Bonds tested positive for amphetamines last season

VTGreg · 01-11-2007, 06:46 AM

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2727325

Quote:

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

Just more proof that Barry is using performance enhancers. However, based on previous discussions in these forums, it doesn't sound like many people thought amphetamines did much to enhance performance, at least when compared with steroids. It will be interesting to see the reaction to this news.

Also, I'm not a fan of the baseball player union, but they can issue a big "I told you so". When drug testing was initially discussed, they voiced concern over the results of the, supposedly anonymous, tests and the possibility that those results would be leaked. Well, now the US government and this crack reporter from the Daily News have guaranteed that next time collective bargaining comes around, the players will get additional concessions.

MikeD · 01-11-2007, 07:11 AM

Hope this fact doesn't get passed over too easily:

Quote:

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.

He tested clean six subsequent times. I'm assuming these tests were random, too.

I don't see any plausbile scenario where he comes out of this unscathed. It's too bad that so much attention is focused on him.

cheapie · 01-11-2007, 07:26 AM

man....your favorite athletes and teams keep you pretty busy backpedaling don't they? hope you don't trip and break your ankle!

Prngr44 · 01-11-2007, 07:52 AM

I'm shocked at just how many of these guys just take random pills from their teammates!! "*I* didn't take it, he gave it to me! I didn't know WHAT it was, but I sure did (toss it down my throat, rub it on my biceps, shoot it in my ass.)"

MikeD · 01-11-2007, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapie

man....your favorite athletes and teams keep you pretty busy backpedaling don't they? hope you don't trip and break your ankle!

C'mon bro, put down the pipe. My stance on Bonds has always been clear, and it's not that he's innocent.

As for TO: same thing.

You'll hear more from me re: Bonds when he passes Aaron.

zippyjuan · 01-11-2007, 03:42 PM

It is interesting to see the reaction to Barry Bonds and the baseball steroid issue in general while one of the San Diego Chargers- Shawn Merriman- served a four game suspension for the same thing and everyone (locally anyways) was cheering for him to come back and wondering why he did not get the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Not saying I support what either of them did. I think football has a bigger problem due to the more physical demands of the game- the desire for bigger and faster players. Other than home runs, size does not help you much in baseball.

Sirrich3 · 01-11-2007, 10:35 PM

I am not surprised....

01-11-2007, 07:26 AM	#3
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	man....your favorite athletes and teams keep you pretty busy backpedaling don't they? hope you don't trip and break your ankle! __________________ 70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

01-11-2007, 03:42 PM	#6
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	It is interesting to see the reaction to Barry Bonds and the baseball steroid issue in general while one of the San Diego Chargers- Shawn Merriman- served a four game suspension for the same thing and everyone (locally anyways) was cheering for him to come back and wondering why he did not get the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Not saying I support what either of them did. I think football has a bigger problem due to the more physical demands of the game- the desire for bigger and faster players. Other than home runs, size does not help you much in baseball. __________________ I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

01-11-2007, 10:35 PM	#7
Sirrich3 Rear Admiral Upper Half Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: In Sunny Southern California Posts: 3,950	I am not surprised.... __________________

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01-11-2007, 07:52 AM	#4
Prngr44 Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis Posts: 2,620	I'm shocked at just how many of these guys just take random pills from their teammates!! "I didn't take it, he gave it to me! I didn't know WHAT it was, but I sure did (toss it down my throat, rub it on my biceps, shoot it in my ass.)"

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