Barry Bonds - Security Rep Visits Dodgers In Effort To Protect Bonds - SF Chronicle

Baseball security chief visits L.A. as he keeps track of how teams are protecting Bonds

Henry Schulman - SF Chronicle
Saturday, April 15, 2006

Los Angeles -- The first Giants series in Los Angeles prompted a visit from Major League Baseball's security chief, Kevin Hallinan, who revealed he met privately with Barry Bonds each of the last two springs to discuss his safety as he pursues the home-run record.

"I promise these players every year in spring training, I take responsibility for their security and their families' security," Hallinan said. "It's good to have a working relationship with all of them. When one of them is going for a record or is in some way in prominence, they'll get special attention, absolutely."

However, for all the talk of beefed-up security for Bonds in light of the steroids scandal, Hallinan said baseball and the teams Bonds visits are not necessarily flooding ballparks with more cops. Instead, Hallinan is having the teams' operations people talk with one another. For instance, he debriefed the Padres' security folks and asked what they might have done better when the Giants were there last week. Hallinan then had the Padres pass their answer to the Dodgers' people, who in turn will talk to Diamondbacks security ahead of Monday's game in Phoenix.

Hallinan would not divulge specific numbers of security personnel but said, "There's a way of moving people around from a timing standpoint. Sometimes it's good to do a good commercial at the front gate, showing a lot of (security) people. Those are the same people appearing at certain parts of the ballpark. Many times it isn't the number of people, it's how you use them.

"It's like a good shortstop. He knows how to position himself. It's the same with security guards. You've got to know how to position them."

Hallinan will not change his game plan based on the headlines, such as Thursday's revelation that a federal grand jury is investigating Bonds for alleged perjury.

"You try not to let the news of the day dictate what you're going to do or not going to do," he said. "I don't allow what's being alleged in the media and what's happened to impact that. I try to be consistent in my planning process across the board."

More on 25: In a scene sure to be repeated in every city, Los Angeles reporters tried to get manager Felipe Alou to discuss the allegations against Bonds. Alou made it clear he will not answer. When asked for the thousandth time if this was a distraction for the team, Alou said, "We don't have time to give it time here."

General manager Brian Sabean, speaking with Giants beat reporters, was asked if he had any contingencies in case the team lost Bonds for reasons not related to injury. He responded, "We've already done that. We've deepened the team the best we can, whether he's in the lineup or out of the lineup."

LA Angels Spring Training Home Attendance Down From 2005

Angels' home draws raves, fewer fans
JJ Hensley

The Arizona Republic
Apr. 15, 2006 12:00 AM

Spring training put a spring in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's step, even if attendance was down this year.

The club drew 94,739 fans this year at the renovated Tempe Diablo Stadium, down from more than 106,000 a year ago. But with the club playing two fewer games and competing for fans with the World Baseball Classic, the Angels brass found the silver lining.

"We think it was a great spring training," said Tim Mead, the Angels' vice president of communications. "With the (World Baseball Classic) event there, there were a lot of people worried about how that was going to affect Cactus League play, but we think there was plenty of baseball to go around for everybody."

Overall numbers from the Cactus League back that up.

The league eclipsed the million-fan mark for the third consecutive year, drawing 1,169,030 for the 12 teams in the league. The World Baseball Classic drew more than 90,000 fans in Arizona.

The numbers league-wide and for the Angels would have been higher but a string of rainouts and a split-squad game on the final weekend of play kept some fans away, Mead said.

Still, he said, the club's revenues were up. Spring 2006 also was memorable as the year the club unveiled the redone stadium, which received a $20 million face lift in less than a year.

Mead said officials with teams throughout Major League Baseball were impressed with the club's facility, which allowed the team to move its minor leaguers into a shared facility with the big-league club.

"The people it probably meant the most to were the kids coming into the minor league camp," he said. "For them, it was, 'We're in the big leagues now.' "

And Tempe is in the big leagues, too, if only for a month.

Mead said the club has always seen a lot of the Angels' trademark scarlet hue in the stadium, but with the new facility, the team has started to create a real connection with Tempe.

"The interest is there," he said. "We've started to reach that point where we start establishing a quote-unquote, home base."

Retailers, restaurants and bars in Tempe and along Mill Avenue are getting used to seeing the effects of spring training at the cash register, too.

"Business is always great during March," and this year was no different, said Sarah Krajnak, manager of The Library,a Mill Avenue bar.

The reason, Mead said, is simple. Between the scouts and the fans, the Cactus League and the World Baseball Classic, "There was probably not a better place in the country to watch baseball than in Arizona."

Florida Marlins Tickets - Marlins Tickets Exchange

You can see Florida Fins baseball by getting these Florida Marlins tickets at the Marlins Tickets Exchange - click here.

LA Angels of Anaheim Tickets - Angels Tickets Exchange

You can get LA Angels of Anaheim Tickets at this great tickets exchange -- click here!

LA Angels of Anaheim Tickets - Angels Tickets Exchange

You can get LA Angels of Anaheim Tickets at this great tickets exchange -- click here!

Barry Bonds: The Witch Hunt Gets Deeper - Feds Investigating Perjury Charge - CNN

They're determined, but I'd be surprised if anything comes of this chapter in the race to get Barry Bonds to admit the use of steroids, even when he's not tested positive. There's still the matter of Victor Conti's recent claims that he never gave Bonds steroids.

Sources: Grand jury looking at whether Bonds lied about steroid use

From Ted Rowlands
CNN

Friday, April 14, 2006; Posted: 2:30 a.m. EDT (06:30 GMT)

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A federal grand jury is considering whether to indict San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds for perjury because of testimony he gave to another grand jury in 2003, CNN has learned.

Bonds told the first grand jury in December 2003 that he was clean. The new panel has been hearing testimony for a month about whether the baseball superstar lied about his steroid use during the hearing, several sources said.

"This is extremely bad news for Barry Bonds," said CNN senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin, "because a federal prosecutor doesn't start looking into perjury unless he has a pretty good idea he's going to find perjury at the end of the day."

The U.S. Attorney's office would neither confirm nor deny the report. Grand jury proceedings are generally kept secret.

Bonds' legal team is unaware that a grand jury convened to hear the case, said Harry Stern, a spokesman for the attorneys

On December 4, 2003, Bonds and other athletes testified in the BALCO case, which targeted Greg Anderson, a trainer and longtime friend to Bonds, and Victor Conte, founder of the Bay-Area Laboratory Co-Operative, a sports nutrition center alleged to have created designer steroids.

During the hearing, prosecutors asked Bonds if he had used steroids, and when the man who is seeking to become baseball's all-time home run king emerged from the hearing, his attorney Mike Raines told reporters:

"Barry testified truthfully to the grand jury. Barry Bonds is clean."

Conte spent four months in jail after pleading guilty to distributing steroids, and Anderson was sentenced to three months on the same charge.

Bonds and his colleagues were offered immunity for their testimony. The deal was simple: Tell the truth, and you draw a walk; lie and go down for perjury.

Raines has long said that the federal government is out to get his client. And without admitting any wrongdoing on his client's behalf, he has suggested that prosecutors, with their immunity deal, are setting a familiar snare for Bonds.

"Look no further than Martha Stewart. The trap is perjury," Raines said. "You offer immunity and you get him in there and then you ask them questions and you get them on lying to federal officers.

"That's the trap. That's exactly what they got Martha for."

Raines also has suggested that prosecutors are going after his client because of his name and notoriety, not the allegations leveled against him.

Toobin said that wouldn't surprise him.

"Prosecutors are supposed to go after the big fish. It's those kind of prosecutions that tell everyone that it's not OK to lie to prosecutors or to a grand jury," the legal analyst said.

A House committee considered perjury charges against Baltimore Oriole Rafael Palmeiro when he failed a drug test for steroids following congressional testimony in March 2005 that he had never used them. The committee decided in November not to pursue the charges, citing "confusing and contradictory" information, according to The Washington Post.

"We couldn't find any evidence of steroid use prior to his testimony," committee chairman Rep. Thomas A. Davis III was quoted in the paper as saying. "That's not a finding of innocence, but it's a finding that we could not substantiate perjury."

Bonds' repeated and adamant denial that he knowingly used steroids came under new scrutiny when "Game of Shadows" -- billed as an expose -- hit bookstore shelves last month. The book claims Bonds used steroids he obtained from Anderson during the 1998-2003 seasons. That time span includes the 2001 season in which Bonds swatted 73 homers, surpassing Mark McGwire's single-season record.

Major League Baseball did not begin testing for steroids until 2003. Since the league began testing, the MLB has never reported that Bonds failed a drug test.

Raines has issued a statement saying Bonds has no intention of reading the book. "Barry regards this as an unfortunate distraction to his friends and teammates at the San Francisco Giants, and to the good name and the great players in Major League Baseball," read the statement on Bonds' Web site.

It further stated that the allegations have "misled the public in the interest of financial and professional self promotion."

After the book was published, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former U.S. Senator George Mitchell to oversee an investigation into steroid use in baseball. (Full story)

Bonds missed most of last season with knee problems and had three surgeries to repair the knee. With 708 career home runs, Bonds trails Babe Ruth by six homers and Hank Aaron, the all-time leader, by 47. He has yet to hit a home run this season.

Oakland A's Continue Flirtation With Fremont On New Stadium - It Will Never Work

You've read it here first. By the time the City of Fremont adds the costs required to make the Cisco lot a really viable location for a new baseball stadium, the cost will be so high they'll punt on the entire effort, or be forced to by the city's residents. The traffic needs and environmental and access problems -- not to mention the lack of population density there -- make the site less than acceptable barring a $100 million expenditure on top of the stadium cost.

