Say it ain't so, Barry

Barry, Barry, Barry...

image from ESPN.com

And on the second day, the San Francisco Chronicle has grand jury testimony from Barry Bonds. (Who the hell is leaking this stuff to the press? Think it's happening because the president of the company that supplied these drugs - BALCO - is appearing on ABC's 20/20 tonight?)

In that testimony, Bonds admitted using the same "clear" and "cream" products that Jason Giambi said contained testosterone - in other words, steroids. Bonds, however, said he didn't know those were steroids and claims his trainer - remember, the same guy who supplied this stuff to Giambi - told him the "clear" was flaxseed oil and "the cream" a rubbing balm for arthritis. Apparently, Bonds is Alfred E. Neuman: What, he worry?

Then federal prosecutors informed Bonds that he'd been taking a lot of performance-enhancing drugs: Human growth hormone, Depo-Testosterone, insulin, and something called CLOMID, a female fertility drug that probably caused that pituitary tumor in Giambi. The man is a virtual medicine cabinet.

Five other players testified to the grand jury also, the most prominent of them being Giambi's New York Yankee teammate, Gary Sheffield. According to the Chronicle report, however, Sheffield only said he was given "the cream" and "the clear" by Bonds. He didn't say if he took them. (I'm almost willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, since he's not a bulging hulk like Bonds and Giambi. But there's already so much smoke here.)

There could be asterisks all over that baseball record book soon.

(And the Chronicle is going to win a Pulitzer for this stuff. Place your bets now!)