Thg indictments

[pudgy]

TweetAssociated Press
SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal prosecutors are seeking indictments against a nutritional supplements lab, its founder and the personal trainer of baseball star Barry Bonds, The Associated Press has learned.


A grand jury in San Francisco was to be presented with indictment papers by prosecutors Thursday morning, according to federal law enforcement sources, who spoke Wednesday night with the AP on condition of anonymity.


Grand jurors have spent several months probing the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and its founder, Victor Conte. Another target of the grand jury has been personal trainer Greg Anderson.


The two federal law enforcement sources would not divulge what charges prosecutors were seeking from the grand jury, which has been probing possible violations of tax laws and the allegedly improper distribution of steroids.


Conte has denied supplying athletes with banned substances. He did not immediately respond Wednesday night to an e-mail seeking comment.


The law enforcement sources said no indictments were being sought now against any athletes.


The move comes three weeks after President Bush, in his State of the Union speech, appealed to athletes and pro sports leagues to wipe out the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Bush called on the leagues to implement stringent drug policies, and reminded athletes that they are role models for America's youth.


A parade of top athletes from at least five sports, ranging from Bonds to Olympic track star Marion Jones to boxer Shane Mosley, appeared before the grand jury probing BALCO and Anderson from late October to mid-December.


Conte has been accused of providing the recently discovered steroid THG to athletes. Five track and field athletes face two-year suspensions for THG use, while four Oakland Raiders players also flunked tests for the steroid unmasked by anti-doping officials last summer.


The steroid was uncovered only after an unidentified track coach gave the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency a syringe containing a substance that ultimately was identified as THG. That coach said he got the substance from Conte, who has denied the accusation.


BALCO, which operates out of an inconspicuous building in the shadow of San Francisco International Airport, claims it takes blood and urine samples from athletes and then prescribes a regimen of supplements to compensate for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.


Bonds and other top athletes such as Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski have been boosters of Conte and BALCO. Bonds has been a client since before the 2001 season -- when he set the single-season home run record of 73.


Bonds, 39, has been working for years with Anderson, a boyhood friend.


"I visit BALCO every three to six months. They check my blood to make sure my levels are where they should be. Maybe I need to eat more broccoli than I normally do. Maybe my zinc and magnesium intakes need to increase," Bonds said in last June's issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine.


"Victor will call me to make sure I'm taking my supplements, and my trainer Greg will sit near my locker and stare at me if I don't begin working out right away. I have these guys pushing me."


Conte is no stranger to the spotlight.


When four separate tests before the 2000 Sydney Olympics showed U.S. shot putter C.J. Hunter had 1,000 times the allowable amount of the steroid nandrolone in his system, Conte took the blame, claiming the positive tests were the result of contaminated iron supplements he had supplied to Hunter -- the former husband of Marion Jones.

[71olds442]

Tweetuhhh oh. mlb is going to be running steroid tests this year... if you get caught 1x its a suspension that is not reported, the second time it gets published.

[FUZO]

TweetWHEN EVERY BODY IN BASE BALL TESTS POSITIVE FOR STEROIDS ARE THEY GOING TO CANCEL THE SEASON I THINK NOT.WHAT DRAWS PEOPLE TO GAMES BIG NAMED STARS. THEY DONT PLAY PEOPLE DONT COME REVENUE DROPS DO I NEED SAY MORE.

[warpalien]

TweetMLB is going to run some of the big names off, during a time when MLB has about as many fans as women golf. was it last year or the year before they were going to close 2 teams down?

i say lets get with vince mcmahanon and do a WWE MLB. he tried with with football, but lets try it with baseball. nothing but muscle bound freaks cracking the ball 800 feet over the wall.

[Massive1]

Tweetno matter how big baseeball players get when they're up at bat they still have to make contact with the ball. That's the athetecism (sp?) and skill that's noncongruent with AAS useage anyway. It's either you got it or you don't. In sports it's innate ability that's makes participants the best.

[HeHateMe]

TweetHypothetical question---If it's ever 'proven' that Bonds took performance enhancing drugs (everyone with half a brain knows that he has) should his homerun records be wiped from the record books? He holds the single season and has a legitimate shot at Aaron's all-time record...

[spidey]

TweetI don't think it is fair for him to be compared to Hank Aaron when everyone knows he's juiced to the gills. That isn't fair to Aaron.

[FUZO]

TweetHE SHOULD KEEP THE RECORD.HE HIT THEM NO MATTER WHAT THERE ON. THERES PROBABLY PLAYERS ON MORE SHIT THAN HE WAS THAT DIDNT HIT AS MANY.

[HeHateMe]

TweetCan you imagine how many homers Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Schmidt, etc would have if they played in today's era of juice, smaller ballparks, and watered down pitching? It'd be unbelieveable...

[Slightly Enhanced]

TweetWhat I think is funny is Bonds bragging to the whole world, “I have never done steroids. Test me.”

The only reason he was so confident is because he didn’t think they could detect the THG. It will interesting to see if he can keep up the pace now

[Slightly Enhanced]

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Originally posted by spidey
I don't think it is fair for him to be compared to Hank Aaron when everyone knows he's juiced to the gills. That isn't fair to Aaron.

You also have to think that Aaron didn’t face any juiced up pitchers either.

[HeHateMe]

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Originally posted by Slightly Enhanced
You also have to think that Aaron didn’t face any juiced up pitchers either.

Pitching today is nowhere near where it used to be. Expansion has brought many what would be AAA level pitchers to the big leagues.

[HeHateMe]

TweetI don't feel there are a whole lot of pitchers juicing, but pitching is more of a craft anyways. Just because a pitcher can add a little speed, that doesn't necessarily translate into more dominance. It's more about location and how good you're stuff is.

For a homerun hitter, extra bat speed and an extra 15 ft or so on those long fly balls can make a helluva difference. All of a sudden those warning track shots are homers.