Were talking, of course, about Barry Bonds. And if you cringed when you saw him donning a blonde wig for an insipid American Idol spoof, wait until you read about him gulping 20 pills at one time. Thats just one of the explosive new revelations contained in Game of Shadows, the book by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams excerpted in this weeks issue of Sports Illustrated, which provides the most detailed, damning account to date of Bonds steroid use. We already knew he took designer steroids the Cream and the Clear—America, say hello to Clomid, a womens infertility drug that Bonds allegedly ingested, which helps steroid users recover testosterone production. According to the book, Bonds was so reliant on performance-enhancing drugs that when personal trainer Greg Anderson told him that he did not need another cycle of steroids, Bonds responded, F--- off, Ill do it myself.
When the stakes got higher, Bonds ramped up his drug use, the authors say. Bonds started using steroids after the 1998 season, when Mark McGwire, another suspected user, hit 70 home runs, breaking Rogers Maris record and mesmerizing the nation. Bonds allegedly dismissed McGwires accomplishments— Theyre just letting him do it because hes a white boy, he allegedly told his mistress, Kimberly Bell. But he didnt dismiss McGwires hulking physique, and soon connected with Anderson, known for his access to steroids. The authors say that the San Francisco Giants knew of Andersons background, but unwilling to disrupt their star player, allowed Anderson access to Bonds and their clubhouse. The authors also write that in 2002, the year Bonds led the Giants to the World Series and won his fifth MVP award, frequent three-week steroid binges, in which he injected growth hormone every other day, took the Cream and the Clear on the other days, and finished the cycle with Clomid, sparked his performance.
Didnt we already know Bonds took steroids? Sure. More than a year ago he admitted taking the Cream and the Clear to a grand jury in the federal case against BALCO, the shady Bay Area drug supplier. But he denied knowing they were performance-enhancing drugs. That claim was hard enough to believe then—now, its laughable. Fainaru-Wada and Williams, who covered the BALCO case for two years and broke the news of Bonds original grand jury testimony, look like theyve built a fairly airtight case, as theyve based their account on interviews with more than 200 people, memos detailing witness interviews with federal agents, audio tapes, BALCO search warrant affidavits, and other documented evidence. The authors also show that Bonds is a boor, as he allegedly threatened to kill his mistress Bell. Its disarming, but sadly, again not all that surprising.
After the news broke, talking heads drowned the airwaves with calls for Bonds to step aside. But minus a failed drug test, the final smoking gun that will never emerge, or shot knees, dont count on it. I wont even look at [the book], he told a group of reporters gathered around his spring training locker in Scottsdale, Arizona. For what? I wont even look at it. Bonds then walked away, treating the press, and the public, with the same flippancy hes displayed since the first steroid allegation emerged. But he wont walk away from the game, Hank Aarons 755 career home runs in reach (Bonds has 708 entering this season). After all, if theres anything weve learned over the last two years, its that Barry Bonds just smirks at what well never truly know. So well still have to watch Bonds chase, a tough spectacle for many fans to stomach.