Category: MLB (Page 384 of 448)

According to FOX Sports.com, Barry Bonds’ one-time personal trainer, Greg Anderson, is still refusing to cooperate with federal authorities upon his release from prison late last week.

Anderson, 41, could be called upon to testify if Bonds goes to trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges related to alleged steroids use. This time, Anderson could be charged with criminal contempt if he refuses to cooperate. Attorneys Paula Canny and Mark Geragos told The Daily News in New York their client will not relent. “He’s never going to testify,” Geragos said.

Unlike the civil contempt charges, which kept Anderson in jail while the grand jury investigating Bonds was active, criminal contempt charges could mean a longer sentence. He would first have to be indicted and then found guilty in a trial. Canny says she admires Anderson for his consistency and resilience.

“I know that some people think that Greg is displaced,” Canny said. “I don’t think it’s my position to judge, but whatever his position is, whatever it is that can make him be able to be most comfortable with who he is, we have to support.”

He’s comfortable with who he is because Bonds probably told him he has a huge pay day coming as long as he keeps his mouth shut. There’s nothing noble about Anderson’s silent treatment.

The city of New York is after Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter’s money, citing that he possibly owes over a million in unpaid taxes. Jeter has homes in both Florida and New York, but apparently only pays taxes in the sunshine state.

Lawyer Robert Brown, who is co-chair of Multistate Tax Issues for the New York State Bar Association Tax Section Executive Committee, noted that the process of establishing residency is quite complex, and the state’s court action is just the preliminary stage of a case that could take years.

He suspects Jeter’s purchase of his $13 million Upper East Side Trump World Plaza apartment in 2001 may have set off some audit alarms.

That same year, Jeter signed a 10-year, $189 million contract with the Yanks.

“My suspicion is if you have a person who’s a multimillion-dollar entertainer, and all of a sudden you see that the most expensive house he has is a house in New York, you might reasonably ask about his [residency],” Brown told The Post.

Boy between Jeter possibly owning the state of New York millions, Barry Bonds being indicted and Alex Rodriguez re-upping with the Yankees, it’s been an eventual 24 hours in baseball. What’s next, Texas Rangers GM Tom Hicks demanding an apology from Kenny Rogers (for his incident with a cameraman a few years back) before offering him a free agent contract?

While it’s not entirely official yet, Alex Rodriguez is set to agree in principle to a deal to return to the Yankees for $275 million over 10 years according to ESPN.com. He also has incentives in the contract that could potentially push his salary up over $300 million.

The amount of the guaranteed money was revealed by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. A-Rod met Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., with the Steinbrenner brothers but the parameters of the deal were set in place last weekend.

According to Rotoworld.com, A-Rod will receive bonus money for passing Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds on the all-time home run list. He currently has 518 long balls, 244 behind Barroid.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Barry Bonds has been indicted on four counts of perjury and one count obstruction of justice for lying to a federal grand jury in December of 2003. Among other claims, he told the jury that he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs. If convicted, Bonds could face up to 30 years in prison.

According to the indictment, in response to one question, Bonds told prosecutors that he didn’t believe that his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, had ever given him banned drugs. Anderson later pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges in the BALCO case. Bonds’ statement was false, the grand jury that indicted Bonds today concluded.

Likewise, the grand jury said Bonds also lied when he testified that Anderson had never injected him with drugs, and when he said Anderson had never supplied him with human growth hormone. Anderson has been imprisoned for more than a year for refusing to testify before the grand jury.

If the Michael Vick-dog fighting scandal taught us anything, it’s that the feds don’t indict somebody without expecting to win. They probably have an airtight case against Barroid and no matter how invincible he thinks he is, he’s likely heading to prison.

You might have thought you got away with lying to baseball fans, Barry, but you’re not going to get away with lying to federal investigators. Too bad this didn’t happen last year, just before he had the chance to break one of the most sacred records in all of sports; a record he cheated to obtain.

The New York Post is reporting that Alex Rodriguez is heading back to the Yankees and will likely be guaranteed about $280 million over 10 years.

“After spending time with (wife) Cynthia and my family over these last few weeks, it became clear to me that I needed to make an attempt to engage the Yankees regarding my future with the organization.

Prior to entering into serious negotiations with other clubs, I wanted the opportunity to share my thoughts directly with Yankees’ ownership. We know there are other opportunities for us, but Cynthia and I have a foundation with the club that has brought us comfort, stability and happiness.

As a result, I reached out to the Yankees through mutual friends and conveyed that message. I also understand that I had to respond to certain Yankees concerns, and I was receptive and understanding of that situation.

That’s a long cry away from where A-Rod was just over a year ago when fans and media seemed to be crushing his spirit. Maybe the money is actually second on A-Rod’s wish list and winning is first.

Nah, the money is still first. Who am I kidding?