For those of you who don't have the stomach or time to wade through all 152 pages of the recently released December 4, 2003 grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds, Indie Sport offers you five pages of excerpted highlights and lowlights.The numbers in parentheses refer to the pages of the grand jury transcript from which the passages were excerpted. Bon appetit!


Q. Mr. Bonds, good afternoon.

A. Mm-hmm. (3)

Q. And I'd like to ask you at this point, if you don't understand a question that I put to you, either because I ask it badly, which does happen, or if I just say it in a confusing way-do you understand I would ask you to ask me to clarify it rather than try to answer or guess at it.

A. Yes. You are confusing. I'm telling you. Is he confusing you guys? I'm glad it's not just me. (5)

Q. Do you understand that you have a Fifth Amendment right not to make statements that will incriminate yourself? Do you understand that?

A. I believe so. I don't understand the question, but I guess so. (6)

Q. ...did [Greg Anderson] explain to you why he wanted to test your blood or your urine?

A. He wanted to do a blood test sample to try to regulate your levels, if you're lacking in zinc or magnesium or, you know, like, your deficiency in your body. And I was curious about it. You know, that's a unique thing to find out. (17, 18)

Q. ...did [Anderson] tell you why urine samples?

A. No. I didn't-- we were friends. I didn't ask Greg a bunch of questions. We are friends, we grew up together, you know, we don't do that stuff. If he needs something, fine, fine. (19)

Q. What was Greg's connection or relationship with BALCO?

A. I have no idea their personal relationship or any-- their relationship. I don't get into anyone's business like that. (21)

Q. ...did you ever get anything from Greg besides advice or tips on your weight lifting and also the vitamins and proteins that you already referenced?

A. ...Greg came to the ballpark and he said, you know: "This will help you recover," and he rubbed some cream on my arm, like, some lotion-type stuff, and, like, gave me some flax seed oil, that's what he called it, called it some flax seed oil, man. It's, like: "Whatever, dude." (23, 24)

Q. Let me ask you, then, about this flax seed oil thing that you mentioned.

A. ...it would be, like, this much (indicating). And you would get, like, two drops underneath your tongue... (25, 26)

Q. Had you ever taken flax seed oil, by the way, before?

A. I never asked Greg. When he said it was flax seed oil, I just said: "Whatever." It was in the ballpark. (29) ...I mean, I didn't question anything when he-- you know, if I'm at the ballpark or something-- you know, trainers come up to me and say: "Hey, Barry, try this." I don't really question it, move on. You know? (30)

Q. Mr. Anderson had never given you anything or asked you to take anything before the 2003 season: is that right?

A. We never had those discussions. We don't discuss about his- you know, part of his world of business. My business is my business. (32, 33)

Q. Did Greg ever give you anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with?

A. I've only had one doctor touch me. And that's my only personal doctor. Greg, like I said, we don't get into each others' personal lives. We're friends, but I don't-- we don't sit around and talk baseball, because he knows I don't want-- don't come to my house talking baseball. If you want to come to my house and talk about fishing, some other stuff, we'll be good friends. You come around talking baseball, you go on. I don't talk about his business. You know what I mean? ...That's what keeps our friendship. You know, I am sorry, but that-you know, that-I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts. I became a celebrity child with a famous father. I just don't get into other people's business because of my father's situation, you see.

So, I don't know-I don't know-- I've been married to a woman five years, known her 17 years, and I don't even know what's in her purse. I have never looked in it in my lifetime. You know, I just-- I don't do that, I just don't do it, and you know, learned from my father and throughout his career, you don't get in no one's business, you can't-- there's nothing they can say, you can't say nothing about them. Just leave it alone. You want to keep your friendship, keep your friendship. (42, 43)

Q. Did Greg ever give you testosterone in injectable form for you to take?

A. No... Greg is- Greg has nothing, man. You know what I mean? Guy lives in his car half the time, he lives with his girlfriend, rents a room so he can be with his kid, you know? ...This is the same guy that goes over to our friend's mom's house and massages her leg because she has cancer and she swells up every night for months. Spends time next to my dad rubbing his feet every night. Our friendship is a little bit different. (51, 52)

