Troubled Bonds behind in count
You must be registered for see images
WE DIDN'T KNOW this would be a four-way race. We knew Barry Bonds was chasing Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, but now it appears the feds are chasing Bonds.
Don't look back, Barry, they might be gaining on you.
We knew Bonds was at the center of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative probe, but now it appears he is also being investigated for allegedly lying to the grand jury, which adds a new twist to this unfolding story. Factor in a knee injury that could sideline him for the first month of the season, and it's enough to make you wonder if the Giants' last best chance to win a World Series with Bonds has already left the station.
Bonds' former longtime girlfriend, Kimberly Bell, testified before a federal grand jury last week. She has made claims that Bonds told her he used steroids in 1999 and 2000. She said he worried about people noticing the changes the drug made to his body.
That's not what Bonds reportedly told a grand jury in December 2003, when he claimed he had never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs. If he does get caught in a fib he could be in a heap of trouble.
Imagine Bonds smashing career home run No. 715 to pass the immortal Ruth before being handcuffed at home plate. Congratulations, Barry. You're not going to Disneyland. You're going to the federal penitentiary.
Even a lengthy suspension could derail Bonds' pursuit of baseball's Holy Grail. The man is 40, and he's not getting any younger, folks.
Plus, he doesn't seem to be recovering from his knee injury as quickly as he has in the past, which could turn this into a five-way chase with Bonds chasing Ruth and Aaron while the cops and Father Time pursue Bonds.
None of this is good news for the Giants, who have finally surrounded Bonds with the kind of talent that could bring a World Series title to San Francisco for the first time. Not that they can complain. If it turns out Bonds' late-career power surge did result from steroid use, nobody will have benefited more than they did.
His otherworldly production allowed them to surround him with cheaper talent while remaining competitive. It played a role in the building of a new ballpark (SBC Park). His assault on the record books has increased attendance.
The Giants are free to shrug and say they didn't know. They don't even run the risk of prosecution. That falls to Bonds, who could soon become the first big-leaguer to have his jumpsuit displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It all comes at a time when the Giants seem to have finally conceded that the window of opportunity is closing for a team with Bonds as the featured player. They signed a closer in Armando Benitez and the legitimate run producer fans have been pining for in Moises Alou. They brought in veteran catcher Mike Matheny to work with the deepest pitching staff the team has had in years. And Omar Vizquel may be the best shortstop to play for the Giants in San Francisco.
It was all done with one idea -- to bring the organization its first World Series championship in 51 years. Now here we are, the season hasn't even started, and already it seems as if it might be too late.
The good news is the Giants are better equipped to win without Bonds than they have ever been before. Alou is capable of carrying a team for stretches by himself. Improved pitching and defense should allow the Giants to remain in the National League West race even if Bonds is out with an injury or otherwise disposed.
It appears that bigger people are gunning for him than merely his age-old adversaries in the media, however. His role in the BALCO investigation may have been the reason why he wasn't forced to testify before Congress last week.
Bonds could be in trouble if the mood of lawmakers reflects the mood of prosecutors who could level charges against him. Someone is going to pay, and it's not going to be Mark McGwire, who has long since retired from baseball.
Bonds also could be in trouble if his ex-girlfriend has the financial documents proving he evaded income taxes, as she may well have.
Commissioner Bud Selig and union boss Donald Fehr will be on their best behavior after feeling the wrath of committee members, which may make them less willing to rally to his defense.
Either way, it should make for an interesting home run chase once Bonds recovers from his knee problems. He could end up chasing Ruth while federal agents clad in black suits and sunglasses are tailing him.
He could end up surpassing Aaron while sirens wail in the distance.
Meanwhile, the Giants are finally focused on the here and now.
Unfortunately for them, it may already be too late.
: 
