Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
November 17, 2007
The Positive Test

From the AP via the Arizona Republic:

It was November 2000, and Bonds was preparing for the season in which he would shatter Mark McGwire's single-season home-run record.

According to Conte, a convicted steroids dealer, Bonds would visit the lab on Saturdays and after normal business hours with an entourage that included his trainer, Greg Anderson, and his personal physician, Dr. Arthur Ting.

Anderson had convinced Bonds to use BALCO to develop a dietary and supplement regimen, which Conte designed based on the results of the blood and urine samples.

Conte said Bonds was put through the same tests as other elite athlete clients, including tests to detect the use of 30 steroids.

I remember a similar story told by Giambi. It's a bit of a blackmail scam. "Let me test your blood to see how diet can help you. You're using steroids? Wouldn't want that to get out. Better use our steroids instead." While the article linked above notes how the defense will cast doubt on the result the way O.J. Simpons lawyers did, I believe the test is real. If BALCO is trying to con you with a false positive, why stay with them? They're either bad at their job, or trying to con you. More likely, you are taking steroids and just got caught, so rather than risk exposure, you go along with the new program. I wonder how a jury will see this.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:36 AM | Cheating | TrackBack (0)
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