Q. With all the money you make, have you ever thought of maybe building [Anderson] a mansion or something?

A. One, I'm black. And I'm keeping my money. And there's not too many rich black people in this world. And I'm keeping my money. There's more wealthy Asian people and Caucasian and white. There ain't that many rich black people. And I ain't giving my money up. That's why. And if my friends can help me, then I'll use my friends. (145)

Q. ...did you ever take any steroids that [Anderson] gave you?

A. Not that I know of. (54)

Q. Let me ask you, in terms of you knowing about it, what do you mean by not that you know of?

A. Because I have suspicions over these two items right here (indicating)...And that's the only reason. But I haven't asked him. I haven't gotten there. So, I'm just suspicious over this stuff right here (indicating). (54, 55)

Q. Do you recognize the handwriting on here as Greg's handwriting?

A. I've never really seen Greg write anything ever. (58)

Q. Really? Okay.

A. That's the honest truth. Ever. We're in there training, lifting weights. There's nothing for him to write down. (58)

Q. Okay. Did he ever give you, like, invoices of the vitamins and things he provided you, like, give you written-

A. Our friendship goes too far back for that, no, never. I have never paid Greg for anything...I need somebody that can be there. And the trainers I have can be there on a regular basis. So if I want to train at night or in the morning or four o'clock in the morning, I don't have any problems with that. We just all built a relationship that way. (58, 60)

Q. Did the Giants training staff have any involvement in working with you with Mr. Anderson?

A. No way...We don't trust the ball team. We don't trust baseball. (63)

Q. Why not?

A. Because I was born in this game. Believe me. It's a business. Last time I played baseball was in college. I work for a living now. (63)

Q. But you did pay Greg for his help on the weight coaching and training?

A. ...I paid Greg $15,000 for the whole year. (71)

Q. Did you pay him in cash or checks?

A. I paid him cash. (72)

Q. All at once?

A. Sometimes all at once, and I think sometimes I split it up. It's however he wanted it. Friend of mine. (72)

Q. Okay. So, I got to ask, Mr. Bonds. There's this number associated on a document with your name, and corresponding to Barry B. on the other document, and it does have these two listed anabolic steroids as testing positive in connecting with it. Do you follow my question?

A. I follow where you're going, yeah. (80)

Q. So, I guess I got to ask the question again, I mean, did you take steroids? And specifically this test is in November of 2000. So, I'm going to ask you in the weeks and months leading up to November 2000, were you taking steroids?

A. No. (80)

Q. ...Has anyone, Mr. Anderson or anyone else, told you about these results orally?

A. No...I never-I asked him, like, he would just take them and: "I'd say what is it?" And he'd say: "Barry, I need you to eat this much food or I need you to take this much vitamins." That was it. I trusted him in it, you know what I mean? (81)

Q. Did you ever get any pills that Mr. Anderson described as testosterone pills or fast-acting steroid pills that he called beans? Did you ever get anything like that from him?

A. No, not that I know of. I mean, he gave me a package of pills. (100)

Q. Did he ever give you one he called beans?

A. I didn't ask him what was in the packages. (100)

Q. Can you tell of any reason why Greg would have written "G" and "test" and things like that on a calendar with your initials on it if he wasn't giving you growth hormone and testosterone?

A. I can't answer that. Maybe he ran out of paper. I don't know. (110)

Q. ...Do you see where I'm reading from there?

A. Mm-hmm. (122)

Q. And then there's this other discussion of free testosterone a little bit further down that says: "The percentage of total testosterone in unbound state, percent free testosterone, cannot be calculated since the free testosterone level is greater than the highest detectable concentration." Do you see that section?

A. Mmm-hmm. (122)

Q. Okay. So, again, let me ask you in January 2001, do you know why BALCO would have been testing you for your testosterone levels?

A. I have no idea. (122)

Q. ...When Mr. Nedrow asked you a while ago about that subject matter [steroids] in relation to this investigation, you said: "We didn't talk about any of that stuff," basically, relating to this investigation, steroids, or whatever?

A. Right. (126)

Q. Mr. Anderson and you would not talk about that. You didn't want to talk about that. Is that right?

A. I don't want to know anything. That's exactly right. (126)

Q. ...now, with what you've seen today, do you feel comfortable as you sit here today saying that you have never taken steroids?

A. I feel very comfortable, very comfortable. (133)