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TeamBoone
03-15-2006, 01:38 AM
03/14/2006 6:32 PM ET
Griffey defends Bonds
Reds outfielder says he doesn't recall reported conversation
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com


FULLERTON, Calif. -- Ken Griffey Jr. stepped up to the plate on Tuesday during a Team USA practice at Goodwin Stadium on the campus of Cal State-Fullerton and defended Barry Bonds against the latest allegations that the San Francisco Giants slugger used performance-enhancing drugs. And that Griffey knew about it.
The newest twist, allegedly involving a 1998 conversation between Griffey and Bonds at Griffey's Florida home, is detailed in a new biography by Jeff Pearlman about Bonds entitled, "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero." The excerpts of the book have yet to be released, but on Tuesday a quote from the book attributed to Bonds was read on ESPN describing how Bonds told Griffey that offseason that he was going to start taking "some hard-core stuff."

"I've been to Barry's house, he's been to my house since we were kids, so that is nothing new," Griffey told a group of reporters. "The conversation that supposedly happened, I don't ever remember happening. That's it. I just don't remember talking about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

"I know Barry differently than most people. Baseball is probably the furthest thing from his mind once the season is over. Once the season starts, that's when all hell breaks loose."

Pearlman, asked if he was quoting Bonds directly, said that the information didn't come from Bonds or Griffey, but from "multiple sources."

Details of the latest book about Bonds came a week after another book was excerpted in Sports Illustrated alleging Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs during a five-year period beginning in 1998.

That book, entitled "Game of Shadows" and written by a pair of San Francisco Chronicle reporters who covered the federal investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), says Bonds used an array of steroid-based drugs from 1998 to 2002, including the 2001 season when Bonds hit 73 homers to break Mark McGwire's three-year-old record.

Griffey said on Tuesday that players were growing weary of all the chatter about Bonds.

"As baseball players, we're all tired of being asked about Barry and anything that's negative toward our sport," Griffey said. "We have enough problems in the world. Let's talk about those rather than what's happening here."

Griffey said he knows nothing about Bonds using performance-enhancing drugs and said that all of Bonds' 708 homers were accomplished "naturally." Bonds goes into the season six homers behind Babe Ruth's 714 and 47 in arrears of Hank Aaron's 755.

Bonds, at 41, is recovering from having surgery on his knee three times last year. But Griffey said his friend's success is easy to explain.

"How do I explain it? He works hard," Griffey said. "I've got cousins who work in gyms. All they do is lift weights and they make Barry look small. When you go in the gym and give 100 percent, you're bound to see results. That's the way things work. I have to do it with rehab -- give 100 percent in rehab to get back on the field."

When asked if he thought Bonds had obtained his strength and size naturally, Griffey said: "Does it really matter what I think?"

Pressed again on the question, Griffey said: "Yeah!"

Griffey, 36, was once considered the heir apparent to Ruth and Aaron, but because of a series of injuries since he left the Seattle Mariners for the Cincinnati Reds after the 1999 season, he has missed more games than hit home runs.

Griffey, who has three homers in the World Baseball Classic, has 536 in his 17-year career.

Bonds has consistently denied the use of steroids, and until 2003, Major League Baseball did not test for a wide variety of drug use. During the past three years, as the incidence of testing and the penalties for being caught has increased, Major League Baseball has yet to report that Bonds failed a drug test.

No one has ever insinuated that Griffey used performance-enhancing drugs and on Tuesday, Griffey defended himself on that front when it was posed that all the stats from this era, including his, are tainted.

"You can't look at mine," Griffey said. "You know damn well that what you see is what you get. You can look at other people and speculate all you want. But you guys know that from looking at me, I didn't touch a thing. I don't worry about other people's numbers. You guys know me. I don't worry about your relationships with other people."

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060314&content_id=1349646&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Gainesville Red
03-15-2006, 01:47 AM
Like I posted the other night, I Really (capital R and all) wish Jr's name would not have come up in this mess.

OnBaseMachine
03-15-2006, 07:02 AM
I really wish Junior wouldn't defend Barroid, but I really can't blame him considering his name was mentioned in the latest book.

flyer85
03-15-2006, 09:14 AM
I really didn't see it as defending Barry, just denying that they ever had a conversation where Barry admitted using them. I can't imagine if Barry was going to do it he would be dumb enough to go around sharing that information.

registerthis
03-15-2006, 09:19 AM
I really didn't see it as defending Barry, just denying that they ever had a conversation where Barry admitted using them. I can't imagine if Barry was going to do it he would be dumb enough to go around sharing that information.