Just watch.

The other problem is that the A's are darting here and there like a high school girl who just realized boys like her. My read is the team's continuing to play "set up" -- if a deal's not quickly done, then they can say "The Bay Area just doesn't work." Or say, "change the Major League Agreement so we can move to San Jose." I reallly think the A's have adopted that strategy. I'm certain of it. They're moving way too fast and making too many errors in the process.

Here's the Trib article.

A's see a strong pitch in Fremont
Team, Cisco hashing out deal for 143 acres that ultimately could spell end to pro baseball in Oakland

By Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITER, OAKLAND TRIBUNE

FREMONT -- Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff is close to completing negotiations with Cisco Systems Inc. for a 143-acre parcel, a deal that could clear a major hurdle in allowing the team to move to Fremont, City Manager Fred Diaz said.

"I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's," Diaz said. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the city of Fremont, then we'll find it and make that happen."

The Fremont city manager's comments came after Wolff briefly met April 3 with Fremont City Council members and staffers, including Diaz and Daren Fields, Fremont's economic development director.

Some city officials also were at a March 29 meeting in which Wolff told more than 200 people he is serious about pursuing a new ballpark on Fremont land.

If a deal between Cisco and the A's is completed, the next step would be for the team to submit a development application for the site, adjacent to Interstate 880 and just south of the Pacific Commons shopping center. An environmental impact report for the land then would be issued; that would take about 12 months.

Talks have progressed so far that only a few issues, such as stadium naming rights, remainunresolved, Diaz said: "That is my understanding through (talking with) Lew Wolff."

But Diaz said he does not rule out the possibility of the A's staying in Oakland or moving to San Jose or another city.
"I have never underestimated the competition ... in this race to attract the A's," he said.

Both Wolff and a Cisco spokeswoman have declined to comment on the negotiations.

When asked about Fremont sites, Wolff said last week, "You can close your eyes and picture that part of the Bay Area 10 years from now. It's going to be a growth area."

Wolff said Fremont has land that could fit "our idea of a baseball village. It will be more than just a ballpark."
In fact, it could include a hotel connected to the ballpark, thousands of houses and a major retail complex. The A's could use money from the mixed-use development to finance the stadium and avoid touching public funds, Wolff said.

Cisco leased the 143-acre property in 2000, and the San Jose tech company has an option to buy the land between 2007 and 2010. Cisco prepaid about $100 million in rent and also paid infrastructure costs on the parcel, Fields said.

Even if Cisco and the A's complete an agreement, there are many details to be worked out. Access to the Pacific Commons site is a potential problem. The Fremont BART station is about five miles from the site, so traffic could cause problems.

By comparison, AT&T Park in San Francisco provides access for fans through a combination of nearby Caltrain and Muni rail line stations, a ferry stop behind the stadium and BART lines several blocks away on Market Street. Oakland's McAfee Coliseum features nearby BART and Capitol Corridor stops. But those details can be worked out, Wolff said.

"Everybody is looking for the negative here," he said. "There are lots of issues, and we'll deal with all of them. I don't have all the answers this minute."

Wolff, a Los Angeles developer, co-owns the team with billionaire John Fisher, son of Gap founder Don Fisher. Wolff has turned to Fremont because he believes the team needs a new ballpark to replace its current, 40-year-old Oakland home.
A Fremont ballpark would allow the A's to tap into the corporate dollars of Silicon Valley without invading the South Bay territorial rights that belong to the San Francisco Giants. In Fremont, the team also would stay close to the East Bay suburbs along the Interstate 680 corridor.

Minnesota Twins Tickets - Twins Tickets Exchange

You can get Minn Twins tickets with a click here! Sell them here, too!

Oakland A's Top Seattle Mariners 6-4

A's nearly throw lead away but hang on to top Mariners
By Joe Roderick
Knight Ridder
Talk to other A's fans in our forum
SEATTLE - Oh sure, there was some good-natured ribbing going on among relievers Justin Duchscherer and Huston Street in the afterglow of the A's 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

But no one found any humor -- at least not those wearing green and gold -- when Street's underhand lob in the ninth inning to Nick Swisher was high, pulling the first baseman off the base and prolonging a game that was quickly becoming a slapstick routine.

``It wasn't very comfortable sitting on the bench that last out,'' Manager Ken Macha said.

Street, after his miscue, induced Jose Lopez to ground out to shortstop Bobby Crosby, mercifully ending this one. It was remarkable that the game came down to the wire after the A's took a 6-0 lead into the eighth, with starter Rich Harden having allowed just two hits.

With an absence of the customary postgame music -- players were riveted to the Masters on the big screen -- reporters approached Street, who first had to hear it from his buddy and fellow reliever.

``Softball, underhanded lollygagging,'' is what Duchscherer called Street's toss on a smash hit by Ichiro Suzuki. ``We get on Huston, but he knows we're just joking. He always does that when he fields a ball. Ichiro's speed might have shocked him.''

Actually, replays showed Swisher touched the base a split-second before Suzuki. The two then collided, bringing the potential go-ahead run, in Lopez, to the plate.

``It looked ugly,'' Macha said. ``He's got to get his feet under him. He ran halfway over there and threw a grenade.''

Said Street, ``I like to run the ball over there. I thought I had more time. I didn't realize how fast Ichiro is. He hit the ball hard and I still didn't have time.''

The way Harden was comporting himself, Street -- and everyone else at Safeco Field -- thought he wouldn't get anywhere near the mound.

``I think the gun here is off,'' Street said. ``He was throwing a lot harder than that.''

When told Harden was touching 97 mph on the scoreboard clock, Street said, ``Those were probably 100.''

Harden retired the first 14 batters before Adrian Beltre singled to left-center with two out in the fifth. He allowed a seventh-inning double to Richie Sexson, then Beltre walked and Jeremy Reed singled to begin the eighth. As Harden said, ``I was out of gas.''

The A's streak of 27 scoreless innings -- two away from tying the team's second-longest stretch -- was intact until Duchscherer hit Lopez on a 1-2 count with the bases loaded in the eighth. (The club record of 37 consecutive scoreless innings was set in 1983.)

``I didn't want to be the guy to end the consecutive-shutout streak,'' Duchscherer said. ``I threw him a front-door slider and it stayed in and hit him on the elbow.''

Harden wouldn't allow thoughts of a no-hitter to seep into his conscience.

``If you start thinking about that stuff out there you're going to try to change,'' he said. ``You have to keep doing what you're doing and not change. I didn't think about it.''

The A's scraped together enough runs, though the lead was precarious at the end. Mark Ellis, who was hitting .158 and had Saturday off, returned to leadoff and went 3 for 4.

Eric Chavez gave the A's a six-run lead with a seventh-inning home run, his third in seven games. Chavez didn't hit his third homer last season until May 17.

New York Yankees Beat LA Angels

Posada stars as Yankees trounce Angels

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Jorge Posada hit his first two home runs of the season while knocking in five runs, as the New York Yankees avoided a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels by posting a 10-1 win at Angel Stadium.

Robinson Cano plated a pair of runs on three hits and Alex Rodriguez also posted three hits, including his second home run of the season for the Yankees, who halted a four-game losing streak.

Mike Mussina (1-0) turned in a strong start by allowing just one run and five hits over six innings. He also struck out five and walked two to grab his first win of the season after getting a no decision in his first start against Oakland.

Chone Figgins drove in the lone run for the Angels, who had a modest two-game winning streak halted. Los Angeles was trying for a home sweep against the Yankees for the first time since 1995.

Bartolo Colon (0-1) hardly looked like the reigning Cy Young award winner as he was torched for eight runs - seven earned - on seven hits in just two-plus innings of work. He also received a no decision in his first start of the season.

After plating 15 runs in their first game of the season against Oakland, the Yankees had scored just 10 runs over their last four games, including just three over their two games against the Angles. New York, though, broke out of their slump in a hurry with a five-run second inning.

Rodriguez, who has always hit Colon well in his career, started the barrage. He came into the game with seven home runs and 16 RBI in 43 at bats against the right-handed hurler and his first at bat of the day was no different as he drilled a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall.

The flood gates opened from there as Jason Giambi singled and Hideki Matsui reached on an error before Posada took Colon deep for a three-run homer that made it a 4-0 game with no outs.

Cano followed with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Miguel Cairo, and, after Johnny Damon walked, scored on Derek Jeter's double down the right field line.

Colon didn't make it out of the third as he opened up the inning by walking Giambi before allowing a single to Matsui and a double to Posada that plated Giambi.

The spelled the end for Colon and he was replaced by Esteban Yan, who promptly allowed a two-run double to Cano for an 8-0 Yankees lead before settling down to get out of the inning.

Los Angeles got on the board in the bottom of the third on Figgins' run- scoring single that plated Jeff Mathis to make it 8-1. The Angles had the bases loaded with two outs, but Tim Salmon flied out to the warning track in left field to squander the chance.

Posada led off the fifth inning with a solo blast to right field to make it a 9-1 contest. In the sixth, Matsui put New York in double digits after his single to center scored Rodriguez. The Yankees had the bases loaded in the inning, but Cano grounded into a force out to end the threat.

New York Yankees Beat LA Angels

Posada stars as Yankees trounce Angels

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Jorge Posada hit his first two home runs of the season while knocking in five runs, as the New York Yankees avoided a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels by posting a 10-1 win at Angel Stadium.

Robinson Cano plated a pair of runs on three hits and Alex Rodriguez also posted three hits, including his second home run of the season for the Yankees, who halted a four-game losing streak.

Mike Mussina (1-0) turned in a strong start by allowing just one run and five hits over six innings. He also struck out five and walked two to grab his first win of the season after getting a no decision in his first start against Oakland.

