Bonds’ Perjury Trial Nears The mega-high-profile perjury trial of slugging superstar Barry Bonds will begin on March 2. The former San Francisco Giants outfielder has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements and obstructing justice. The charges emanate from his appearance before a grand jury in the infamous BALCO Steroid Case. If convicted, the all-time home-run king could spend as much as two years behind bars. At issue is whether U.S. District Judge Susan Illston will allow urine samples that tested positive for steroids, which prosecutors claim belong to Bonds, and whether she will permit potential jurors to be asked if they were aware of Alex Rodriguez’s recent admission to steroid use. Among those slated to take the stand are former teammate Bobby Estalella, Bonds’ former girlfriend Kimberley Bell, Bonds’ former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins and Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics. Others who might be called to testify are former Major Leaguers Benito Santiago, Armando Rios, Randy Velarde and Marvin Benard.

Bankrupt Vick’s Home Goes to Auction Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s home in Sugarloaf, Ga., will go to auction next month, documents filed in court Tuesday show. The ex-football star, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence on felony charges stemming from dogfighting, filed bankruptcy recently. The minimum bid for the eight-bedroom home in the gated Sugarloaf Country Club will be $3.2 million. Vick is scheduled to be released on July 20.

 Ex-San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds echoed his earlier plea of innocence Thursday in the seemingly never-ending saga over whether he lied to a jury and interfered with the government’s investigation into his alleged use of steroids. Bonds, who has been battling the charges for the past two years, is looking to have much of the 223 pages of evidence thrown out of court. The documents detail the government’s case against the 44-year-old homerun king and include such ditties as steroid test results and damaging correspondence between Bonds and his former personal trainer. He is scheduled to go on trial in March. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston declined to rule on Thursday about what evidence would be allowed in court, but she hinted that she might not allow test records from the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, the company at the crux of the Bonds steroids scandal. She said that the evidence amounts to little more than hearsay without direct testimony from Greg Anderson, Bonds’ ex-trainer. “Our defense is that Barry Bonds is innocent,” said Bonds’ lawyer Allen Ruby. “That’s our defense, and we think that’s the central fact of the case.”

Prosecutors say they have a mountain of evidence against Major League slugger Barry Bonds. They point to steroid test results, notes and calendars from his former trainer, all part of a stack of 223 pages of documents unsealed Wednesday. The ex-San Francisco Giants outfielder is accused of obstructing justice and lying to a grand jury investigating the use of steroids in professional sports. Bonds denied adamantly that he used performance-enhancing substances, including a then-undetectable designer drug, at the time prosecutors say he was using them. Bonds’ attorneys want a major chunk of the documents kept out of court. Bonds, 44, holds Major League Baseball’s single-season and all-time home-run titles. He has pleaded not guilty to the perjury and obstruction of justice charges and has been free on $500,000 bond. A hearing in the case is scheduled for today.

Barry Bonds faces 12 charges in perjury case. Baseball’s home run record-holder will face three less counts of lying while under oath after a judge dismissed the charges Monday. Barry Bonds is still up against 10 counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice related to his 2003 testimony, denying that he used steroids before a grand jury. Judge Susan Illston dropped one count of perjury that she considered duplicitous, another because Bonds’ answer was vague, and a third because she viewed a question as ambiguous. Bonds is expected to face a new jury in the perjury case next March.