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Selig: Bonds' Team Had Role

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By HOWARD FENDRICH, The Associated Press

Published: January 16, 2008

WASHINGTON - Barry Bonds' team should have reported concerns about the home run king's personal trainer to Major League Baseball, Commissioner Bud Selig told Congress on Tuesday during a hearing on the sport's steroids era.

Even though no players were present, unlike the theatrical March 2005 session, the names of Bonds, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and 2002 AL MVP Miguel Tejada all were raised during the four-hour, 15-minute proceedings prompted by last month's Mitchell Report.

Selig and union leader Donald Fehr sat side-by-side before a House committee friendlier in tone than three years ago yet still concerned about how serious baseball is in dealing with its doping problem.

Before any of Tuesday's testimony, which began with former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell appearing for two hours, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., announced he and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia asked the Justice Department to look into whether Tejada lied to committee staff members when questioned in connection to Rafael Palmeiro's perjury case in 2005.

Tejada's older brother, Freddy, was killed Tuesday in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic, said the Aguilas Cibaenas, the shortstop's winter league team. Tejada, who had been scheduled to play Tuesday night, wasn't at the ballpark and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Since the release of Mitchell's findings, the focus largely has been on Clemens, the star pitcher scheduled to testify at a separate hearing Feb. 13, along with his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone.

Clemens has vehemently denied the allegations.

But Bonds was brought up by Waxman, who asked Selig whether the San Francisco Giants should have reported their concerns about Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, and the slugger's alleged steroid use to the commissioner's office.

"Of course," Selig responded.

Pressed by Waxman about whether Giants general manager Brian Sabean violated baseball rules by not doing so, Selig said: "It's a matter that I have under review," perhaps hinting that Sabean or other team officials could face discipline.

The chairman pointed to the portion of the Mitchell Report that discussed how former Giants athletic trainer Stan Conte told Sabean in 2002 that a player had come to him with questions because he was considering buying steroids from Anderson.

The report said Conte went to Sabean to say he wanted Anderson and others like him removed from the clubhouse. Sabean wasn't willing to do it, according to the report.

Waxman also expressed concern that, according to the report, Giants owner Peter Magowan's attorney called Mitchell to say Magowan "misspoke" about Bonds' possible use of steroids.

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