Chone Figgins drove in the lone run for the Angels, who had a modest two-game winning streak halted. Los Angeles was trying for a home sweep against the Yankees for the first time since 1995.

Bartolo Colon (0-1) hardly looked like the reigning Cy Young award winner as he was torched for eight runs - seven earned - on seven hits in just two-plus innings of work. He also received a no decision in his first start of the season.

After plating 15 runs in their first game of the season against Oakland, the Yankees had scored just 10 runs over their last four games, including just three over their two games against the Angles. New York, though, broke out of their slump in a hurry with a five-run second inning.

Rodriguez, who has always hit Colon well in his career, started the barrage. He came into the game with seven home runs and 16 RBI in 43 at bats against the right-handed hurler and his first at bat of the day was no different as he drilled a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall.

The flood gates opened from there as Jason Giambi singled and Hideki Matsui reached on an error before Posada took Colon deep for a three-run homer that made it a 4-0 game with no outs.

Cano followed with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Miguel Cairo, and, after Johnny Damon walked, scored on Derek Jeter's double down the right field line.

Colon didn't make it out of the third as he opened up the inning by walking Giambi before allowing a single to Matsui and a double to Posada that plated Giambi.

The spelled the end for Colon and he was replaced by Esteban Yan, who promptly allowed a two-run double to Cano for an 8-0 Yankees lead before settling down to get out of the inning.

Los Angeles got on the board in the bottom of the third on Figgins' run- scoring single that plated Jeff Mathis to make it 8-1. The Angles had the bases loaded with two outs, but Tim Salmon flied out to the warning track in left field to squander the chance.

Posada led off the fifth inning with a solo blast to right field to make it a 9-1 contest. In the sixth, Matsui put New York in double digits after his single to center scored Rodriguez. The Yankees had the bases loaded in the inning, but Cano grounded into a force out to end the threat.

Tigers Tickets - Detroit Tigers Tickets Exchange

For great Detroit Tigers tickets go via the title post or click here!

Mets Tickets - New York Mets Tickets Exchange - Mets Tickets

You can see the New York Mets. Get tickets via clicking on the title of this post, or clicking here.

SF Giants Tickets - Giants Tickets Exchange

A great place to get tickets to see the SF Giants and Barry Bonds. Just click here or on the title of this post.

Rangers Tickets - Texas Rangers Tickets Exchange - Rangers Tickets

Texas Rangers Tickets Exchange is at the link to the title of this post. Buy or sell your Rangers Tickets here -- safer than Craiglist.

Chicago Cubs Sweep St. Louis Cardinals - Michael Barrett Homer Keys 8-4 Victory

CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Barrett couldn't conceal his joy, or his pain and relief.

Barrett hit a grand slam off Jason Isringhausen in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4 Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep.

That concluded arguably his best weekend on the diamond and one of his worst away from it.

He caught 319-game winner Greg Maddux in Friday's opener, hit a game-tying pinch-hit homer on Saturday, and a go-ahead grand slam on Sunday.

"Wow, I don't know what's going on," Barrett said, a smile stretching across his face.

Off the field, Barrett had problems though.

A tornado sent a tree ripping through the side of his house in his hometown Atlanta, taking out a deck and a living room window. His parents didn't tell him until Saturday night.

"That's just God saying, 'You'd better stay humble; I'll find you," Barrett said, adding no one was in the house.

With St. Louis leading 4-3, Ricardo Rincon walked Todd Walker to open the eighth inning. Isringhausen (0-1) relieved and walked Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez on eight pitches to load the bases for Barrett, who homered for the second straight day.

It was Barrett's second career grand slam, and it made a winner out of reliever Scott Williamson (1-0), who pitched a scoreless inning. The Cubs scored another run on a wild pitch by Josh Hancock.

"I had bad mechanics (against) the first two guys," Isringhausen said. "I thought I could get in on him with my best pitch, get a ground ball and try to get a double play. I didn't get in there far enough."

Fans chanted "Sweep!" after Barrett's shot, and the Cubs did just that, finishing their first three-game sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since June 2001.

The win was also the 1,100th for Cubs manager Dusty Baker.

Barrett had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning to tie Saturday's game as the Cubs rallied for a 3-2 victory.

Scott Rolen hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Albert Pujols singled in two in the fifth to give the Cardinals 4-3 lead.

Sidney Ponson allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings in his first start since signing with the Cardinals in the offseason but did not figure in the decision.

His lone mistake was a three-run homer by Jacque Jones -- his first hit as a Cub.

Chicago starter Sean Marshall allowed four runs and four hits in 4 1-3 innings in his major league debut. He left with a 3-2 lead and the bases loaded in the fifth.

Michael Wuertz, making his first appearance this season, relieved and allowed a two-out, two-run single to Pujols that put the Cardinals ahead.

The 23-year-old Marshall, who had never pitched above Double-A, started the game by retiring David Eckstein and Juan Encarnacion on grounders. He then walked Pujols and Rolen hit a 3-2 pitch to left for his second homer.

Marshall retired 10 of the next 11 batters before running into trouble in the fifth.

"He showed me a lot today," Barrett said.

Jones gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the fourth with his homer after two-out singles by Ramirez and Barrett.

Booed after a second-inning grounder that made him 0-for-13 on the season, Jones won the fans over when he lined a 3-2 pitch from Ponson into the shrubs beyond the center-field wall.

"It's just a relief to get that first hit out of the way," he said after going 2-for-4.

Chicago's Ronny Cedeno had four hits, including a double.

Ponson wasn't spectacular, but he was effective after a disastrous ending last season in Baltimore.

He started 5-1, but lost his last seven decisions to finish at 7-11 before going on the disabled list with a strained right calf and getting released on Sept. 1.

And he was headed to a victory -- until the eighth.

"The one thing I like about this team is as great as it was, as funs as it was, there's no real celebrating what happened today," Barrett said. "It means we're focused and moving on."

Chicago Cubs 2006 Tickets - Cubs Tickets Exchange

You can get Chicago Cubs tickets with a click here. It's safer than Craigslist.

Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees Win Openers - White Sox Get Rings: Seattle Post

Halladay tops Santana; White Sox get rings
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - April 4, 2006

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Not long after the Chicago White Sox received their championship rings, Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays showed why they could contend for a title this year.

Halladay outpitched Johan Santana in a matchup of recent Cy Young Award winners, and B.J. Ryan earned a save in his Toronto debut Tuesday night as the revamped Blue Jays opened the season with a 6-3 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins.

Tired of finishing third behind the big-spending Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East, the Blue Jays signed Gold Glove catcher Bengie Molina, starter A.J. Burnett and Ryan during an expensive offseason overhaul. They also traded for slugger Troy Glaus and first baseman Lyle Overbay.

The new additions paid off right away.

Molina homered off Santana to give Toronto a 3-1 lead. Ryan, signed to a $47 million, five-year contract - the richest ever for a reliever - entered to loud cheers and struck out two in a perfect ninth to close it out.

"You saw it all tonight - by design," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said with a smirk.



After winning it all in 2005 for the first time in 88 years, the White Sox took home their glittering hardware Tuesday afternoon.
In a pregame ceremony before Chicago hosted Cleveland, commissioner Bud Selig assisted White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Kenny Williams in passing out the rings.

Then the Indians put a damper on Chicago's latest celebration, beating their AL Central rival 8-2. Aaron Boone homered, drove in four runs and crashed into catcher A.J. Pierzynski to score a run for Cleveland.

"The rings are great. We can now put last year behind us and move on," Pierzynski said, adding that the ceremony had nothing to do with the way the White Sox played. "After tomorrow, hopefully all this stuff goes away and we can focus on the season."

And manager Ozzie Guillen, who embraced Reinsdorf in a huge bear hug as he went to receive his ring, agreed. It's been fun, but time to move on.

"It was great, nice for the guys. Thank God this thing is over. All the circus is over and we can concentrate on playing baseball," Guillen said.

In other AL games, it was: Texas 10, Boston 4, Seattle 10, Los Angeles 8; and Oakland 4, New York 3.

Winning pitcher Jake Westbrook allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings for the Indians, who put lefty C.C. Sabathia on the 15-day disabled list before the game with a strained abdominal muscle.

Victor Martinez also homered for Cleveland as the Indians roughed up loser Freddy Garcia for seven runs and nine hits in four innings. The Indians bounced back from Sunday night's soggy season opener, when they lost 10-4 in a game interrupted nearly three hours by rain.

Jim Thome hit a long homer for the White Sox, his second in two games against his former team.

In Toronto, Alex Rios also homered and had three hits for the Blue Jays. Glaus led off the fourth with a double, advanced to third on Overbay's single and scored on Shea Hillenbrand's sacrifice fly. Molina followed with a homer off the left-field foul screen.

"All the right moves were made, hopefully," Overbay said, referring to the offseason. "It's just the way it happened today."

Halladay didn't need much offense. The 2003 AL Cy Young winner allowed three runs - two earned - and five hits, striking out four and walking none in 7 2-3 innings. He missed the second half of last season with a broken leg.

"It was exciting to catch a guy that can dominate like that," Molina said.

Tony Batista and Shannon Stewart homered for the Twins, who wore "34" patches on their right sleeves to honor Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. He died March 6 following a stroke.

Santana, who won the AL Cy Young in 2004, allowed four runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings in his first opening-day start.

"Things didn't go the way we expected or wanted," he said. "Give credit to those guys, they put the ball in play."

The Twins and Blue Jays were the last teams to open this season.

