what was in his body, just once. You would think after blaming the steroids on not knowing what something was, he wouldn't be unknown pills from other people anymore. (if that is really how the story went)

[Steff]

I just wish he would take responsibility for what was in his body, just once. You would think after blaming the steroids on not knowing what something was, he wouldn't be unknown pills from other people anymore. (if that is really how the story went)

 

 

 

Him and (my guess) 80% of the rest of the MLB players, I'll toss in there any professional sports player, don't take responsibility, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

[PAUL KONERKO 14]

SHOCKING

[Harry Chappas]

Why is Bonds not suing the s*** out of the people who have tarnished his image and give him illegal substance that could kill him without telling him what the stuff is????????????

 

I wonder if Sweeney is going to put a nice libel suit out there or at least theft or trespassing charges should be brought up.

[southsider2k5]

Him and (my guess) 80% of the rest of the MLB players, I'll toss in there any professional sports player, don't take responsibility, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

 

Sure. I know there is more we don't hear about because of their name, but in general, I agree.

 

Why is Bonds not suing the s*** out of the people who have tarnished his image and give him illegal substance that could kill him without telling him what the stuff is????????????

 

I wonder if Sweeney is going to put a nice libel suit out there or at least theft or trespassing charges should be brought up.

 

The write up on SI.com makes it sound like Bonds took it from Sweeney's locker, not Sweeney gave it to him... That was real interesting IMO.

 

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/base...ines/index.html

 

But according to several sources, when first informed by the MLB Players Association of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from the locker of teammate Mark Sweeney. Sources did not identify the drug in question but characterized it as a serious stimulant.

[CanOfCorn]

Him and (my guess) 80% of the rest of the MLB players, I'll toss in there any professional sports player, don't take responsibility, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

 

It's just like anyone being pursued by paparazzi...either don't give them a reason to come after you...or own up to it. The American people are very forgiving given time. If any of these players would have owned up to it, the issue eventually goes away.

 

Closest thing to it: Jason Giambi.

[RockRaines]

Its like when your parents caught you with something when you were a kid and immediately you blamed it on a friend of yours.

[Middle Buffalo]

Look, when cigarrettes fell out of Greg Brady's jacket at the Brady's breakfast table, Mike and Carol correctly placed the blame on Greg. Oops, the jacket belonged to his friend. Barry Bonds - Barry Williams. Same guy. Sweeney is guilty.

[Steff]

It's just like anyone being pursued by paparazzi...either don't give them a reason to come after you...or own up to it. The American people are very forgiving given time. If any of these players would have owned up to it, the issue eventually goes away.

 

Closest thing to it: Jason Giambi.

 

 

It's not the stars fault they are hounded. It's the group of the public that wants and buys the trash that's dug up. Bonds is not to blame for those with such pathetic lives that they have to dig in his garbage. Those that do the digging and buy the s*** are.

[Balta1701]

If you ingest something which enhances your performance illegally, who the hell cares where you get it...you're still getting an artificial advantage over everyone else who isn't on the same substance.

 

It's not the stars fault they are hounded. It's the group of the public that wants and buys the trash that's dug up. Bonds is not to blame for those with such pathetic lives that they have to dig in his garbage. Those that do the digging and buy the s*** are.

Oh boo-hoo, people are digging up trash about celebrities. Like I should give a rats rear end. You want to be famous, have tens of millions of dollars in your bank accounts, have vacation homes, and thousands of people cheering for you, then you better be ready to accept the negative part as well. Don't give me that sh*t. If it's such an undue burden on any of these people, there is absolutely nothing stopping them from giving all their money to Katrina relief and taking a job working 9-5 somewhere or joining the military and heading to Iraq.

[CanOfCorn]

If you ingest something which enhances your performance illegally, who the hell cares where you get it...you're still getting an artificial advantage over everyone else who isn't on the same substance.

Oh boo-hoo, people are digging up trash about celebrities. Like I should give a rats rear end. You want to be famous, have tens of millions of dollars in your bank accounts, have vacation homes, and thousands of people cheering for you, then you better be ready to accept the negative part as well. Don't give me that sh*t. If it's such an undue burden on any of these people, there is absolutely nothing stopping them from giving all their money to Katrina relief and taking a job working 9-5 somewhere or joining the military and heading to Iraq.

 

Well, I wouldn't go that far, but that's the gist of it. Basically, part of being famous is being scrutinized. What I was saying was...own up to it, take the hit, pay the price, move on....

 

Time heals all.

[WCSox]

This is a good example of what the pro-Bonds crowd doesn't seem to understand. It's not about the steroids, growth hormone, or amphetamines. He's no more a "cheater" than many of his peers. It's about the way Barry treats people.

Edited January 11, 2007 by WCSox

[Balta1701]

This is a good example of what the pro-Bonds crowd doesn't seem to understand. It's not about the steroids, growth hormone, or amphetamines. He's no more a "cheater" than many of his peers. It's about the way Barry treats people.

Barry Bonds could treat people like crap and as long as he's not breaking the law or the rules of MLB I couldn't possibly care less.

