Federal investigators seized suspected anabolic steroids in a raid on the house of Barry Bonds's personal trainer in September, threatening to expand a rapidly growing scandal that is engulfing baseball at all levels.
The San Francisco Chronicle, citing two unnamed sources, reported yesterday that a raid on the Burlingame, Calif., condo of trainer Greg Anderson netted steroids. The raid also collected paper and computer files containing the names of athletes, as well as details of the type of drug and schedule of use.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that four unidentified baseball players tested positive for banned drugs during two recent tournaments, the Americas Olympic qualifying and the World Cup. Identities will not be made public pending an analysis of the samples.
Canada advanced to the Olympic Games in Athens by finishing second in the Americas qualifying event in Panama City. The Canadian team comprised minor leaguers and players not on the 25-man rosters of major league teams.
Jim Baba, executive director of Baseball Canada, said that the organization had not been notified if any of its players were among the two positives found in 34 samples taken in Panama. That means the players were from other countries. "The way it's been done in the past, we would have been informed," Baba said.
Bonds, an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, has denied that he uses steroids, but he is scheduled to appear before a grand jury on Dec. 4 investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative. BALCO, a company based in the San Francisco suburb of Burlingame, has been accused by U.S. Olympic drug-testing officials of distributing the so-called designer steroid known as THG or tetrahydrogestrinone. Seven athletes, including four members of the Oakland Raiders, have tested positive for THG, which according to sports scientists disintegrates during standard testing.
Bonds has been a customer of BALCO and Victor Conte, the company's director, and he has admitted that he uses nutritional supplements designed by the company. Anderson, a childhood friend of Bonds, has also been linked with the company. It was Anderson who introduced another major league star, Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, to BALCO. Anderson was a frequent visitor to the Giants clubhouse this season and was invited by Bonds on a barnstorming tour of Japan after the 2002 season.
Giambi was on that tour and is also scheduled to appear before the grand jury, which has been hearing testimony from several high-profile athletes since Oct. 30.
Bonds's lawyer, Michael Rains, said he wasn't concerned by the report about the results of the raid on Anderson's condominium.
"I'm aware that Greg trained a number of other athletes other than Barry, a lot of non-athletes and bodybuilder types, as well," Rains told the Chronicle. "Whatever they found, if they did find steroids, doesn't worry me so far as any relation to my client."