Rangers 10, Red Sox 4

At Arlington, Texas, Phil Nevin hit a three-run homer in the first inning and later chased struggling knuckleballer Tim Wakefield with a two-run single. Winning pitcher Vicente Padilla allowed one run and four hits over six innings in his AL debut.

Athletics 4, Yankees 3

At Oakland, Calif., Marco Scutaro hit an RBI single over left fielder Hideki Matsui's head in the bottom of the ninth for the A's. Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez homered off New York starter Mike Mussina, who pitched seven solid innings. AL Rookie of the Year Huston Street worked a scoreless ninth for the win.

Mariners 10, Angels 8

At Seattle, Richie Sexson had five RBIs and Mariners rookie catcher Kenji Johjima homered in his second consecutive game to back winner Joel Pineiro against loser John Lackey.

Garret Anderson hit a three-run shot and Tim Salmon had his first career pinch-hit homer for the Angels. It was the first homer since April 25, 2004, for Salmon, a 14-year veteran who was on the brink of retirement after missing nearly 1 1/2 seasons following operations on his shoulder and knee.

BOSTON RED SOX TICKETS - BOSTON RED SOX TICKETS EXCHANGE

For the best and cheapest Boston Red Sox Tickets, just click here, or on the title of this post above.
All purchases are 100 percent guaranteed and sent to you. Better and safer than Craigslist.

Barry Bonds Q & A From The Oakland Tribune

The truth about Bonds
FROM STAFF REPORTS

ALL EYES are on Barry Bonds.

Major League Baseball's investigators are watching him. Congress is watching him. The FBI and the IRS may be watching, too. And millions more will watch Bonds' every move this season as he takes aim at the all-time home run record.
Bonds' accomplishments are among the greatest in baseball history, and the greatest in question. For some, he will always be the ultimate symbol of the game's steroid era.

But whether you cheer his climb up the charts or view him as a loathsome cheat, it is easy to be confused on the facts as they pertain to Barry Lamar Bonds. With the Giants set to open the season Monday in San Diego, we attempt to clarify all things Bonds with answers to the 20 most common questions.

1. Where does Bonds stand on the all-time home run list?

Bonds has 708 home runs, which ranks third all-time behind Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755).

2. What will happen if Bonds passes Babe Ruth?

The Giants have said they would commemorate the occasion. If it happens at home, expect the game to be stopped and the moment to be acknowledged. Major League Baseball would get involved in the planning if Bonds begins to close in on Aaron's record.

3. How much will Bonds play this year, and is this his last season?

If he stays reasonably healthy, Bonds could play up to 120 games (out of 162). His contract expires after this season and he is preparing for this to be the end. But if he remains healthy and productive, he would seize the chance to get paid for another year. He says he'll know by midseason.

4. Will Bonds finish his career as a Giant?

That's his stated intention. He hasn't ruled out becoming a designated hitter in the American League, but the Angels don't want any part of his baggage.

5. How has Bonds looked this spring?

His bat remains otherworldly. He was 9-for-13 with four home runs in Cactus League exhibitions. Bonds also showed much improved mobility in left field from last year, when three right knee surgeries limited him to 14 games. Expect Bonds to be pitched around often.

6. How 'real' will Bonds' ESPN reality show be?

It won't be in the mold of "Fat Actress." Producer Michael Tollin pledges a fair and classy documentary-style show that mostly deals with Bonds the baseball player. Tollin insists it will include some discussion of steroids. But Bonds has review rights, so expect it mostly to reflect on Bonds' greatness as a player.

7. What was revealed in the two books on Bonds this spring?

"Game of Shadows" was written by San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. Citing three years of gathered documents, affidavits, interviews and other evidence, it asserts that Bonds regularly used a large and varied amount of potent performance-enhancing drugs starting in 1999. "Love Me, Hate Me," by former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman, is more of an anecdotal look at Bonds through the eyes of opposing players and former teammates, including some who accuse him of steroid use.

8. Why did Bonds file suit against the authors and publisher of "Game of Shadows"?

Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, sued to have the book's profits given to charity, not to keep it from being released. The suit claimed the authors violated unfair competition laws because they published sealed grand jury testimony from the BALCO case — something other writers did not have access to. A judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order on the profits and said he did not think the case had merit but could go to trial. Rains says he has not ruled out a libel case, but it would be messy and difficult to prove — and impossible if Bonds actually used steroids.

9. Is the BALCO case over?

President Victor Conte, Vice President James Valente and Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, took a plea deal and were convicted of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Anderson and Conte also were convicted of money laundering. Conte received the most prison time — four months, which he finished Thursday, to be followed by four months of house arrest. Anderson served three months in prison and is currently serving three months of house arrest. Valente received probation.

10. Does Greg Anderson still train Bonds?

Yes. According to Bonds, the two remain friends and workout partners.

11. Could Bonds still be investigated on perjury charges for his grand jury testimony in the BALCO case?

Federal investigators are within the statute of limitations but likely would have pursued perjury or obstruction of justice charges already if the case were viable. If Bonds makes conflicting statements about steroid use in the future, such as a flat-out admission, he could face federal charges.

12. Will the IRS investigate Bonds?

It's a distinct possibility. His former mistress, Kimberly Bell, contends that Bonds used unreported income from autograph and memorabilia sales to give her a down payment on a house. She reportedly has some documented records to back up her claims.

13. Will Congress subpoena Bonds and/or other ballplayers for more hearings?

Bonds was a curious omission from the House Government Reform Committee's list of players who were subpoenaed in 2005, and his involvement in the BALCO case was cited as the reason. With those proceedings concluded, it's possible Bonds could be hauled in to testify. As he gets closer to Aaron's record, it will be even more tempting for members of the committee to make themselves part of the story.

14. Why is Major League Baseball investigating Bonds?

It's all about the home run record. And money, of course. Commissioner Bud Selig is under perceived pressure from the fans and media, and actual pressure from Congress and sponsors, to take a hard look at Bonds because Hank Aaron's record is considered the game's most precious. National sponsors such as Bank of America and Home Depot have pulled their support of a Bonds celebration campaign unless an investigation shows Bonds did not use performance-enhancing substances.

15. Who is heading up MLB's investigation, and when will it be resolved?

Selig asked close friend and former U.S. Senator George Mitchell to head the so-called independent probe. The last time MLB ordered an investigation of this kind, it took Washington lawyer John Dowd three months to produce a 225-page report detailing the evidence that Pete Rose bet on baseball. It took nearly four more months before Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti reached an agreement to ban Rose for life in August 1989.

16. Can Major League Baseball suspend Bonds?

Selig has broad powers under the "best interests of baseball clause." But invoking the clause to discipline Bonds would draw an immediate grievance from the Players' Association, and likely would be overturned. When Rose was banned, he was not protected by the union. However, Bonds could be banned from the sport upon his retirement, which would keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

17. Will there be an asterisk next to Bonds' records?

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has said any proven steroid user should have his records completely erased. But that's not practical, given the lack of facts prior to 2003. Expect Bonds' records to stand unless Selig's investigation turns up proof that the slugger used steroids — or Bonds tests positive this season.

18. Has Bonds ever failed a league-sanctioned drug test?

Unlike Rafael Palmeiro, Bonds has not tested positive for banned substances since penalties were made public in 2004. Bonds also claims he didn't test positive in'03, when violators were kept private.

19. Is it possible Bonds is using performance-enhancing drugs now?

Yes. Human growth hormone requires a blood test to detect, and the union has not agreed to that. Also, new designer steroids are being created in labs all the time. It's possible some players are using stuff that can't be detected, including Bonds.

20. Did Bonds use steroids?

It's the one burning question. While some players are suspected as users based solely on appearance and other anecdotal factors, a significant and compelling amount of circumstantial evidence exists that ties Bonds to steroid use. But ultimately, there still isn't a smoking syringe.

BALCO Chief Victor Conte: Book "Game of Shadows" "Is Full Of Lies" - Conte Released From Jail

Wow, this is the real smoking gun in the form of BALCO Chief Victor Conte, who upon being released from jail, held a press conference to declare that the book "Game of Shadows," which claims that Barry Bonds used steroids, is "full of lies." It comes one day after my post on my book review.

Here's the article from MLB.com

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- BALCO founder Victor Conte insisted Thursday that he never gave performance-enhancing drugs to Barry Bonds and that a new book that makes those claims is "full of outright lies."
Conte spoke to The Associated Press outside his San Mateo home hours after his release from prison, where he spent four months after pleading guilty to orchestrating an illegal steroids distribution scheme that allegedly involved many high-profile athletes, including Bonds.

Asked whether he gave Bonds performance-enhancing drugs, Conte said: "No, I did not."

A new book, "Game of Shadows," by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, chronicles the founding of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and details alleged extensive steroid use by Bonds and other baseball stars. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday that former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell will lead an investigation into the claims.

"I plan to provide evidence in the near future to prove that much of what is written in the book is untrue," Conte told The AP. He declined to list specific inaccuracies or what evidence he would provide, but said the book is "about the character assassination of Barry Bonds and myself."

"It's my opinion that the two writers of the book have a disease called fabrication-itis," Conte said, holding a copy of "Game of Shadows" as he stood on his front steps.

The book's authors, Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, were on an airplane Thursday and not available for comment.

Lisa Johnson, a spokeswoman for Gotham Books, which published "Game of Shadows," said: "Gotham Books stands by Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, and we stand by their research."

"We stand by the reporting that Mark and Lance did throughout this story and in all the stories that were published in the paper," Chronicle executive vice president and editor Phil Bronstein said. "And if and when Mr. Conte speaks further about this, I'm sure we'll report about that as well."

Conte was picked up by his family after his 5:30 a.m. release from Taft Correctional Institution, about 40 miles southwest of Bakersfield, according to spokeswoman Mandy Ruff.

