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Babo still not signed; steroids language issues involved
By Jeremy Harness December 28, 2006 |
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The other Barry, Barry Bonds is still without a contract after his new teammate Barry Zito signed a $126 million deal with the Giants for seven years worth $18 million per year today. Bonds, who is trying to ink a deal that is worth $16 million for a single year deal is reportedly going to get the deal done with Giants managing partner Peter McGowan, Team President Larry Baer and Giants General Manager Brain Sabean at some point but it's going to be interesting how its going to get done. All the agreements are in place incentives and goals but several stipulations remain mainly Bonds wants a guarantee that if he is called into court by the Federal Grand Jury for any reason during the season that he would still get paid. The Giants are having trouble coming to terms with paying Bonds while he is in court trying to settle his legal business when the Giants expect him to be paid for playing baseball. Bonds who is 22 homers short of Hank Aaron's all time home run mark at 755 homers wants to have a guarantee if he indicted for testimony in court, put in jail for perjury regarding his December 2003 testimony if it is proven that he knowingly took steroids he still wants to be paid by the club in that event. McGowan has stated that he can't see any money sense in something like that and that the Giants do not want to get caught in a web of Bonds legal entanglements, and pay him for it at the same time. McGowan was concerned about what that would do for the club's image in paying Bonds when there might be a possibility that the feds could prove he knew he was knowingly taking steroids. The Giants have told Bonds agent Jeff Boras that kind of an offering is strictly off the table and the two sides have not met since earlier in the week. Bonds realizes that the possibility to be called in the court is still there after his personal trainer Greg Anderson who was sent to prison for a fourth time is still in Dublin Correctional Facility for not testifying against Bonds for steroid use, and now San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada could face 18 months in jail for refusing to give up their source as to who gave them testimony in the BALCO/Steroids case about Bonds not knowing it wasn't steroids he was taking. Bonds is aware about the handwritten calendars seized by federal agents at Anderson's Burlingame home containing dates that Anderson distributed "the cream" and "the clear" to Bonds and Federal agents want to ask Anderson about that calendar and about a phone call that was recorded that had Anderson admitting that he distributed steroids to Bonds. With this in the foreground it needs to get worked out before the Giants can sign Bonds. Jeremy Harness covers Giants baseball and co-hosts Sportstalk on 1690 KFSG Sacramento. |
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