Testimonies Unsealed

In an early holiday gift for the judge in the Barry Bonds' prejury trial. Approved on Wednesday a request made the government last week, to lift the veil on a reported 33,000 pages of previously sealed grand jury testimony. These pages include the testimony on dozens of top athletes, who testified five years ago before a San Francisco jury.

Some of the more damning evidence thought to be coming out in the files are many of Bonds' test results for anabolic steroids.

Judge Susan Illston has ordered that the threat of prosecution and jail time be removed from any BALCO witness of source who wants to leak information. There are three categories of evidence covered by the order: transcripts, medical records, and laboratory results all stemming from search warrant affidavits.

In all this could start to paint a more clear picture for us bystanders/sports fans. Of the more than 30 witnesses who testified, almost all had little tidbits leaked in the San Francisco Chronicle years ago.

Victor Conte, BALCO mastermind, believes that the release of testimony and lab results may hold a silver lining for defense lawyers in the Bonds case. Because it could appear the government engaged is selective enforcement by focusing on Barry Bonds.

Absolutely it looks selective, when Bonds was so defiant to the Federal Prosecutors. It would only seem logical to build a case against him, for his actions. I believe the Federal Government isn't in the habit of coming after just anybody. They only do this when they think they have enough evidence, what's the old saying, where there is smoke there is fire. We still do not know everything in the sealed court documents, but come March, when the Bonds case goes to trial we'll all learn a heck of alot more.

Maybe by the end of this they will put an asterisk next to his name in the record book, "All-Time HR Leader*".