About five hours later, Conte arrived at his green two-story house in San Mateo, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, in a white sports utility vehicle with darkened windows.

Wearing blue jeans, a red sweat shirt and a baseball cap, Conte said "it feels great" to be out of prison. He said prison was "like a men's retreat," during which he read, gave music lessons to fellow inmates, coached a sprinting team and participated in a debate about steroids.

Conte founded and managed the Burlingame-based BALCO, where the steroids were sold. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and a steroid distribution charge, and dozens of other charges were dropped as part of his plea deal.

Conte was sentenced in October to four months in prison and four months' home confinement in a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

Baseball investigators could seek to interview Conte about steroid use in the game.

Bond, who has denied using steroids, was the most prominent athlete linked to BALCO. He testified in December 2003 to the federal grand jury investigating the case but has not been charged with a crime.

Other baseball players linked to BALCO include Yankees stars Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield.

Olympic track and field stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery and former NFL player Bill Romanowski also were called to testify in front of the grand jury. No athletes were charged in the scheme.

Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer, was sentenced to three months behind bars and an additional three months of home confinement after pleading guilty to money laundering and a steroid distribution charge.

BALCO vice president James Valente was sentenced to three years' probation, and track coach Remi Korchemny received a year of probation.

ESPN Gets It Right - MLB Commissioner Selig Pulls The Trigger: Established Steriod Use Investigation Headed By George Mitchell

Yesterday, I accused ESPN of trying to push the Commissioner of Major League Baseball to take action on the basis of what I contend is a poorly presented book claiming that one player -- Barry Bonds -- used steroids.

Well, unlike the last time, ESPN did get this right. Check out the news below and with a click to the link that is the title of this post.

03/30/2006 2:00 PM ET
Selig announces steroid investigation
Former Sen. George Mitchell named to head probe into past drug use
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Commissioner Bud Selig has named former Sen. George Mitchell to head a full-scale investigation into the past use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
The announcement came at a press conference at the Commissioner's office on Thursday.

The probe was spurred by recent allegations made in a book that targets San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, among a number of other former Major Leaguers.

The book, entitled "Game of Shadows," alleges that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs beginning in 1998 for a five-year period, which includes 2001, when he hit 73 home runs to set a single-season record.

Bonds has been the focal point of controversy since leaked grand jury testimony during the 2004-2005 offseason linked him to steroid use. Bonds will resume his chase of the all-time career homer record when the Giants open their season against the Padres in San Diego on Monday. Bonds, at 708, is six homers in arrears of Babe Ruth and 47 behind Hank Aaron, the all-time leader with 755.

All the players involved will be allowed to play while the probe is under way.

MLB did not have random testing for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs prior to 2003, though Selig circulated memos during the 1990s stating that the use of those drugs by players was strictly prohibited and could be cause for discipline. The players association would not collectively bargain the issue at the time.

Don Fehr, the executive director of the union, said on Monday that under those terms, players could only be tested and penalized when MLB officials had "just cause" to believe a Major Leaguer was doing such drugs. MLB never announced player penalties then and have not reported that either Bonds, Giambi or Sheffield have failed a drug test since the twice re-written MLB drug policy went into effect four years ago.

What discipline Selig can hand out after the investigation is complete is a matter of conjecture. The union has a representational obligation to any of the players involved, Fehr said.

"I hope nobody is making judgments about the inquiry before it's done," said Fehr, who met with Bonds at his Scottsdale Stadium locker for 20 minutes on Monday after the union's annual spring session with the Giants players. "Bud will make whatever decision Bud makes and we'll go from there."

The book, which was written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters who covered the federal investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), says Bonds used a host of steroid-based drugs to improve his strength, play and recovery time from injuries.

The authors say Sheffield and Giambi were also extensive steroid users and link the pair to Bonds and his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who was indicted in the BALCO case, pled guilty to reduced charges, and was sentenced to jail time. Victor Conte, the president of the now-defunct company, also pled to lesser charges and served a four-month prison sentence. In a bit of ironic timing, Conte was being released Thursday.

Earlier this month, after excerpts of the book were published in Sports Illustrated, Selig said he would review all the pertinent information pertaining to Bonds' alleged steroid use and reserve comment about it. Selig has been under increased pressure from Congressional leaders and the media to open an investigation into just what happened in the Major Leagues during the era that began in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased and broke Roger Maris' single-season, 37-year-old home run record of 61.

Bonds missed all but 14 games of the 2005 season after having surgery three times on his right knee. Bonds returned on Sept. 12 and hit five homers in his first 36 at-bats.

He has hit four more this spring in 16 at-bats while batting .625. Though Bonds has not played since Friday because of inflammation in his left elbow, he is expected to be back in the lineup on Thursday night when the Giants play an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels at San Francisco's newly renamed AT&T Park.

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

"Game Of Shadows" - The Book On Barry Bonds and Steroids Reads More Like a Bad "Kiss and Tell" Novel Than A Smoking Gun Linking Bonds to Steroid Use

I purchased the new book "Game of Shadows" on Monday evening after spotting it in my face at a local bookstore on Chestnut Street in San Francisco's Marina District. Even though I wrote negative press about the intentions of the San Francisco Chronicle and it's two writers work based on the excerpt I read in that newspaper, I always planned to buy and read the book.

I'm on Chapter 12 now.

I'm reading the book from four different perspectives: entertainment value, research quality and presentation, persuasiveness, and "agenda" -- in other words, does it seems that the writers have a bone to pick with Bonds, as opposed to really getting at the story behind the story and the "truth."

Well, here's my scores in each category and I doubt I'll find any part of the book to make me alter them significantly:

Entertainment Value - A
Research Quality and Presentation - D
Persuaveness - D
Agenda - F

Entertainment Value

The book scrores high because it's an interesting gossipy look at Bonds, baseball and the players involved in the steriods Story, especiallly the "BALCO" matter, which received a lot of local press, most of it from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Lance Williams and Mark Fairnaru-Wada do a good job of mixing some facts with heresay and where they use the latter it's in a sentence or paragraph where someone's colorful language is being presented. I came away with a feeling for the players in the story, even if the book seems to jump from one episode to the other.

Because all of this has been in the San Francisco Chronicle, the book feels like it's more a combination of many articles written over the last two years. (Keep that sentence in your head.) Thus, it's a book that compells Bay Area sports fans to read it, if only to fill in the blanks created by those Chronicle works one may have missed reading.

Research Quality and Presentation

This is where the "D" grade fits. The book is terribly researched and presented. If Mark and Lance are going to make these powerful accusations regarding Bonds steriod use, they should have known to carefully footnote each and every statement and sentence reporting what someone did or said. But they don't do this. Selected words are highlighted and for them a sentence on a newspaper article or "unidentified scource" is written next to it.

But if that citation is anything, it's not a real citation; it never lists the author or volume and page of the newspaper article or magazine work or book. Plus, many of the source notes do read "SFC" which is "San Francisco Chronicle" and if it's Mark and Lance's own work, it violates a basic research rule that you don't site your own work repeatedly, but see what others have written on that matter.

Bad.

The point of a good, well researched book is that I should be able to take it and replicate what the writers have done. I can't do that with Mark and Lance's book. Given the gravity of their accusations, I should be able to do that.

Moreover, it's -- as I wrote -- selective in what is sourced. For example, the authors report in Chapter 11 that the Giants Slugger gave his girlfriend Kim Bell $1,000 to get back to California after the September 11th 2001 attacks. But a look in the notes for that chapter can't reveal the source of that information. It's not there. I don't want to infer, and a good research book should not force the reader to do so. There are many examples of unsourced information like that one in this book, and collectively the poor presentation makes me very angry because it negatively impacts...

Persuasiveness

Here's a D grade, and it's not an "F" grade because some of their points are generally known, but where you're looking for smoking gun information, it's not there at all. Empty. The writers make blanket statements regarding how Bonds may have -- for example -- talked to Jason Giambi, but provide zero evidence to back up their claims. This is a constant pattern in the book and makes for a sloppy argument at best.

Here's another example that really ticked me off:the writers report that Bonds was using a kind of performance enhancing drug, which they write is not a steroid, but then include a "guessing" line that it could become a steroid if it were mixed with two other drugs -- but they don't prove Bonds did this. They play close to the edge, too close.

It's for this reason in part that I think the authors had an agenda, and why they scored an "F" in that area. There's no balanced presentation here.

Agenda

A big fat "F."

In the over 100 pages of text I've read thus far, there's not one positive paragraph about Barry Bonds the person. The lone supportive paragraph reports Bonds well-known home run stats, but that's it.

The rest is a collection of surmised words on Bonds' relationship with his father (terrible and combative) and choice sentences on Bonds marriage to Sun Bonds. But in both we're treated to the worst comments Bonds may have made, but then left wondering why the court judgement came out in Barry's favor and why in his final days with his father they seemed so chumy.

Look, just because Barry may have been unavailable to you, the journalist, don't mean you have to attempt to match or surpass his treatment of you. One thing this episode has shown is just how few Christians are in America's sports newsrooms.

ESPN Gets It Wrong Again

ESPN reports that the evidence proving Bonds' use of steroids is "powerful." I assert that anyone who makes that claim flunked English and basic research -- which is probably true. There's no "powerful evidence" here; only several attempts to string "possible events" together. That's a joke; the man's innocent until proven guilty and this does not do it. If I were Barry, I'd fire my current legal counsel, and hire Johnny Cochran's law firm. Why" Because the mix of racist commentary and misinformation adds up to libel, and I believe that in this specific case African American legal counsel will see the serious racism that comes through in this book, and shed more light on it than I have.

