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Bonds Tests May Be Tossed

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: February 6, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge says she might toss some of the strongest evidence against Barry Bonds, a blow to prosecutors trying to prove the home-run king lied when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said her "preliminary thoughts" were to exclude from trial three 2000-01 positive drug tests that prosecutors say belong to Bonds unless there is a direct link that the urine samples came from the former San Francisco Giants slugger.

"If there's no testimony to establish that, I don't think any of them work," Illston said.

The only person who can do that seems to be Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who spent more than a year behind bars for refusing to speak to a federal grand jury investigating Bonds. And Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, has said his client will not testify against Bonds at the trial, scheduled to start March 2.

Without someone to authenticate that the test results were from Bonds' urine, Illston said claims that the tests were Bonds' were "classic hearsay."

Based on the same logic, Illston said she likely also would exclude a doping calendar and other papers seized by federal investigators at Anderson's home.

She was inclined to allow a recorded conversation between Anderson and Bonds' former assistant Steve Hoskins in which they discuss injecting steroids. Hoskins recorded the conversation without Anderson's knowledge.

Illston will issue a formal decision on the evidence at a later date.

First indicted in November 2007, Bonds pleaded not guilty for a third time after the government revised the charges to fix technicalities. He faces 10 counts of making false statements to a grand jury, plus an obstruction of justice charge.

If convicted, Bonds faces a sentence between probation and two years in prison.

BLUE JAYS: Left-hander Brian Tallet agreed to a one-year contract worth $1,015,000.

PADRES: Veteran slugger Cliff Floyd, who played for the Rays last season, agreed to a $750,000, one-year deal with San Diego.

RAYS: Veteran reliever Brian Shouse, 40, underwent a physical Thursday. An official announcement of the left-hander's signing with Tampa Bay is expected today or Monday.

RANGERS: Free-agent right-hander Ben Sheets could be headed for elbow surgery after contract negotiations with Texas fell through because of the injury.

Texas had been discussing a two-year deal with Sheets, the NL starter in the All-Star Game last season, a person familiar with the talks said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal never was finalized.

A physical revealed that the torn flexor tendon Sheets sustained last season apparently has not healed, the person said.

TWINS: Reliever Matt Guerrier agreed to a one-year, $1.475 million deal.

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