Bonds not in the clear

Chemist hints that Barry knew

BY T.J. QUINN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, July 25th 2007, 4:00 AM

Patrick Arnold


Chemist Patrick Arnold, the inventor of the stealth steroid THG, says he believes Barry Bonds knew he was using steroids.

In an interview with Bob Costas that aired last night on HBO's "Costas Now," Arnold is asked whether it was plausible that Bonds thought he was using flaxseed oil, as Bonds testified before the BALCO grand jury in 2003.

"No. No, not in the least," Arnold told Costas. "'The clear' was THG dissolved in the same stuff that's used for that nontoxic antifreeze.

"Tasted horrible. I guess it's possible that Barry had never tasted flaxseed oil and said, 'Well, I guess this is flaxseed oil.' But it's pretty hard to believe."

That question is at the heart of a grand jury investigation into Bonds; federal prosecutors believe that Bonds perjured himself when he said he didn't realize he was taking steroids. The Daily News reported last week that the grand jury, set to expire this month, has been extended for another six months, and that sources familiar with elements of the government's case believe the U.S. attorney's office will seek an indictment.



Barry Bonds, Victor Conte and Greg Anderson

BALCO founder Victor Conte later disputed Arnold's version of the story.

"I couldn't help but chuckle as I read a transcript of a recent interview with chemist Patrick Arnold suggesting that Barry Bonds is somehow his creation," he said. "It's important to set the record straight: At no time did I tell Patrick that I provided Barry with any type of anabolic steroids.

"The program I created for Barry was a comprehensive nutritional supplementation regimen and had nothing to do with the clear or any other anabolic steroids."

Arnold, who served three months in prison for his part in the steroid scandal, says in the interview he feels a sense of pride in Bonds' pursuit of the all-time home run record.

"I feel like in a, in a crazy way, obviously I'm a part of it," he says. "How can I want to miss, how would I miss that?"

Arnold says he never met Bonds, but that Conte told him that Bonds was on "the program," and that the program included "the clear."

Arnold also takes a shot at Gary Sheffield, who told HBO's "Real Sports" earlier this month that he didn't believe that "the cream" and "the clear," are anabolic steroids, despite the fact that they are anabolic steroids. Sheffield's argument was that steroids are "something you stick in the butt," and that neither drug was taken by injection.

"That's an ignorant statement," Arnold says. "That's some sort of weird rationalization. No, he took steroids. This is a bona fide anabolic steroid. Victor called it the clear. I don't know if he ever explained to me exactly why he called it the clear. I always assumed it was because you, your, your urine test is clear."