Barry Bonds is back in the Giants but this was only for the Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The home run king together with J. T. Snow, Shawon Dunston, and Robb Nen, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game starts. Bonds is still considered a hero for the Giants. Gracing the event puts the players in their best performance. The San Francisco Giants won against the Phillies in that game. However, the question whether Barry Bonds will be able to win his steroid perjury case is still hanging and probably will last for a few more years before the case will be closed.

Last week, both parties in the steroid perjury case submitted to the court their list of witnesses that may be called once the trial starts on March 2011. They were both optimistic that these witnesses will help them win the case. The prosecutors submitted the names of at least 25 witnesses. Most of them were former players in the league. The defense, on the other hand, had a few but clarified that it was part of their strategy so that the prosecution can’t prepare counter strategies in advance.

Barry Bonds holds the all-time Major League Baseball homer record of 762. However, his alleged involvement in the use of steroids marred those home runs. He is facing 10 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury in 2003 investigating the BALCO steroid scandal. Bonds told the investigators that he unknowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.

There was nothing new in the list of witnesses of the prosecution according to some people following the case. Baseball players who will be testifying against Bonds were Colorado Rockies first baseman Jason Giambi and his brother Jeremy Giambi, Randy Velarde who played for the Oakland A, and former team mates Bobby Estalella, Armando Rios and Marvin Benard. The personal trainer of Barry Bonds, Greg Anderson was still in the list. Anderson already maintained his stand not to testify against the home run king. He rather spent time in jail just to protect Bonds. The former girlfriend of Bonds, Kimberly Bell, is also in the list. Prosecutors believe that Bell could give a very credible and strong testimony. “Bell will further testify to personal observations regarding changes in the defendant’s body during the period of time beginning in the year 2000, including bloating, acne on the shoulders and back, hair loss, and testicle shrinkage,” said in the court filings.

The AFP also reported that the prosecutors will use taped conversation between Anderson and Bonds’ former business partner, Steve Hoskins. Anderson allegedly discussed with Hoskins how he injects Bonds with steroids. The prosecution will also present in the court the alleged positive steroid test of Bonds in 2003 when the MLB conducted a confidential survey to determine the extent of steroid use in the league.

Most of the baseball players named as witnesses does not have a direct testimony that will implicate Barry Bonds on steroids use. Only Bobby Estelella had admitted that he had several conversation with Bonds about the latter’s use of performance enhancing drugs. These baseball players will mostly talk about their steroid use and their relationship with Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson. Legal experts say that this may help the prosecutors. “The argument will be well if all these other guys knew and if Greg Anderson was saying that if it was common knowledge that BALCO was a steroids supplier, then why would Barry Bonds be the only person to be exempt from that knowledge?” says Dean Johnson, ABC7 legal analyst.

But for the BALCO founder, Victor Conte, it will be going to be a slugfest. “This is not a cakewalk for the government,” he told ABC news. He understands why he was not included in the list of possible witnesses. “Here it’s been seven years, I’ve said from the beginning, I never talked to him about it, I never gave him any, I never had anything to do with Barry Bonds receiving or using performance-enhancing drugs. I don’t think that testimony helps the government,” he said.

Conte is not happy how the government handles steroid related cases. Just like what Jeff Novitsky have done in investigating his BALCO lab. He believes that the perjury case against Bonds is selective prosecution. “It’s really more about trophy hunting than it is about perjury because I think that yes, athletes cheat to win, yes, athletes have lied and used drugs. I believe that the government cheats to win too,” he concluded.

The defense’s possible witnesses are Bonds’ lawyer Michael Rains, former San Francisco Giants trainer Mark Letendre, and personal trainer Harvey Shields. The defense will also ask a steroid expert to testify for the home run king.

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