The other thing that's sick about "The Worldwide Leader" is their constant attempts to move Major League Baseball to investigate the matter of steroid use by Barry Bonds by false reporting. That's right: false reporting. First, they blabbed that the Commissioner of Baseball was going to take action, when Bud Selig never said anything to cause anyone to even remotely come to that conclusion.

Now, ESPN reports that Major League Baseball's going to establish a commission to investigate the use of steroids, when there's no statement from baseball either in a press release or at its website. ESPN claims this annoucement will come tommorrow and from baseball.

This is the worst abuse of the media airwaves. ESPN should be fined by the FCC and for $10 million. This, I'd push for. The FCC needs to get involved and set some standards for reporting here.

I'm very confident the Chronicle could be beaten in court. The rag's very lucky Barry's got a lawyer who's more interested in getting his name on radio and TV than in winning court cases for his client. `

Mets-Washington Opening Day: Jesse Orosco To Throw Opening Pitch

From the NY Mets

Jesse Orosco, who struck out Boston's Marty Barrett to end Game
Seven of the 1986 World Series, will throw out the ceremonial first
pitch to Gary Carter on Opening Day, Monday, April 3rd, prior to the
Mets-Washington game at 1:10 pm.
Orosco and Carter will be on the field at Shea Stadium 20 years
after the battery mates helped propel New York to their second World
Championship with the 8-5 triumph over the Red Sox on October 27,
1986. Jesse picked up two saves in the World Series, including Game
Seven, while Gary led the team with nine RBI during the Series.

The duo also closed out the Houston Astros in the Game Six of the
1986 National League Championship. Orosco struck out Kevin Bass in
the bottom of the 16th inning with the winning run on first base to
preserve a 7-6 victory.

Jesse, who picked up the win working 3.0 innings of relief in that
contest, became the first pitcher to earn three victories in one
League Championship Series.

"I pitched for a lot of clubs," said Orosco, who performed in the
majors for 24 years and still holds the record for most appearances
(1,252) by a pitcher. "I still have vivid memories of the Kevin Bass
and Marty Barrett at-bats. My fastball wasn't working at all against
Bass and I knew I had to get by with my breaking ball. Davey Johnson
gave me all the confidence in the world, when he said 'We are
winning or losing this game with you.' That meant a lot.

"With Barrett, I thought I was coming into the game, but with so
many police and horses in the bullpen, I could barely see a thing.
When we won I threw my glove in the air and I couldn't believe what
we had just accomplished."

Jesse pitched with the Mets from 1979-1987. He went 8-6 with 20
saves in 58 games in 1986.

"After the World Series ended Jesse and I jumped into each other's
arm," stated Carter. "We plan to jump again next month but it won't
be as high because we are both a little older. It will be exciting
for me to see Jesse on the mound at Shea again."

Gary, who was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2003, was a
member of the Mets from 1985-1989. He hit .255 with 24 home runs and
105 RBI in 1986. This season Gary will manage the St. Lucie (A) of
the Florida State League.

Barry Bonds Matter: Judge Throws Out Lawsuit To Block Book Profits

They should just sue for libel

Get SF Giants Tickets here.

Judge denies Bonds' move against book

27 March 2006


SAN FRANCISCO: A Californian judge has rejected a move by lawyers for baseball star Barry Bonds to bar two authors and a publisher from profiting on sales of a new book accusing the San Francisco Giants outfielder of using steroids.

Game of Shadows, written by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, was based largely on secret federal grand jury testimony about steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in baseball that was illegally leaked to the writers, Bonds' lawyers claimed.

Bonds' suit accuses the authors and book publisher Gotham Books/Penguin USA, which is part of Pearson Plc, of violating California's unfair competition law. He asked for a temporary restraining order to freeze the profits from the book because it was based on illegally obtained grand jury transcripts.

Bonds' lawyers said any profits from the book should go to charities serving low-income youths.

The allegations in the book, which was published on Thursday, followed the BALCO steroid scandal that has sparked fierce debate over Bonds' place in the baseball record books.

He has denied knowingly using steroids or any other illegal drugs.

Bonds also asked the state court to appoint a receiver to keep track of the money until a court decided on the issue of how the material was obtained.

Advertisement

Advertisement
His lawsuit also named the San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated, which published excerpts of the book two weeks ago and is a Time Warner Inc. company, as defendants.

After a 50-minute hearing, Judge James Warren rejected the bid for a restraining order, saying he could not find any "irreparable harm that I can stop today."

The lawsuit still stands but Warren said it raised "serious First Amendment issues" and he seemed sceptical of its success.

"The only way to stop profits is to stop publication ... that is what the plaintiff in practice is doing," Warren said.

Alison Berry Wilkinson, a lawyer for Bonds, said in the hearing that the book's publisher and authors should not be allowed to "capitalise unjustly" from information gathered illegally from a grand jury.

In a separate legal move on Friday, Wilkinson asked US Judge Susan Illston to find authors Fainaru-Wada and Williams and the publisher in contempt of court.

"We are confident that when the public learns that allegations written by the authors as fact are based on unsupported fabrications by extortionists and demonstrated liars, the public will fully understand the extent to which they have been misled," Wilkinson wrote.

Baseball set rules against steroids in 2003, and Bonds, the holder of the single season home-run record of 73 set in 2001, has not failed a drug test since. He is within six home runs of tying Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home-run list and has a chance to pass career leader Hank Aaron.

Oakland A's Catch City Off Guard, Threaten To Move to Fremont

This was in today's Oakland Tribune, but I've never believed the A's were serious about Oakland; just giving them enough time to prove they were kind of interested, while looking elsewhere at the same time. I said it last year, that A's Owner Lewis Wolfe's timetable for development was totally unrealistic and called his bluff. I was right.

A's scout county for new ballpark
Baseball team owner gives up on an Oakland site; Fremont is becoming an attractive option
By Paul T. Rosynsky and Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITERS

OAKLAND -- The Oakland Athletics' quest for a new ballpark appears to be pointing toward Fremont because team owner Lewis Wolff has concluded Oakland does not have the space, time or money to help him build one.

The team no longer considers Oakland a top-priority location for a new ballpark and is looking at other sites throughout Alameda County, Wolff said in an interview last week.

"We've spent most of our time focused on Oakland; now the next goal is to stay in Alameda County," he said. "We haven't ruled out any place, but Oakland is difficult because it has lots of priorities that are very important to the community beyond sports."

Although Wolff refused to name a specific city, the owner said the team is scouting Alameda County locations between Fremont and Oakland that are close to a freeway and the BART line.

Wolff also said he needs enough space for both a ballpark and a ballpark village with housing and retail opportunities.
It remains unclear exactly how seriously the A's are considering Fremont, but Wolff has met with city officials and discussed potential sites.

"Fremont is standing at the plate, and someone is getting ready to smash one out of the park," said Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, a longtime proponent of having the team relocate to the city herepresents. "There have been meetings with Fremont, there have been meetings with the county."

Among the properties getting the most attention is a 143-acre site at Pacific Commons, just west of Interstate 880.
Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman said talks about the site, owned by Cisco Systems, have become "serious."
"Things are falling together well," he said. "I think it works well. I think the A's think so, too."

Added Fremont City Manager Fred Diaz, "The A's are interested. We're interested."

Another site includes a parcel of land next door to the New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. plant. But both Diaz and Wasserman have said the Pacific Commons land appears to take precedence.

Wolff's determination that Oakland isn't high on his list of sites any longer caught Oakland city leaders by surprise.
"He has not told us anything like that," said Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente. "Until we are told something different, we are going to continue working. But Mr. Wolff is right, we have many other things on the front plate."
Among those are a rising crime rate, beleaguered public schools and a hot mayoral race in which De La Fuente, the city's lead negotiator in the baseball talks, is a candidate.

"It is very difficult. With all these campaigns going on, our plates are so full," said Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele, a member of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority.

"Politics takes focus away," said Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland). "Also, elected officials on both the county side and the city side are gun-shy given the difficulties we have had with sports franchises in the past."

Wolff has spent more than three years scouting potential ballpark sites in Oakland, first as the team's vice president for venue development and later as its owner.

Last year he proposed building a ballpark next door to the McAfee Coliseum, on land with numerous private owners. It was a plan that would have created an East Oakland neighborhood anchored by the ballpark.

But it ran into difficulties the moment it was announced.

Property owners didn't want to move, and neither Wolff nor the city wanted to use eminent domain to force them out.
"That was something, in my opinion, that would have been very dramatic," Wolff said. "It was an A in planning and an F in implementation."

With other potential sites in the city either not meeting Wolff's requirements or targeted for city projects, Wolff said he has no choice but to expand the search outside of Oakland.

"All the alternatives that were available had huge challenges, too," Wolff said. "We've all tried, and it is very difficult. ... Look around, Oakland is a very built-up community."
In contrast to Oakland, Fremont has several large plots of land available for a ballpark. And those properties seem to fit the team's criteria.

Interstates 880 and 680 both run through Fremont, and BART has a station there and plans for another one.

Representatives from Cisco refused to say whether they have had discussions with the team about selling the Pacific Commons site.

Wolff refused to pinpoint locations but said Fremont does fit his criteria for a location close to the freeway and BART.
It also is close to San Jose, which has spent the last decade clamoring for a baseball team. San Jose also has considerable business ties that could help support the team.

But the South Bay is San Francisco Giants territory, and under baseball rules, Wolff would have to pay a handsome sum to the cross-bay rivals if he chose to relocate there.

Even so, San Jose city officials are working on a proposal to land a ballpark on a downtown site near HP Pavilion.

Harry Mavrogenes, San Jose's executive director of redevelopment, said the city recently approved spending more than $11 million to buy two parcels within the site.