 

The fact of the matter is, Barry Bonds is about to break perhaps the greatest record in American professional sports. And he has done so by breaking the law and breaking the rules. That is all I care about. I don't care one bit about him being an ass to the media, or the media whining about him being an ass, or him whining about the media being an ass to him. Doesn't concern me one bit. I just don't want to ever have a son who comes up to me and asks me why there's this asterisk beside the home run record.

[Rex Kickass]

If i gave a crap about how athletes treated each other, I wouldn't be a fan of a lot of people or teams in sports.

 

I think Barry Bonds uses steroids. I just fail to see how using steroids is cheating. Especially when its as pervasive in the industry as it has been. If its cheating, why are other physical enhancements (like a player getting unnecessary Lasik eye surgery to enhance vision) allowed? Isn't that the same kind of cheating?

[WCSox]

The fact of the matter is, Barry Bonds is about to break perhaps the greatest record in American professional sports. And he has done so by breaking the law and breaking the rules. That is all I care about. I don't care one bit about him being an ass to the media, or the media whining about him being an ass, or him whining about the media being an ass to him. Doesn't concern me one bit. I just don't want to ever have a son who comes up to me and asks me why there's this asterisk beside the home run record.

 

I'm not giving him a free pass for that. I'm just saying that he's no worse than Canseco, Palmiero, Sammy, McGwire, etc. when it comes to cheating. I don't consider those guys to be bad human beings. But the way that Barry has treated people throughout his career has convinced me that he's a very poor human being. In my book, that's a lot worse than being a cheater.

 

 

I just fail to see how using steroids is cheating. Especially when its as pervasive in the industry as it has been. If its cheating, why are other physical enhancements (like a player getting unnecessary Lasik eye surgery to enhance vision) allowed? Isn't that the same kind of cheating?

 

Baseball is one of the few sports where cheating is somewhat acceptable... or at least forgivable. In that regard, it isn't comparable to a lot of other sports. I imagine that if, say, a pro golfer got caught cheating, he'd be blackballed from the PGA Tour for life.

[Rex Kickass]

I agree completely WC

 

Pitchers put crap on the ball all the time. It's technically cheating, but its funny how often it happens. Does that mean no more pitchers in the hall of fame?

 

Here's the other thing to consider... he might have failed an amphetamine test but who's to say it was even involved with the sport. He might just have a drug addiction.

[Balta1701]

Here's the other thing to consider... he might have failed an amphetamine test but who's to say it was even involved with the sport. He might just have a drug addiction.

In that case, he's still getting a competitive advantage through chemistry. So who the Hell cares what the circumstances are?

 

I'm not giving him a free pass for that. I'm just saying that he's no worse than Canseco, Palmiero, Sammy, McGwire, etc. when it comes to cheating. I don't consider those guys to be bad human beings. But the way that Barry has treated people throughout his career has convinced me that he's a very poor human being. In my book, that's a lot worse than being a cheater.

I consider him to actually be quite a bit worse than any of those, simply because he's the one who's body worked well enough with the drugs to give him a shot to challenge for that record. And he also will not simply slip away from the game to preserve a little bit of its shattered dignity - he actually wants the record, and seems to think he deserves it, despite what he did to get there.

[WCSox]

I consider him to actually be quite a bit worse than any of those, simply because he's the one who's body worked well enough with the drugs to give him a shot to challenge for that record. And he also will not simply slip away from the game to preserve a little bit of its shattered dignity - he actually wants the record, and seems to think he deserves it, despite what he did to get there.

 

Agreed that it's a shame, given that his God-given talent allowed him to become the greatest position player of our generation. He was a first-ballot HOFer before he started using that junk.

 

I see your point about his arrogance. Then again, I don't see how it makes him any more of a cheater than Sammy or Mark in their attempt to break Maris' record in '98.

[Reddy]

i'm happy - i want him to get the same treatment as mcgwire if not worse

Edited January 11, 2007 by Reddy

[Balta1701]

Agreed that it's a shame, given that his God-given talent allowed him to become the greatest position player of our generation. He was a first-ballot HOFer before he started using that junk.

 

I see your point about his arrogance. Then again, I don't see how it makes him any more of a cheater than Sammy or Mark in their attempt to break Maris' record in '98.

It doesn't make him any more of a cheater than them. They are all in the same crowd in that respect. I don't like any of them, and I hope they all wind up out of the HOF. I'm moderately sickened thinking about how I bought into the lies back in '98, and I really took pleasure in watching those guys crash and burn before Congress. Bonds, unfortunately, is still playing the game though, and that makes him the current focus of my Ire.

 

The one way that Bonds is making it worse is that currently, it is all about himself. At least Sosa and Mac had the cover of no one really knowing for sure. Now everyone knows for sure about Bonds, and he's not nice enough to just shut his mouth and slip away. The best thing McGwire is doing now, unless he wanted to sit down with George "Whitewash" Mitchell and tell everything, is just shutting up and going away.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Balta1701

[RibbieRubarb]

If its cheating, why are other physical enhancements (like a player getting unnecessary Lasik eye surgery to enhance vision) allowed? Isn't that the same kind of cheating?

 

Steroids are illegal.

Eye surgery isn't.

Edited January 11, 2007 by RibbieRubarb