It seems that his trainer was more than willing.

Chip R
03-15-2006, 09:21 AM
It seems that his trainer was more than willing.

A federal grand jury subponea gives you a lot of incentive to spill your guts.

registerthis
03-15-2006, 09:57 AM
A federal grand jury subponea gives you a lot of incentive to spill your guts.

I was actually referring to the quote in the other article posted, where Bonds' teammate asks Anderson what Barry is on, and Anderson tells him--in vivid detail.

TeamBoone
03-15-2006, 11:38 AM
I really didn't see it as defending Barry...

I think he did... but then, I think his hands are tied a bit. And there's no way he's going to say, 'yeah we talked about it', even if he does remember a similar conversation.

I'd love to know who the "multiple sources" are, as it was allegedly a private conversation.


Griffey said he knows nothing about Bonds using performance-enhancing drugs and said that all of Bonds' 708 homers were accomplished "naturally."


Griffey said his friend's success is easy to explain.

"How do I explain it? He works hard," Griffey said. "I've got cousins who work in gyms. All they do is lift weights and they make Barry look small. When you go in the gym and give 100 percent, you're bound to see results. That's the way things work. I have to do it with rehab -- give 100 percent in rehab to get back on the field."

letsgojunior
03-15-2006, 11:41 AM
Sources are an apparel representative and two associates.

The consequences would be pretty severe if Pearlman just made up a few lines out of thin air and put quote marks around them - I'm willing to bet that it's completely accurate.

KoryMac5
03-15-2006, 11:52 AM
Griffey has enough presence of mind to know to get this thing to go away you must respond to the allegations instead of letting things turn into a media frenzy by not responding. I don't like Bonds but I wouldn't throw him under the bus either.

acredsfan
03-15-2006, 12:09 PM
Such a sad day in the sport of baseball when the most innocent gets dragged into the dirt and some writers seem to want to bring his career down too. People will write anything to sell books and make money, next to sex, gossip is the biggest money maker in the US. I really think Griffey handled this as well as he could have, and i'm glad he didn't do anything to put himself in the middle of what isn't his mess in the first place. I have no problem with him saying that he attributes Bonds' success to hard work and that it is natural. After all, one of the great things that this country's legal system was formed on was the idea that you are innocent until proven guilty. People can jump to conclusions all they want, but until they have that failed drug test or uses syringes from Barry's trashcan then it is all just hearsay. I'm very dissappointed that anybody would want to try to drag one of the greatest players in the history of the game and a well loved player with no real need to be in the spot light into this never ending problem. Come on people, where is the respect?

TeamBoone
03-15-2006, 12:13 PM
Absolutely!

:cry: It's enough to make one cry.

Shaggy Sanchez
03-15-2006, 04:19 PM
I'd love to know who the "multiple sources" are, as it was allegedly a private conversation.

It wasn't a private conversation in the original article about the conversation I believe there were actually 2 or 3 other people in the room. I would assume they are the "multiple sources." I checked it was 3 other people besides Griffey and Bonds.

On an otherwise ordinary night, over an otherwise ordinary meal, Griffey, Bonds, a rep from an athletic apparel company and two other associates chatted informally about the upcoming season. With Griffey's framed memorabilia as a backdrop, and Mark McGwire's obliteration of the single-season home run record a fresh memory, Bonds spoke up as he never had before. He sounded neither angry nor agitated, simply frustrated. "You know what," he said. "I had a helluva season last year, and nobody gave a crap. Nobody. As much as I've complained about McGwire and Canseco and all of the bull with steroids, I'm tired of fighting it. I turn 35 this year. I've got three or four good seasons left, and I wanna get paid. I'm just gonna start using some hard-core stuff, and hopefully it won't hurt my body. Then I'll get out of the game and be done with it."

Matt700wlw
03-15-2006, 04:36 PM
Junior...stay out of it, PLEASE!!

You're too good for this.

Chip R
03-15-2006, 04:46 PM
Junior...stay out of it, PLEASE!!

You're too good for this.

I'm sure he's doing the best he can. Someone's asking him questions about it and he's answering them as best he can. If what he says is true, and there's no reason to doubt him, it's a story that has a newscycle of a day or two.

Maldonado
03-15-2006, 04:46 PM
Junior...stay out of it, PLEASE!!

You're too good for this.

I agree with you completel about this. Griffey's legacy at least appears to be completely blemish free. However it was just a matter of time for this occasion to come to light. Griffey had no choice but to get involved - if he didn't he could look like he has something to hide, or that Barry does too. From his standpoint I think Junior did the right thing.