SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi injected himself with human growth hormone in 2003 and used steroids for at least three seasons, according to his grand jury testimony reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The testimony given in December 2003 to the federal grand jury investigating BALCO contradicts Giambi's public proclamations that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Giambi described how he injected human growth hormone in his stomach, testosterone into his buttocks, rubbed an undetectable steroid knows as "the cream" on his body and placed drops of another, called "the clear," under his tongue, the Chronicle reported on its Web site Wednesday night
Giambi testified that he obtained several different steroids from Barry Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who is one of four men indicted by the grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. He said he got the human growth hormone from a gym in Las Vegas.
Anderson's attorney, Tony Serra, declined comment to the Chronicle, citing a court order.
Anderson, BALCO founder Victor Conte, vice president James Valente and track coach Remi Korchemny all have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include steroid distribution.
On Wednesday, a federal judge said she would not immediately dismiss the charges in response to accusations that prosecutors illegally searched BALCO headquarters and Anderson's house and car. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said she may conduct hearings into the matter in January.
Giambi was among dozens of elite athletes - including Bonds, Gary Sheffield and track stars Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones - who answered the grand jury's questions last year. Bonds, Jones and Montgomery deny using illegal drugs, but Sheffield told Sports Illustrated and ESPN earlier this year that he used "the cream" and "the clear" from BALCO, which he said unknowingly to him contained illegal steroids.
The Chronicle reported in October that on a 9-minute recording it had obtained, a speaker the paper identified as Anderson is heard saying Bonds used an "undetectable" performance-enhancing drug during the 2003 season.
Giambi met Anderson when the trainer joined Bonds on an All-Star tour in Japan in November 2002. Giambi said he wanted to know what Bonds' secret for success was.
"So I started to ask him: 'Hey, what are the things you're doing with Barry? He's an incredible player. I want to still be able to work out at that age and keep playing,"' Giambi testified, according to the Chronicle. "And that's how the conversation first started."
After returning to the United States, Anderson told Giambi he could provide him with performance-enhancing drugs and suggested he stop taking the steroid Deca Durabolin that he obtained from the Las Vegas gym because it stays in the system too long, the paper reported. Giambi said he started using Deca Durabolin in 2001.
Giambi said Anderson never told him that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs.
"You know, I assumed because he's Barry's trainer - you know, Barry - but he never said one time, 'This is what Barry's taking, this is what Barry's doing,"' Giambi testified. "He never gave up another name that he was dealing with or doing anything with."
Prosecutors confronted Giambi with a calendar seized from Anderson's home that detailed Giambi's schedule of drug use.
Giambi said he didn't notice a "huge difference" in his performance after starting to use illegal drugs.
Giambi came to spring training this year looking noticeably trimmer as baseball began a steroid-testing program that included punishments for the first time. Asked in February whether he had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, Giambi said: "Are you talking about steroids? No."
Giambi won the American League Most Valuable Player in 2000 for Oakland and signed a $120 million (?90.27 million), seven-year free-agent contract with the Yankees after the 2001 season. He hit 155 homers from 1999-2002 and batted over .300 each season, but injuries slowed him down the last two years.
Bothered by a balky knee, Giambi hit just .250 in 2003. Giambi batted .208 and played in only 80 games last season, missing time because of a tumor, which the New York Daily News reported was in his pituitary gland. Medical experts told the Chronicle that Clomid, a drug Giambi said he thought Anderson had given him, can exacerbate a tumor of the pituitary gland.
Giambi's younger brother, Jeremy, who last played in the majors with Boston in 2003, also testified that he used performance-enhancing drugs given to him by Anderson, according to the Chronicle.
_________________ i just want drive to the edge of the skies
or run until my lungs collapse
because this blank canvas stares at me
while ten thousand colors sit on my pallet
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:28 am Posts: 4667 Location: plaque on the wall Gender: Male
He probably didn't say anything because of an agreement with the prosequtors. His immunity may be contingent on his silence until they get the souce or the real target of the investigation.
I'm not defending him in anyway for taking streroids. I think this is just as bad as betting on the game. Using drugs for an unfair advantage. He should be banned.
Coming clean because he has cancer? It dosen't take a rocket scientist to realise when the bat starts looking like a toothpick in some of these guys hands that something is up. Except Cecil Fielder.
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
GrimmaceXX wrote:
PJ addict wrote:
Using drugs for an unfair advantage. He should be banned.
And yes, I am a diehard Yankee fan!
of course you think that, you want the yankees to get out of his contract. AKA the worst signing in baseball ever.
So the Mets are interested in Giambi?
The only thing that prevents me from believing Bonds is a roid rager is the injury deal. Giambi, Sheffield, McGwire, all have constant nagging injury problems they strain something every single time out.
Bonds dosen't seem to do that. His age plus roids should be ruining his body and it dosen't seem to be doing that.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:14 am Posts: 8662 Location: IL
Electromatic wrote:
GrimmaceXX wrote:
PJ addict wrote:
Using drugs for an unfair advantage. He should be banned.
And yes, I am a diehard Yankee fan!
of course you think that, you want the yankees to get out of his contract. AKA the worst signing in baseball ever.
So the Mets are interested in Giambi?
The only thing that prevents me from believing Bonds is a roid rager is the injury deal. Giambi, Sheffield, McGwire, all have constant nagging injury problems they strain something every single time out.
Bonds dosen't seem to do that. His age plus roids should be ruining his body and it dosen't seem to be doing that.
Maybe he drinks massive amounts of Geritol too.
well how about we just say that 75% of the people who take steroids will have these problems... one just got lucky.... because anyone who doubts he is a roid freak is just plain ignorant
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
pearljamminagain wrote:
Electromatic wrote:
GrimmaceXX wrote:
PJ addict wrote:
Using drugs for an unfair advantage. He should be banned.
And yes, I am a diehard Yankee fan!
of course you think that, you want the yankees to get out of his contract. AKA the worst signing in baseball ever.
So the Mets are interested in Giambi?
The only thing that prevents me from believing Bonds is a roid rager is the injury deal. Giambi, Sheffield, McGwire, all have constant nagging injury problems they strain something every single time out.
Bonds dosen't seem to do that. His age plus roids should be ruining his body and it dosen't seem to be doing that.
Maybe he drinks massive amounts of Geritol too.
well how about we just say that 75% of the people who take steroids will have these problems... one just got lucky.... because anyone who doubts he is a roid freak is just plain ignorant
I'm not saying he isn't. I'm saying it's odd that his body isn't as deteriorated or strained as the others.
Perhaps it's due to nutrition but I tend to thing Bonds is probably only using this THG stuff while the rest of that group is using damn near anything they can get their hands on to bulk up.
Clearly none of which possess the same skills as Bonds to begin with but it would seem steroids make a great player one of the greatest of all time.
All of this make what Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron did seem that much more amazing.
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