The head athletic trainer for the San Francisco Giants was told to appear before a federal grand jury investigating whether Barry Bonds lied about his connection to the BALCO steroids scandal, a newspaper reported.
Stan Conte, who is not related to Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative owner Victor Conte, was subpoenaed to appear in a San Francisco federal courtroom April 27, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the investigation.
Conte is scheduled to appear before the grand jury on the same day as Bonds' orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting. The grand jury subpoenaed Ting's medical records related to Bonds a year ago, the Chronicle reported.
The panel has been hearing testimony for more than a month about whether the outfielder lied to a separate grand jury in December 2003 about his connection to BALCO.
Bonds was one of a string of elite athletes called as witnesses in the steroids conspiracy case. They were granted partial immunity, protected from prosecution as long as they testified truthfully.
LEYLAND DEFENDS BONDS: Barry Bonds' first major league manager believes the San Francisco slugger is being unfairly singled out for his alleged use of steroids. Jim Leyland, now in his first year as Tigers skipper, managed Bonds for seven years with the Pittsburgh Pirates before the slugger left as a free agent to join the San Francisco Giants for the 1993 season.
"I think that's a shame," Leyland said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press before Detroit opened a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. "Let the guy alone. I guess there weren't rules. I don't know what happened. I don't care what happened. This is a hands down go-after-Barry-Bonds thing."
NATIONALS GM ARRESTED: Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after allegedly running a stop sign while in Florida during his team's series against the Marlins last weekend. A few minutes before he was stopped, Bowden and his girlfriend were apparently involved in a physical altercation that left him with scratches and resulted in battery and resisting arrest charges against her.
A Miami Beach police report said the 44-year-old Bowden refused to take a breath-alcohol test after he was stopped at 2:22 a.m. Monday. An officer said he saw Bowden run the stop sign on Collins Avenue, a main thoroughfare in the South Beach neighborhood. He failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, the report said.
GRIFFEY BACK ON DL: Ken Griffey Jr. said Tuesday that he agreed to go on the 15-day disabled list to let his leg heal fully and to help the Cincinnati Reds with a roster predicament. The team wanted to put the 36-year-old outfielder on the disabled list Monday night after a medical test found an inflamed tendon behind his right knee. Griffey had missed five games at that point. Griffey went along even though he should be ready to play before he's eligible to return in 10 days. The move gave the Reds an opening to activate catcher Jason LaRue off the disabled list.
ALSO: The New York Mets were missing three injured starters Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves: center fielder Carlos Beltran, left fielder Cliff Floyd and rookie second baseman Anderson Hernandez . . . Arizona Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Angel Rocha was suspended for 100 games Tuesday, the toughest penalty baseball has levied for a positive steroids test . . . The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Sunny Kim on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a contusion in his right shin.