San Jose also has spent $5.6 million to acquire other land connected to the site.

"We're peeling away about one year's worth of process," Mavrogenes said. "We're getting the stage ready in case a decision is made (by the A's) in our direction."

By moving to Fremont instead, Wolff could take advantage of Silicon Valley wealth without breaking Major League Baseball rules, which separate the country into regions for each team.

Such a move also would raise questions about what the team will be called.

Wolff would not discuss a possible name change last week, saying it was too early to do so. But he did indicate the Golden State Warriors' name is a plus because it doesn't identify a city.

"It is a business and we have to attract our market," Wolff said.

He also defended the A's decision to seek sites outside of Oakland, saying the community should be glad the team is not searching outside Alameda County.

And he said he has done everything he can to ensure taxpayers are not left paying for an investment that will benefit a private business.

"Instead of looking outside the Bay Area or outside the state of California, we decided to focus this season on trying to stay in our market," Wolff said. "I don't know of any other ownership that does a better job, that tries to work in the parameters that we have.

"We are not looking for a bond issue, we are not looking for tax increment financing," he said.
That's good news, should Fremont attract the team.

Diaz said the city does not have money to give to a professional team. "The city's fiscal situation is currently a difficult one," he said.

Haggerty said that shouldn't be a deterrent.

He said a deal could be worked out in which Wolff builds a stadium in Fremont and gets about 75 acres of county-owned land in Dublin. There, the hotel developer could build the housing complex he said is needed to pay for the stadium.

"It's an innovative way to fund a stadium," Haggerty said. "It's essentially transferring land in Dublin to Fremont."

While Wolff has said in the past he needs a firm plan in place by early April, he backed off that timeline last week. However, Wolff said, something needs to be done quickly.

"We want to win and we want the revenues that will allow us to keep our players," Wolff said. "That is our responsibility and right now we are going to expand our visions within Alameda County."

Korea Has The Best Baseball Team in The World - MLB.com

03/16/2006 4:38 AM ET

Unbeaten Korea headed to semifinals
Koreans beat rival Japan in a Classic matchup

By Mychael Urban / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Before Wednesday night's high-stakes matchup between Korea and Japan in Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic, a techno version of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" blared through the speakers.

After getting a clutch two-run double in the eighth inning from Jong Beom Lee and an equally clutch relief performance from righty Seung Hwan Oh on the way to a 2-1 victory in a beautifully pitched game Wednesday night at Angel Stadium, Korea's unbeaten (6-0) squad celebrated as if it had indeed moved on to a glorious baseball afterlife.

"Unbelievable," Lee said softly as he walked into a packed postgame press conference.

Believe it. Korea is the best team in the world right now.

And as an added bonus, none of its players will be going into their country's military after the tournament ends. Prior to the start of the second round, the Korean government announced that it would waive for its players the mandatory three-year stint in the armed forces -- imposed on every Korean male -- if the team reached the semifinals in San Diego.

"We gave everything we had," said Japanese manager Sadaharu Oh. "We learned that our opponents' desire was higher than ours."

That desire paid off in front of a noisy, mostly pro-Korea crowd of 39,679, many of them incessantly banging blue versions of the omnipresent ThunderStixx that provided the cacophonous accompaniment to the 2002 Angels' World Series run here.

"I was aware of the fact that a lot of Korean-Americans lived in this area, but I didn't know there were that many," Lee said. "I was very touched by their cheering."

Despite being spurred on by its legions of flag-waving fans, the surprise team of the tournament was as quiet offensively as its supporters were loud until a daring bit of baserunning paid off in the top of the eighth inning.

After drawing a one-out walk from lefty reliever Toshiya Suguichi, Min Jae Kim challenged center fielder Tatsuhiko Kinjoh's arm on a single up the middle by Byung Kyu Lee and barely won, evading the tag at third base despite being beaten there by the throw. With runners at second and third, Japan brought in righty Kyuji Fujikawa to face Jong Beom Lee, who scored both runners with a rocket to the wall in left-center field.

"I thought that this was my last chance," Jong Beom Lee said. "Perhaps God gave me this last chance to test me."

Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka added to the drama by lining a leadoff homer to left off lefty reliever Dae Sung Koo in the bottom of the ninth, but Seung Hwan Oh took over with one out and the tying run on first base and nailed down the biggest save of his life with a pair of swinging strikeouts.

Even Team USA manager Buck Martinez, whose team needed a win by Korea to remain in semifinal contention, got caught up in the excitement.

"I've never been so nervous watching a baseball game that I wasn't [involved] in," he said. "Both teams showed tremendous heart."

Heart sure helps, but that wasn't what gave Korea its second pool championship of the tournament.

"We struggled to score runs against some very good pitching," Sadaharu Oh said.

Korean starter Chan Ho Park was backed by four innings of two-hit work from four relievers, and in a tribute to the mastery of the team's moundsmen, someone planted a Korean flag squarely atop the pitchers' rubber as the players mobbed each other in the infield following the final out.

"Our pitchers worked very hard and gave 110 percent," said Team Korea manager In Sik Kim, whose staff has a Classic-best 1.33 ERA overall. "They did their very best, and that's why we got where we are."

Park, making his first start of the tournament for Korea after having saved three of his team's first five victories, got some help early from right fielder Jin Young Lee. With two out in the second inning, Japan's Akinori Iwamura tried to score from second base on a single by Tomoya Satozaki but was gunned down by a strong one-hop throw complemented by a textbook sweep tag from catcher In Sung Cho.

Visibly fired up, Park cruised through the next three innings, erasing Japan's only baserunner in that span with a double-play grounder to end the fourth. He was perfect in the fifth and left the game with a line of four hits without a walk and three strikeouts on 66 pitches.

Japanese starter Shunsuke Watanabe was every bit as efficient as Park, allowing one hit and a two walks while rolling through his six innings of work on 73 pitches. Both pitchers induced a steady stream of ground balls, with only three of the first 30 outs of the game coming on fly balls to the outfield -- two by Japan.

"It felt like the playoffs," Watanabe said of the atmosphere.

Lefty Byung Doo Jun took over for Park and issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth. After a sacrifice bunt by Ichiro Suzuki, righty Byung-Hyun Kim was summoned from Korea's bullpen to get out of the inning. He did, and went on to work a perfect bottom of the seventh.

Korea got a runner into scoring position of its own in the top of the seventh on a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, but Suguichi, who had taken over for Watanabe to open the inning, quickly quelled the mini-jam with a grounder and a foul pop.

That's about when things took a turn toward the dramatic.

After Jong Beom Lee's heroics, Byung-Hyun Kim got the first out of the bottom of the eighth and was relieved by lefty Koo, who got out of the inning but was replaced after Nishioka's blast and a one-out single by Nobuhiko Matsanuka.

As Seung Hwan Oh ran in from the bullpen, the crowd was on its feet. Minutes later, it was jumping for joy.

First went down pinch-hitter Takahiro Arai. Then went down Hitoshi Tamura, and with him went down the pre-Classic notion that Japan had the best team in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Japan, which also lost to Korea in the first round, fell to 1-2 in pool play here and 3-3 overall. Korea is the only undefeated team in the tournament, but In Sik Kim and Jong Beom Lee both waved off the opportunity to gloat, noting that a couple of big wins doesn't suddenly vault Korean baseball to the top of the Eastern food chain.

Jong Beom Lee did, however, admit to getting a certain amount of satisfaction in beating his country's rivals on the grandest global stage the game has ever presented.

"It made me proud to be Korean, but more important, we beat Japan," he offered. "It was sweet revenge."


Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

World Baseball Classic Is More Fun To Watch Than I Thought It Would Be

Yeah, I'm really impressed with the quality of play and the excitement of seeing teams represent countries like Japan and Korea, (Korea beat them last night) who have centuries of conflict, play a game that means something on the World stage in America.

I have to admit that the competition creates neat story lines and made-for-tv viewing.

I was wrong about the World Baseball Classic. They're on to something. It's a hit!

Barry Bonds Matter: ESPN, Chicago Tribune Screw Up: Commissioner Selig Never Mentioned The Word "Suspension" In Press Conference - Transcript Here

An ESPN News anchor quoted a report in the Chicago Tribune that Major League Baseball was considering a suspension for Barry Bonds. They claim their information came from this Selig press conference. Obviously, they're either lying or can't read. Look at it for yourself.

COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG: Chuck Armstrong, the President of the Mariners walked in. I told him to get out of the line of fire. I didn't want him to get hit. Good afternoon. I guess I'll preempt all the questions you want to ask on the story of the last 24 hours. I will review all the material that's relative in every way. And obviously, we've only seen parts of things. And the book itself doesn't come out until the end of the month, but we'll review everything that there is to look at. And at some appropriate time, I'll have further comment. But I don't have any further comment at this point. So we'll talk about all the other subjects you'd like to talk about today. I'll be very happy to do so.

Q: Barry Bloom from MLB.com.

COMMISSIONER: Believe me, an introduction is not necessary. (Laughter) But thank you for asking.

Q. Are we talking about an investigation or are we just talking about --

COMMISSIONER: I just said I would review all of the information. I was very careful, Barry, to say exactly what I said, and that's exactly what I mean. Ken?

Q. Bud, they want us to introduce ourselves is the only reason --

COMMISSIONER: No, I understand. He follows me around. I really -- I hate to say this to you, but my wife might get concerned after a while. All right, Ken. Go ahead.

Q. You spend more time with me than her.

COMMISSIONER: That's true.

Q. Bob Dupuy was quoted by Bloomberg News as saying you were going to meet with Barry Bonds at some point; is that accurate?

COMMISSIONER: I don't have any plans to do that now, Ken. But I just -- I meant what I said, you know. This story, in the form it has, just happened, and so I want to be very careful here as to how I respond. I know Bob said that, and I'm not saying it will or won't happen. But I don't have any plans at this moment.

Q. You seem to make news every time you come out here. When we were up at --

COMMISSIONER: Believe me, I -- today if I had my choice, I would have gone to have a root canal job. (Laughter.)

Q. On that line, when we were talking about the initial steroid developments at the Honors meeting, you made the comment that this period of time we've talked about may be called the steroid era, like the dead ball era. Is that something that you think is a genuine concern when people look back at what happened over the last 10 years?

COMMISSIONER: Let me try to review. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, not only in the last 48 hours, but come on. For whatever one wants to say, from 1998 on, we've come, as a sport, a long way. We have a minor league program that's entered it's sixth year, I believe. We got drug testing for the first time in our history. At other times, as I said, back in the '80s, when there was a very significant problem, cocaine problem, couldn't get any testing. People have been critical of the plan, but it led -- the first plan we got led to a second plan, which the Players Association agreed to to their everlasting credit, agreed to it and didn't have to. And then, of course, last year from March 17th on to where we are today, I believe we have the toughest testing program in American sports. I can only deal with the present and the future. There's a lot of people who already have significantly different observations about what's happened, even the latest things. And, you know, I have to -- I'll have to let nature takes its course in that regard. I said a year or two ago, and I'll say again here today, I can only do what's in the present and the future's best term interest for our sport. Nobody can turn the clock back. And I have said publicly many times, and I'll say it again, that for the most part, our players did not engage in steroid use. We have allowed a fair amount of test results that show that, even the first test result. So I think it's unfair to stigmatize, if you will, if that's the word, everybody with that kind of usage.

Q.You've addressed this in the past, but would you do it one more time. Give your view on the idea that a lot have people suggested you should do something about Bonds' records or the records of any other players who have -- who are suspected or have used performance-enhancing substances.

COMMISSIONER: I will. I'm sensitive about that because, look, I've had people say, you know, if Judge Landis were still alive, this is what he would do. Well, the fact of the matter is that for the most part, I'm very careful what I say here, so please listen, we have no empirical data before 2003. I've heard a lot of people make observations. I think, Marie, I've even used the term McCarthyism in some great regard about people who without much evidence other than what they believe is anecdotal evidence say, well, this person did it or that person did it. And I'm going to be very sensitive about all that because after all, you're playing with people's lives and their reputations, and you ought to be very careful. All of us ought to be careful. The commissioner certainly is going to be careful. It doesn't mean I don't have interest. I've spent more time talking, as I've told all of you, to doctors, trainers, players from different generations. I've had a lot of conversations with a lot of people, more than anybody will ever know. So for anybody to suggest that I haven't taken this seriously is not only wrong, but is making another observation, which is both unfortunate and unfair. And when I look back on the '90s, maybe even the '80s, I've talked to a lot of players including a significant number of players that played for me. Nobody commented to me at the time. A lot of general managers who I have enormous regard for are insulted when people say they knew, they turned a blind eye, this is a great thing for baseball, they made a lot of money, all of which is just sheer nonsense. But I know it makes good reading, so that's okay -- or good listening. So, it isn't a question that we are not sensitive to these concerns. I think we have done everything we could and what's evolved has been I think fair. I said to all of you, some of you disagreed, and I understood that, too, that a year ago, I told you it was an integrity issue for me. That's why we needed a tougher program. I think history has borne me out to be absolutely right, by the way, but if you'll permit me one pat on the back today because that's the only one I'll get all day from anybody. But I am proud of that fact, and of all the parties involved, the Players Association, the clubs, everybody has I think really worked hard at this and there is no lack of concern or sensitivity anywhere. A lot of things in life, you know, you wish didn't happen, but they do. I guess that's as they remind me almost on a daily basis that's why you have a commissioner. As if I needed reminding, by the way.

Q. Bud, you said you would review the material, but with what's just come out so far with the excerpts, what's been said in the last 48 hours, would you comment on the damage it's done to the game again and whether you're disturbed about the excerpts you've heard and also the timing with the World Baseball Classic?

COMMISSIONER: Look, I'm not going to comment any further because I'm in a position I think all of you understand as a commissioner that, you know, comment from me at this very, very preliminary time is just inappropriate. And I want to be very careful about that, Tom. And yesterday, as I was watching the Venezuela/Dominican game, I was just enthralled by what I was seeing, and I should have learned 40 years ago, and I do this all the time, I said what a great day this is going to be just watching. (Laughter.) That was at 12:01.

Q. Could I ask you, you said whatever you're going to call it, examination, review, investigation, whatever, can you tell us why it's important for the commissioner of baseball to do this?

COMMISSIONER: Well, because I feel that it is. And I think that given everything that's come out, I can't sit here and tell you today, well, that's fine. This is interesting. I believe, as I would do on every subject, that I felt in any way it involves the game, reflects the game, I would do this and that's what I'm doing.

Q. Will that necessarily -- I know you were asked that before. Wouldn't it necessarily involve at least some contact with Barry Bonds?

COMMISSIONER: You know, that's a judgment that I haven't made yet at this point in time.

Q. Do you like the World Classic a little better today than you did a week ago?

COMMISSIONER: I like it a lot better than the other stuff we've been talking about.

Q. How concerned are you personally about the idea regardless of who it might be, the idea of someone holding the most revered records in the sport eventually, by whatever means, being proven a cheater? How much of that, as all this steroid stuff has been unfolding in the past year or so, how much has that been a concern of yours?

COMMISSIONER: I'm not going to comment on that, Dan. You know, until all the evidence is in and until I've heard and conducted what I said I was going to do, I think it's inappropriate for me to comment, and I won't comment on it.

Q. Bud, working on that a little bit, regardless of what happens over the next month or so, how will you view Bonds this summer as he sort of steps towards these things? How will you be watching? What will your emotions be?

COMMISSIONER: You know, again, until all the facts are known, Tim, until I've really been thorough and looked at everything -- after all, he's denied, continues to deny. And so, therefore, you know, I really believe it's inappropriate for me to comment on any of that in any way, shape, form, or manner. I understand the concern of trying to pass judgment and I understand that, but I just, I'm not going to do that until we know everything there is to know. And I don't think anybody today can say that they know that, and that's why I think my comment is appropriate.

Q. Bud, Pete Rose did deny -- Pete Rose was investigated. What is the difference? Why did MLB investigate Rose and why hasn't MLB investigated Bonds? In previous years, you've said there hasn't been enough evidence on Bonds, two years ago, one year ago, most recently this spring.

COMMISSIONER: I don't want to get back into the Pete Rose thing, but there was enormous evidence that Peter Ueberroth and Bart Giammati had, John, right from the beginning. That's what prompted them to do what they did.

Q. Is there more evidence today than there was the last time you said there's not enough evidence on Barry Bonds?

COMMISSIONER: Again, I'm not in a position to make that judgment.

Q. Lastly, what will MLB do to acknowledge Bonds passing Ruth, if he does it, it could happen next month?

COMMISSIONER: Everybody's asked that before, and we'll decide that when things move forward.

Q. Bud, have you had any communication in the last 24 or 48 hours from Washington from Congress regarding the possibility of reopening the investigation that they held, and do you anticipate another trip to Capitol Hill?

COMMISSIONER: I've had no communication. I've talked to some people in Washington today who seem to be more concerned with other things frankly. But look, Tim, we went to Washington, passed the toughest steroid bill in sports, took care of amphetamines. After all, amphetamines have been around for seven decades or longer. I don't know what they called them way back then. So I think that everybody in Washington, and they've all told me this, I don't think -- we did what we had to do. Now, I was very careful what I said on what we're going to do, and I don't think anybody in Washington would disagree with this stance. The answer is I've heard from nobody.

Q. Bud, as somebody's been in this business for a long time, we journalists look at what these two respected journalists have done and the length of work and the evidence they've pointed to in terms of sources and carefully sourcing everything they did. And to some of us, it may seem -- I'm right here -- you're giving kind of a skate to that and treating this like any other book that's come out, but this is an exhaustive piece of research. It's obvious. Are you planning to, A, get an advanced copy of the book, B, talk to the people who wrote it and what they came to? And don't you give this book a little more weighty evidence than just something that flies out on paperback at some point?

COMMISSIONER: Well, I didn't infer that at all. I said we would review the entire situation. I meant review the entire situation. The book's not out yet, and certainly I'm sure that all of us will read the book.

Q. Who is your point person on the review and does Bonds remain on the active roster during the review?

COMMISSIONER: Well, the point person will be people in our office, Jerry. I've talked to obviously Bob Dupuy and John McHale and Rob Manfred, Jimmy Lee Solomon. There will be a lot of people as they do on most subjects.

Q. Does he remain on the roster (inaudible)?

COMMISSIONER: Certainly does.

Q. What are you able -- as commissioner, what power do you have to do something if you find certain -- make certain findings in your examination?

COMMISSIONER: Determine that at the appropriate time. Of all the concerns I have today, that's the least concern.

Q. Can you explain, as commissioner, do you have a total power? I've never understood exactly what power the commissioner has.

COMMISSIONER: Neither do a lot of other people. (Laughter.)

THE MODERATOR: Just a couple more questions.

Q. What have you seen David Wells' comments?

COMMISSIONER: I have.

Q. What's your reaction?

COMMISSIONER: I have no reaction.

Q. No comment?

COMMISSIONER: None.

Q. Are you going to --

COMMISSIONER: I have no reaction, Barry.

THE MODERATOR: Any others? All right. Thank you.